Descriptor Details

  • Descriptor Title
    Introduction to Weather and Climate
  • C-ID Number
    130
  • Units
    3.0
  • Date of Last Revision
    10/12/2017 04:43:51 PM PDT

General Description

Introduction to the Earth’s atmosphere: topics include atmospheric structure and composition, solar radiation and energy balances, temperature, seasonal changes, atmospheric moisture, clouds and fog, precipitation, air pressure, winds, air masses and fronts, cyclones, weather forecasting, climate and climate change.

Prerequisites

No information provided

Corequisites

No information provided

Advisories

Ability to read a college level text, eligibility for English composition, Elementary Algebra

Content

  1.  Energy and Mass  
    1. Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere  
    2. Solar Radiation and the Seasons
    3. Energy Balance and Temperature
    4. Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
  2. Water in the Atmosphere
    1. Atmospheric Moisture
    2. Cloud Development and Forms
    3. Precipitation Processes
  3. Distribution and Movement of Air
    1. Atmospheric Circulation and Pressure Distributions
    2. Air Masses and Fronts  
  4. Disturbances
    1. Midlatitude Cyclones
    2. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
    3. Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
    4. Weather forecasting and analysis
  5. Climate and Climate Change 
    1. Earth’s Climates and their distribution
    2. Climate Changes and their causes
    3. Past climates and projected future changes

Lab Activities

No information provided

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Explain the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system.
  • Describe forces that cause atmospheric motion and resultant pressure patterns, wind systems and global circulation.
  • Describe moisture, clouds and precipitation processes, and their distributions.
  • Explain weather systems, distribution and extreme events
  • Classify and interpret atmospheric data through weather maps, radar imagery and satellite data.
  • Describe global climate distribution and causes and implications of climate change.

Evaluation Methods

Objective and subjective midterm and final examinations. Reports or projects, homework problems, and/or laboratory reports.

Textbooks

Weather and climate (Aguado)
Meteorology today (Ahrens)
Weather studies (Moran)

Or other college level text as selected by the instructor.

Descriptor Administration

  • Public Review Needed
    No
  • Next Descriptor Review
    No information provided
  • Resubmission Requirements for Courses
    No information provided
  • Resubmission Deadline
    No information provided
  • Comments

    This course may include a laboratory component on some campuses (as a four-unit course).

  • Notes

    No information provided

  • Keywords

    Geography, weather, climate