Meteorology: Intro to Atmospheric Sciences

How are hurricanes formed? What is the EF scale? Why do temperatures vary? Come discover the answers to these questions and so many more in this weekly meeting. 

We will cover a wide variety of topics to understand the importance of weather and how that differs from climate. Gaining an understanding of how the atmosphere interacts with the surface of the land to predict weather patterns is important so that we can take general precautions as these patterns approach our areas. In this class, we will look at topics related to the structure of the atmosphere and specific types of weather and its creation. Students will be engaged through lecture, slides, videos, and discussion topics. 

Our weekly list of topics is as follows: 

Introduction to the Atmosphere: 
Week of January 12, 2025: Focus on the Atmosphere
Week of January 19, 2025: Scientific Inquiry
Week of January 26, 2025: Earth as a System
Week of February 2, 2025: Composition of the Atmosphere
Week of February 9, 2025: Eye on the Atmosphere: The Ionosphere
Week of February 16, 2025: Review of Previous Concepts

Heating Earth's Surface and Atmosphere:
Week of February 23, 2025: Earth-Sun Relationships
Week of March 2, 2025:  Energy, Temperature, and Heat
Week of March 9, 2025: Heat Transfer
Week of March 16, 2025: Incoming Solar Radiation
Week of March 23, 2025: Role of Gases in the Atmosphere
Week of March 30, 2025: Earth's Energy Budget
Week of April 6, 2025: Review of Previous Concepts

Temperature:
Week of April 13, 2025: Air Temperature Data
Week of April 20, 2025: Cycles of Air Temperature
Week of April 27, 2025: Why Temperatures Vary
Week of May 4, 2025: Global Distribution of Temperature
Week of May 11, 2025: Temperature Measurement
Week of May 18, 2025: Applying Temperature Data
Week of May 25, 2025: Review of previous Concepts

Moisture and Atmospheric Stability: 
Week of June 1, 2025: Water on Earth
Week of June 8, 2025: Water's Changes of State
Week of June 15, 2025: Humidity
Week of June 22, 2025: Relative Humidity and Dew-Point Temperature
Week of June 29, 2025: Adiabatic Temperature Changes and Cloud Formation
Week of July 6, 2025: Processes That Lift Air
Week of June 13, 2025: Localized Convective Lifting
Week of June 20, 2025: Atmospheric Stability
Week of June 27, 2025: Stability and Daily Weather
Week of August 3, 2025: Review of Previous Concepts

Forms of Condensation and Precipitation: 
Week of August 10, 2025: Cloud Formation
Week of August 17, 2025: Cloud Classification
Week of August 24, 2025: Cloud Varieties
Week of August 31, 2025: Types of Fog
Week of September 7, 2025: How Precipitation Forms
Week of September 14, 2025: Precipitation From Warm Clouds
Week of September 21, 2025: Forms of Precipitation
Week of September 28, 2025: Precipitation Measurement
Week of October 5, 2025: Planned and Inadvertent Weather Modification
Week of October 12, 2025: Review of Previous Concepts

Air Pressure and Winds: 
Week of October 19, 2025: Atmospheric Pressure and Wind
Week of October 26, 2025: Variance in Air Pressure
Week of November 2, 2025: Factors Affecting Wind
Week of November 9, 2025: Winds Aloft Versus Surface Winds
Week of November 16, 2025: How Winds Generate Vertical Air Motion
Week of November 23, 2025: Wind Measurement
Week of November 30, 2025: Review of Previous Concepts

