Chapter 1: Basics
Physics concepts
- density
- pressure
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/under-pressure
- ideal gas equation of state (ideal gas law)
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/gas-properties
- displacement, velocity, acceleration
- Newton's 2nd Law
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/forces-and-motion-basics
- Energy
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-forms-and-changes
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics
Weather and Climate concepts
- Weather versus Climate
- What is the difference between weather & climate?
- What are the 4 components of the climate system, and how do
each of them play a role in climate?
- What are some important climate parameters?
- What is climate variability?
- What is the difference between free and forced variations?
- What are some examples of free and forced variations?
- Scales (what do we mean by "scales" and "scale interactions"?)
- Spatial scales
- Temporal scales
- scale interactions
- Structure and Composition of the Atmosphere
- mixed gases, non-mixed gases
- most abundant gases
- there are certain gases that play an important role in
weather and climate; it is important for you to know the roles
of the following gases:
- CO2
- ozone (03)
- ozone is considered "good" and "bad". Understand this
(it helps to understand what layer of the atmosphere it is
"good" and what layer it is "bad").
- what role does it play in the stratosphere?
- water vapor
- how is this important?
- we'll spend a lot more time with this later.
- aerosols
- what these are
- what role they have in weather & climate
- how can they contribute to "cooling" effect? how can
they contribute to a "warming" effect?
- cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)
- How do density and pressure vary with altitude?
- How does temperature vary with altitude?
- be able to draw the temperature structure and label the layers
(and boundaries between layers).
- be able to describe why the troposphere and stratosphere have
the structure they have.
- hydrostatic balance
- What two forces are in balance in hydrostatic equilibrium?
- What is the acceleration of a parcel in hydrostatic equilibrium?
- Know how to derive the hydrostatic equation starting with a
free-body-diagram of an air parcel.
- Winds
- what is the source of winds?
- pressure gradients
- atmospheric circulations
- Latent heating
- what is the role of latent heating in atmosphere?
- energy balance
- Where is the primary source of energy for the earth's atmosphere?
- Where does the energy go?
- What do we mean by "energy balance"?
- What are the different processes/components of the atmosphere that
control the energy budget of the atmosphere?
Reading Guide, and useful links