The following is the preliminary schedule for this semester. Deviations and updates may occur. The important thing is to keep up with the reading and come to class already having spent some time thinking about the material.
| # | Date | Topics | Reading | Assignments | Remarks |
| Week 1 | |||||
| 1 | Wed Sep 7 | Orientation, Problem solving review | Appendix B | HW #1a: B1, B2 | Self-study questions for App. B |
| L1 | Fri Sep 9 | – | Atmospheric thermal structure pp. 18-28 | Observed structure of the atmosphere | Self-study questions for Ch. 1 |
| Week 2 | |||||
| 2 | Mon Sep 12 | Atmos. pressure & density; Atmos. composition | 1–12 | HW#1b: 1.1-1.4 | – |
| 3 | Wed Sep 14 | Temperature; Wind chill | 13-17, 33-35 | HW#1c: 1.5, 1.7, 1.8 | – |
| L2 | Fri Sep 16 | Skew-T diagrams | 44-46 | Skew-T orientation |
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| Week 3 | |||||
| 4 | Mon Sep 19 | Air parcels; Working with system variables | 49-51 52-60 | HW#1 due. HW#2a: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 | Self-study questions for Ch. 2 & 3 |
| 5 | Wed Sep 21 | Experimental properties of gases; The Ideal Gas Law; Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures; Gas constant for dry air | 61-64 65-67 68 69-70 | HW #2b: 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 | |
| L3 | Fri Sep 23 | – | 36-44 | Radiosonde launch | Self-study questions for upper air obs. |
| Week 4 | |||||
| 6 | Mon Sep 26 | Equation of state for moist air | 71-77 | HW#2 due. HW#3a: 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11 | – |
| 7 | Wed Sep 28 | Buoyancy Hydrostatic equation | 78-82 83-87 | HW #3b: 3.12, 3.13, 3.14 | – |
| L4 | Fri Sep 30 | Surface Observations I | – | ||
| Week 5 | |||||
| 8 | Mon Oct 3 | Geopotential height; Hypsometric equation; “Thickness” | 88-91 92-93 117-122 | HW#3 due. HW#4a: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 | Self-study questions for Ch. 4 |
| 9 | Wed Oct 5 | Pressure profiles; Correction to sea level | 93-103; 109-11 | HW#4b: 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 | |
| L5 | Fri Oct7 | – | – | Hypsometric equation | – |
| Week 6 | |||||
| 10 | Mon Oct 10 | MIDTERM | – | HW#4 due. | – |
| 11 | Wed Oct 12 | Midterm discussion | – | 1 | – |
| L6 | Fri Oct 14 | – | – | Pressure measurements and error analysis | – |
| Week 7 | |||||
| 12 | Mon Oct 17 | Standard atmosphere; pressure and density altitude;pressure/height fields | 111-117;118-122 | HW#5a: 4.12, 4.13, 4.14, 4.16 | – |
| 13 | Wed Oct 19 | PV work; 1st Law of TD | 123-135 | HW#5b: 5.1, 5.3, 5.4 | Self-study questions for Ch. 5 |
| L7 | Fri Oct 21 | – | – | Python Lab #1 | – |
| Week 8 | |||||
| 14 | Mon Oct 24 | Poisson’s eqn.; potential temp.; dry adiabats | 136-141 | HW#5 due. HW#6a: 5.6, 5.7 |
Petty on travel |
| 15 | Wed Oct 26 | Heat engines; cyclic processes | 142-149 | HW#6b: 5.8 | Petty on travel |
| L8 | Fri Oct 28 | – | – | – | Petty on travel |
| Week 9 | |||||
| 16 | Mon Oct 31 | Reversible and irreversible processes; enthalpy; | 150-154 | HW#6 due; HW#7a: 5.9-5.12 | – |
| 17 | Wed Nov 2 | subsidence inversions; diabatic processes; energy on a Skew-T | 154-160 | HW#7B: 5.13 | – |
| L9 | Fri Nov 4 | – | – | – | – |
| Week 10 | |||||
| 18 | Mon Nov 7 | Entropy and the 2nd Law of TD | 163-166 | Self-study questions Ch. 6 | |
| 19 | Wed Nov 9 | Water vapor saturation | 167-176 | HW#8: 7.1. Also: Given e=1000 Pa and T=20C, use Fig. 7.3 to estimated RH, Td | Self-study questions Ch. 7 |
| L10 | Fri Nov 11 | – | – | Observations II | – |
| Week 11 | |||||
| 20 | Mon Nov 14 | MIDTERM (through p. 175) | |||
| 21 | Wed Nov 16 | Midterm discussion | – | – | – |
| L11 | Fri Nov 18 | – | |||
| Week 12 | |||||
| 22 | Mon Nov 21 | Clausius-Clapeyron equation | 176-185 | HW#9a: 7.2, 7.3, 7.5, 7.7, 7.8 | – |
| 23 | Wed Nov 23 | Dry adiabatic processes and moisture variables | 185-195 | HW#9b: 7.9, 7.13 | To answer the perennial question: Yes, I am obligated to hold class today. |
| X | Fri Nov 25 | – | – | – | Thanksgiving Break |
| Week 13 | |||||
| 24 | Mon Nov 28 | Moist adiabatic lapse rate; | 195-203 | – | |
| 25 | Wed Nov 30 | 204-209, 222-227 |
HW#10: 7.16, 7.17, 7.20, 7.21, 7.22 | ||
| L12 | Fri Dec 2 | – | – | – | |
| Week 14 | |||||
| 26 | Mon Dec 5 | – | 228-237 | HW#11a: 7.23, 7.24. | – |
| 27 | Wed Dec 7 | Dry static stability | 239-248 | HW#11b: 8.1 | Self-study questions for Ch. 8 |
| L13 | Fri Dec 9 | – | – | Scavenger hunt |
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| Week 15 | |||||
| 28 | Mon Dec 12 | Conditional instability; convective instability | 249-258 | HW#11 due: Due Friday afternoon by 5pm (place in Luke’s box). |
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| 29 | Wed Dec 14 | CAPE, CIN, Deep convection | 258-278 | – | – |
| L14 | Fri Dec 16 | – | – | no class / study day | – |
| Finals Week |
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| F | Mon Dec 19 | Final exam, 2:45-4:45 |
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