4720: ATOC Introduction to Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics Spring 2007 Course Goals In this class we will quantitatively explore physical processes occurring in the atmosphere, with an emphasis on those processes that give rise to atmospheric circulations across a range of spatial and temporal scales. During the first two thirds of the semester we will explore the basic concepts required to understand the development and decay of mid-latitude storm systems. During the remainder of the semester we will explore other atmospheric phenomena as diverse as severe thunderstorms and Antarctic katabatic winds. Throughout the semester we will use real-world examples of atmospheric phenomena to illustrate the concepts being discussed in this class. At the end of the semester you should know the fundamental forces that drive atmospheric motion, be able to estimate the magnitude of these forces from standard weather maps, evaluate the types of atmospheric motion resulting from a balance of these forces, and understand the processes involved in the formation, evolution, and eventual decay of midlatitude storm systems.
Contact Information and Office Hours Professor: Dr. John Cassano Classroom: EDUC 143 Meeting Time: TR 12:30-1:45PM Class web site: http://atoc.colorado.edu/~cassano/atoc4720 Office: Ekeley S331 (see map on class web site) Office Hours: TBA e-mail: [e-mail] phone: [phone] Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding this class. I will have two regularly scheduled office hours per week and you can also contact me via e-mail or by calling my office phone number. If you need to talk to me at a time other than during my regularly scheduled office hours please e-mail or call first, to make sure that I will be in my office. I am always happy to meet with students at times other than my regularly scheduled office hours. If you send me an e-mail during the semester you should receive a response from me within 1 or 2 days. If you do not receive a response it is likely that I did not receive your e-mail, so please resend your message or talk with me during class or office hours. If you discuss any items with me before or after class please follow up with an e-mail to confirm our conversation. Class web site The class web site contains a copy of the course syllabus, an electronic version of the lecture notes, a schedule of class lectures, homework due dates, exam dates, downloadable homework assignments, links to a number of weather web sites, honor code policies, and student grades for the class. In addition important class announcements will be posted on the web site, so make sure to check the web site at least once per week for any important information. Access to the class web site is required as all homework assignments and lecture notes will be posted on this web page. Textbook The required textbook for this class is Applied Atmospheric Dynamics by Amanda Lynch and John Cassano. Copies of this text are available at the university bookstore.
Prerequisites The prerequisites for this class are one year of calculus and one year of calculus based physics. The level of mathematics required, though not rudimentary, is pre-vector calculus. Students should be able to make physical interpretations of mathematical expressions, take simple derivatives, and perform basic vector operations. We will review all of these concepts, as required, during the semester. Course Requirements Students are expected to read the textbook and to attend the class lectures. The lectures will cover some, but not all of the material in the textbook, and will also present information not contained in the textbook. Exams will be based on information from the textbook, the class lectures, and the homework assignments. Lecture notes will be posted on the class web site. Students may wish to print these notes prior to a given lecture and use the printed lecture notes as an outline for taking notes during the class. Reading the online lecture notes is not a substitute for attending the class lectures, since these notes will only serve as an outline for the material presented in class. During the semester you are encouraged to observe the weather around you, to apply the material learned in class to understanding the weather you observe, and to ask questions based on what you see. Students are expected to both ask and answer questions during the class lectures. Grading, Exams, and Homework Your final grade in this course will be made up of: Two mid-term exams (15% each) One final exam (20%) Five homework assignments (10% each) The final grade will be calculated as: Final grade = [(Mid-term exam average) x (0.30)] + [(Final exam grade) x 0.20] + [(Homework average) x 0.50] Your final letter grade in this class will be determined from your final grade (as calculated above) and the following letter grade divisions: A: Final grade greater than or equal to 95.0% C: Final grade from 73.3% to 76.6% A-: Final grade from 90.0% to 94.9% C-: Final grade from 70.0% to 73.2% B+: Final grade from 86.7% to 89.9% D+: Final grade from 67.5% to 69.9% B: Final grade from 83.3% to 86.6% D: Final grade from 65.0% to 67.4% B-: Final grade from 80.0% to 83.2% F: Final grade less than 65.0% C+: Final grade from 76.7% to 79.9% The final course grades will not be curved or rounded, but can be modified for active class participation. The date of all exams and homework assignments are listed at the end of this syllabus and on the class web page. Exams will consist of quantitative problems and short answer questions. No make-up exams will be offered. If you miss a regularly scheduled exam you will receive a grade of zero for that exam. Exam dates can only be rescheduled if they conflict with other official university activities (e.g. participation on an athletic team). If you need to miss a regularly scheduled exam it is your responsibility to discuss this with Professor Cassano before the scheduled date of the exam, and you will be expected to take this exam at a date before the regularly exam scheduled date. Homework assignments will consist of multiple problems from the class textbook and are due by the end of class on the dates listed on the class schedule. Homework assignments turned in later than this will have 20 points deducted from their grade and will only be accepted until the end of the next class period.
Honor Code All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council ([e-mail]; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ Specific guidelines regarding violations of the Honor Code as relate to ATOC 4720 can be found on the class web site under the "Honor Code Policy" link. All students in ATOC 4720 are expected to know and understand the policies listed on both the class web site and the Honor Code web site. Classroom Behavior Policy Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Students who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Faculty have the professional responsibility to treat all students with understanding, dignity and respect, to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the manner in which they and their students express opinions. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. See polices at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#student_code Students with Disabilities If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to Professor Cassano a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner (at least one week prior to the first exam) so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices University of Colorado Policy on Discrimination and Sexual Harassment The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment, the University of Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships apply to all students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information ...