Circulation of the Atmosphere: 
Week of December 7, 2025: Scales of Atmospheric Motion
Week of December 14, 2025: Local Winds
Week of December 21, 2025: Global Circulation
Week of December 28, 2025: Global Distribution of Pressure and Precipitation
Week of January 4, 2026: The Westerlies
Week of January 11, 2026: Jet Streams
Week of January 18, 2026: Global Winds and Ocean Currents
Week of January 25, 2026:El Nino, La Nina, and Southern Oscillation
Week of February 1, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Air Masses:
Week of February 8, 2026: What is an Air Mass?
Week of February 15, 2026: Classifying Air Masses
Week of February 22, 2026: Properties of North American Air Masses
Week of March 1, 2026: Maritime Tropical Air Masses, Continental Tropical Air Masses, and Identifying Air Masses on a Map
Week of March 8, 2026: Air Mass Modification
Week of March 15, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Midlatitude Cyclones: 
Week of March 22, 2026: Frontal Weather
Week of March 29, 2026: Stationary and Occluded Fronts and Drylines
Week of April 5, 2026: Midlatitude Cyclones and the Polar Front Theory
Week of April 12, 2026: Flow Aloft and cyclone Formation
Week of April 19, 2026: The Conveyor Belt Model
Week of April 26, 2026: Where Do Midlatitude Cyclones Form?
Week of May 3, 2026: Idealized Weather of a Midlatitude Cyclone
Week of May 10, 2026: Anticyclonic Weather and Atmospheric Blocking
Week of May 17, 2026: Case Study of a Midlatitude Cyclone
Week of May 24, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes: 
Week of May 31, 2026: Thunderstorms
Week of June 7, 2026: Ordinary Cell Thunderstorms
Week of June 14, 2026: Downbursts
Week of June 21, 2026: Severe Thunderstorms
Week of June 28, 2026: Severe Weather 101
Week of July 5, 2026: Lightning and Thunder
Week of July 12, 2026: Tornadoes
Week of July 19, 2026: Development and Occurrence of Tornadoes
Week of July 26, 2026: Tornado Destruction and Forecasting
Week of August 2, 2026: Surviving a Violent Tornado
Week of August 9, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Hurricanes:
Week of August 16, 2026: Profile of a Hurricane
Week of August 23, 2026: Hurricane Formation and Decay
Week of August 30, 2026: Hurricane Destruction
Week of September 6, 2026: Heavy Rains and Inland Flooding
Week of September 13, 2026: Tracking and Monitoring Hurricanes
Week of September 20, 2026: Forecasting Hurricanes
Week of September 27, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Weather Analysis and Forecasting:
Week of October 4, 2026: Overview of the Weather Business and Producing a Forecast
Week of October 11, 2026: Acquiring Weather Data
Week of October 18, 2026: Weather Maps: Depictions of the Atmosphere
Week of October 25, 2026: Modern Weather Forecasting
Week of November 1, 2026: Other Forecasting Models
Week of November 8, 2026: Weather Satellites
Week of November 15, 2026: Types of Forecasts
Week of November 22, 2026: The Role of the Forecaster
Week of November 29, 2026: Forecast Accuracy
Week of December 6, 2026: Review of Previous Concepts

Air Pollution:
Week of December 13, 2026: The Air Pollution Threat
Week of December 20, 2026: Sources and Types of Air Pollution
Week of December 27, 2026: Trends in Air Quality
Week of Jan 3, 2027: Meteorological Factors Affecting Air Pollution
Week of January 10, 2027: Acid Precipitation
Week of January 17, 2027: Review of Previous Concepts

The Changing Climate:
Week of January 24, 2027: Climate Change
Week of January 31, 2027: Detecting Climate Change
Week of February 7, 2027: Natural Causes of Climate Change
Week of February 14, 2027: Human Impacts on Global Climate
Week of February 21, 2027: Role of Trace Gases
Week of February 28, 2027: Atmospheric Response and How Aerosols Affect Climate
Week of March 7, 2027: Predicting Future Climate Change
Week of March 14, 2027: Consequences of Climate Change
Week of March 21, 2027: Review of Previous Concepts

World Climates:
Week of March 28, 2027: Climate Classification and Controls
Week of April 4, 2027: Humid Tropical Climates and Tropical Wet Climates
Week of April 11, 2027: Dry Climates
Week of April 18, 2027: Mild Midlatitude Climates
Week of April 25, 2027: Midlatitude Climates with Severe Winters
Week of May 2, 2027: Polar Climates
Week of May 9, 2027: Highland Climates
Week of May 16, 2027: Review of Previous Concepts

Optical Phenomena and the Atmosphere:
Week of May 23, 2027: Interactions of Light and Matter
Week of May 30, 2027: Mirages
Week of June 6, 2027: Rainbows
Week of June 13, 2027: Halos, Sun Dogs, and Solar Pillars
Week of June 20, 2027: Other Optical Phenomena
Week of June 27, 2027: Review of Previous Concepts

If you have questions about course content, please feel free to reach out to me. Any projects or extra materials needed during the duration of the class will be posted well in advance of the class and participation in any extra activities is always optional.

I look forward to seeing your learner in class!