Open Yale Courses

GG 140: The Atmosphere, the Ocean, and Environmental Change

Mirrored from oyc.yale.edu · CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 · Ronald B. Smith Damon Wells Professor of Geology & Geophysics

Mirrored from: oyc.yale.edu · Yale University · Geology & Geophysics

Instructor: Ronald B. Smith Damon Wells Professor of Geology & Geophysics · License: CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0

The Atmosphere, the Ocean, and Environmental Change

About this course

This course explores the physical processes that control Earth's atmosphere, ocean, and climate. Quantitative methods for constructing mass and energy budgets. Topics include clouds, rain, severe storms, regional climate, the ozone layer, air pollution, ocean currents and productivity, the seasons, El Niño, the history of Earth's climate, global warming, energy, and water resources.

Course details

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus three times per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Fall 2011.

Texts

Ahrens, C. Donald. Essentials of Meteorology . Brooks Cole, 2004.

Requirements

Weekly reading assignments, eight problem sets give students experience with quantitative heat and mass budget analyses, five laboratory exercises, and four exams.

Grading

Problem sets: 30% Three mid-term exams: 30% Final Exam: 40%

Syllabus

1 section · 40 lectures · links open at oyc.yale.edu.

Course sessions

Introduction to AtmospheresLecture 1
Retaining an AtmosphereLecture 2
The Perfect Gas LawLecture 3
Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Residence TimeLecture 4
Earth Systems Analysis (Tank Experiment)Lecture 5
Greenhouse Effect, HabitabilityLecture 6
Hydrostatic BalanceLecture 7
Horizontal TransportLecture 8
Water in the Atmosphere ILecture 9
Water in the Atmosphere IILecture 10
Exam 1Exam 1
Clouds and Precipitation (Cloud Chamber Experiment)Lecture 11
Circulation of the Atmosphere (Exam I review)Lecture 12
Global Climate and the Coriolis ForceLecture 13
Coriolis Force and StormsLecture 14
Convective StormsLecture 15
Frontal CyclonesLecture 16
Seasons and ClimateLecture 17
Quinnipiac River Field TripLab
Seasons and Climate ClassificationLecture 18
Exam 2Exam 2
Ocean Bathymetry and Water PropertiesLecture 19
Ocean Water Density and Atmospheric ForcingLecture 20
Ocean CurrentsLecture 21
Ocean Currents and ProductivityLecture 22
El NiñoLecture 23
Ice in the Climate SystemLecture 24
Ice and Climate ChangeLecture 25
Isotope Evidence for Climate ChangeLecture 26
Global WarmingLecture 27
Global Warming IILecture 28
Exam 3Exam 3
Global Warming IIILecture 29
Climate Sensitivity and Human PopulationLecture 30
The Two Ozone ProblemsLecture 31
The Ozone LayerLecture 32
Energy Resources, Renewable EnergyLecture 33
Renewable EnergyLecture 34
Review and OverviewLecture 35
Final ExamFinal Exam

This is a mirror of GG 140: The Atmosphere, the Ocean, and Environmental Change from Yale University Open Yale Courses, distributed under CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0. Attribution: Ronald B. Smith Damon Wells Professor of Geology & Geophysics.

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