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ATMO 305: Spring 2019 

Meteorological Instrumentation & Observation

Course Description

 

ATMO 305 is designed to provide students with the history, operation, and use of meteorological instruments that monitor the atmosphere. The emphasis is on practical applications and understanding the challenges of accurate atmospheric observation. The instructor will provide hands-on experience with instrumentation where possible. This course is a required class for students majoring in Atmospheric Sciences at the Univ. of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. It is the only Writing Intensive (WI) course in the ATMO department, and as such, it has a focus on learning through laboratory reports, data analysis, and scientific writing.

 

Learning Objectives

 

By the end of this course, students will be able to...

 

  1. Describe the methods for meteorological measurement

  2. Describe uncertainties inherent in meteorological observation

  3. Create graphics to display scientific data

  4. Write concise reports to describe scientific experiments

  5. Plan an experiment, using knowledge of experimental design and logistics

  6. Present experimental results in written and oral form

Link to Download the Course Syllabus

Resources:

Meteorological Measurement Systems, by Fred V. Brock and Scott J. Richardson, Oxford University Press, 2001.

 

Instructor’s Handbook on Meteorological Instrumentation, by Fred V. Brock (Editor) and Carol E. Nicholaidas (Assistant Editor), NCAR/TN-237+IA, 1984.

Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1 (FMH-1), by OFCM, 1995.

 

This page will be updated throughout the Spring 2019 semester as the course progresses.

Course resources (Lecture slides, Assignments etc.) can be found on Laulima.

Week 1: Jan 7-11 Syllabus, Lab Report Writing & Rubric

Week 2: Jan 14-18 Instrumentation Fundamentals & Temperature, Thermometer Lab

Week 3: Jan 21-25 Temperature & Creative Writing Lab

Week 4: Jan 28-Feb 1 Pressure, Peer Review, Barometer Lab

Week 5: Feb 4-8 Pressure, Moisture, Plotting Lab

Week 6: Feb 11-15 Atmospheric Moisture, Humidity Lab

Week 7: Feb 18-22 Lab Writing, Finding Sources, Peer Review Lab

Week 8: Feb 25-Mar 1 Wind, Wind Lab

Week 9: Mar 4-8 Water cycle and Cloud Probes

Week 10: Mar 11-15 Midterm, Writing with the Reader in Mind Lab

Week 11: Mar 18-22 - Spring Break!

Week 12: Mar 25-29 Rain Gauges, Project Proposals

Week 13: Apr 1-5 Measuring Rainfall

Week 14: Apr 8-12 Radar, Project Outline

Week 15: Apr 15-19 Field Campaign Design

Week 16: Apr 22-26 First Drafts Due, Peer Review

Week 17: Apr 29-May 3 Final Project Presentations

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