Syllabus

Course Description

Weather and climate is designed to function as two mini-courses that are highly integrated and interdependent. It is necessary to understand the elements of weather in order to understand climatic systems and outcomes. The course is not taught in a deterministic manner but from an ecological standpoint with a focus upon the interaction of site and situation, basic concepts to Geographers.

The first part of the course has a focus upon the basic elements of weather and then interactions with specific sites. It progresses to the specific reactions of these elements (i.e. Boston, Coastal/location, Northeast storms/gales, low pressure storms, ocean moderated rainfall.) Students will become aware of the physics and chemistry of weather as well as the geography.

Progressing to the climate part of the course students will observe the interactions of short term and long term weather patterns which will culminate -in long term climates.There interaction and reciprocity between weather and climate will be stressed. Students will draw inferences between synoptic and dynamic weather geographically and climatic patten-is locally and globally. Geographic location and earth physics are critically important in this process.

Course Objectives

• 1. Integrate weather elements and climate patterns.
• 2. Understand the difference between climatic controls and climatic determinism
• 3. Relate site specific human activities to human settlement (i.e. rubber and coconut plantations, convectional storms, tropics).
• 4. Identify weather and climate patterns nationally and worldwide.
• 5. Describe local and global patterns, (i.e. El Nino and La Nina).
• 6. Identify effects of episodic/local negative/weather (gales, hurricanes, tornadoes)
• 7. Examine weather phenomenon and climatic patterns (Microclimates).
• 8. Observe and interact with different weather and climatic patterns on daily and seasonal bases as they move throughout different geographical locations.
• 9. Apply a systems approach to classifying climates and locating them geographically.

Prerequisites

None

Required Textbook

Text: Lutgens,F.K. and Edward Tarbuck, The Atmosphere-(Prentice Hall-N.J.) 2001, 8th Ed.