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

About the 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.

About Professor Ronald B. Smith

Ronald B. Smith is the Damon Wells Professor of Geology & Geophysics, and specializes in atmospheric dynamics and physics, regional climate, and remote sensing. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Princeton University and his PhD in geophysics from The Johns Hopkins University. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society and received the Society’s Jule G. Charney Award in 2011.

Sessions

Lecture 1 Introduction to Atmospheres
Lecture 2 Retaining an Atmosphere
Lecture 3 The Perfect Gas Law
Lecture 4 Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere; Residence Time
Lecture 5 Earth Systems Analysis (Tank Experiment)
Lecture 6 Greenhouse Effect, Habitability
Lecture 7 Hydrostatic Balance
Lecture 8 Horizontal Transport
Lecture 9 Water in the Atmosphere I
Lecture 10 Water in the Atmosphere II
Exam 1 Exam 1
Lecture 11 Clouds and Precipitation (Cloud Chamber Experiment)
Lecture 12 Circulation of the Atmosphere (Exam I review)
Lecture 13 Global Climate and the Coriolis Force
Lecture 14 Coriolis Force and Storms
Lecture 15 Convective Storms
Lecture 16 Frontal Cyclones
Lecture 17 Seasons and Climate
Lab Quinnipiac River Field Trip
Lecture 18 Seasons and Climate Classification
Exam 2 Exam 2
Lecture 19 Ocean Bathymetry and Water Properties
Lecture 20 Ocean Water Density and Atmospheric Forcing
Lecture 21 Ocean Currents
Lecture 22 Ocean Currents and Productivity
Lecture 23 El Niño
Lecture 24 Ice in the Climate System
Lecture 25 Ice and Climate Change
Lecture 26 Isotope Evidence for Climate Change
Lecture 27 Global Warming
Lecture 28 Global Warming II
Exam 3 Exam 3
Lecture 29 Global Warming III
Lecture 30 Climate Sensitivity and Human Population
Lecture 31 The Two Ozone Problems
Lecture 32 The Ozone Layer
Lecture 33 Energy Resources, Renewable Energy
Lecture 34 Renewable Energy
Lecture 35 Review and Overview
Final Exam Final Exam