Department of Geosciences GEO-SCI 354: Climatology Fall 2009 Copyright © 2009 (Jack Creilson)

Inside the eye of Hurricane Katrina - August, 2005

The course objectives are

1. Development of material through inquiry and discovery.
2. An understanding of the components of the earth/atmosphere system: radiation and energy balance, the hydrological cycle, and the general circulation.
3. An understanding of climate on global, regional, and local scales.
4. An analysis of climate change and its implications.

The class will meet in Morrill 2, room 136, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:05 am to 9:55 am. A discussion of the current day's weather will be held from 8:50 am to 9:05 am. This discussion is not a required part of the course, but each discussion can enhance your knowledge of topics we will cover in class. The discussions are also a great introduction to the fascinating world of weather.

1. Attendance at all classes is essential.
2. There will be many opportunities for you to participate in class. Your participation is highly encouraged, since the level of your participation will constitute a substantial part of your grade. Participation will also aid you in a better understanding of the class material.
3. You are required to be present for exams on the days exams are scheduled. In extraordinary circumstances I will reschedule an exam for an individual, but only if I am notified in advance of the exam.
4. Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated and will lead to a reduction in final grade or course failure.
5. Submission of assignments (see below) after assigned dates will result in reduction of 5 percentage points (or the letter grade equivalent) for each day late.
6. Many of the materials created for this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. This includes, but is not limited to, the syllabus, lectures and course notes. Except to the extent not protected by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such materials requires the permission of the instructor. Please be aware that it is a violation of university policy to reproduce, for distribution or sale, class lectures or class notes, unless copyright has been explicitly waived by the faculty member.

The text is Climatology by Robert V. Rohli and Anthony J. Vega, Copyright 2008 by Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. (ISBN-13: 978-0-7637-3828-0) Purchase of the text is optional. The text is not necessary for the course, but can provide valuable reinforcement and supplementary material. It will be available at the Textbook Annex. Text readings are coordinated with classes in the Schedule below.

An excellent two volume reference, Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather (QC 854 E 523 1996) is available in the reference section of the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library, Lederle GRC lowrise, floor 2. Additional meteorology and climatology books are available in that library. The books have call letters from QC851 to QC999.

A great deal of material is available only via this course Web Site. You must familiarize yourself with the procedures necessary to navigate this site. The site should be checked frequently, since it will be updated at various times through the semester.

The assignments are out of class work. See the schedule below. You will have one week to complete each assignment.

Assignment #1 - An energy balance model

Assignment #2 - Analysis of surface weather map

Assignment #3 - Location of sources of climatic information

You will be required to do one long term project in which you will describe the climate of a given location and explain its climate in terms of the physical environment of the location and the processes inherent in the climate system. Click here for the project description and assigned locations.

You can contact me by email through this web site or directly on the internet (jack@geo.umass.edu). I will not establish set office hours, but will be available during most hours from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. You can reach me by phone at 545-0659, and you can find me in Hasbrouck 236 (Climate System Research Center). It would be best to contact me to set up a meeting time.

Please feel free to consult with me on any course matters.

Exam #1	15%
Exam #2	15%
Final exam	15%
Assignments	20%
Project	25%
Class participation	10%