Instructor:

Prof. Robert Wood
ATG 718, Phone 543-1203
Rob Wood Homepage
Office Hours: flexible

Description:

Introduction to boundary-layer meteorology. Surface energy budget, structure and evolution of boundary layers, and basic ideas of turbulence theory.

Learning Goals:

1. Understand the major energy flows that determine the surface energy budget.
2. Understand how the subsurface structure of the soil impacts air temperature.
3. Understand the major factors controlling atmospheric boundary layer structure, including its vertical structure and depth.
4. Incorporate the effects of viscosity into the equations of motion to predict simple near-surface flows.
5. Appreciate how turbulence affects near-surface atmospheric structure.
6. Understand how viscous concepts can be used to represent the effects of turbulence.

Prerequisites:

ATM S 340 or PHYS 224.

Class meets:

Tue and Thur 10:30-11:50 in ATG 310c.

Textbook:

Introduction to Micrometeorology by S. Pal Arya (Second Edition), Academic Press

Useful texts:

Atmospheric Science, an introductory survey, by J. M. Wallace and P.V.Hobbs (Second Edition), Academic Press