Syllabus:  METEO 426 

Course Number and Title:  METEO 426, Inside Numerical Weather Prediction Models 

Semester:  Spring, 2019 

Instructor:  William F. Ryan, 401 Walker Building, [email protected], Office Hours by appointment. 

Class meeting times and locations:  Tuesday and Thursday, 115 pm, 607 Walker 

Course designation in curriculum:  Elective 

Brief course description:  This class explains the key components of current operational weather prediction models, focusing on student prepared quantitative temperature and precipitation forecasts. 

Prerequisites and concurrent courses:  METEO 411:  Synoptic Lab and/or METEO 421:  Dynamics 

Students who do not meet these prerequisites should meet with the instructor as soon as possible as accommodations can be made.  Students may be dis-enrolled during the first 10-day free add-drop period after being informed in writing by the instructor (see:  http://www.psu.edu/dept/oue/aappm/C-5.html). If you have not completed the listed prerequisites, then promptly consult with the instructor if you have not done so already.  Students who re-enroll after being dis-enrolled according to this policy are in violation of Item 15 on the Student Code of Conduct (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/codeofconduct/).

Required textbooks and recommended textbooks: Required:   None 

Recommended:  

• Warner, Thomas T., 2011:  Numerical Weather and Climate Prediction, Cambridge University Press, 2010.
• DeCaria, A. and Van Knowe, G, 2014: A First Course in Atmospheric Numerical Modeling.
• Stensrud, David J., 2010:  Parameterization Schemes: Keys to Understanding Numerical Weather Prediction Models. 

Internet materials and links:  Operational Model Encyclopedia, COMET MetEd,  https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=1186#.WG5nsPkrJ5Q

Assistance with Textbooks: Penn State honors and values the socioeconomic diversity of our students. If you require assistance with the costs of textbooks for this course, contact the Office of Student and Family Services (120 Boucke Building, 863-4926, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/familyservices/). For additional need related to socioeconomic status please visit http://sites.psu.edu/projectcahir. 

Course expectations:  The objective of this course is to understand how numerical weather forecast models “work” with an emphasis on model initialization procedures, parameterization of key sub-grid scale processes and the use of ensemble forecast models. 

Course content:  This course will cover:  The governing equations and their numerical solution, parameterization of sub-grid scale processes, model initialization and ensemble models, as well as coupled numerical models. 

Course policies: A portion of your grade will be determined by class attendance, it is expected that you will attend every class.  Your participation is critical to the success of this class.  You will be expected to respond to questions from the instructor and a portion of your grade will be determined by your participation. 

And here’s the boilerplate: This course abides by the Penn State Class Attendance Policy 42-27: http://senate.psu.edu/policies/42-00.html#42-27, Attendance Policy E-11: http://www.psu.edu/oue/aappm/E-11.html, and Conflict Exam Policy 44-35: http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/44-00.html#44-35.  Please also see Illness Verification Policy: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/welcome/illnessVerification/, and Religious Observance Policy: http://www.psu.edu/oue/aappm/R-4.html.  Students who miss class for legitimate reasons will be given a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work, including exams and quizzes.  Students are not required to secure the signature of medical personnel in the case of illness or injury and should use their best judgment on whether they are well enough to attend class or not; the University Health Center will not provide medical verification for minor illnesses or injuries. Other legitimate reasons for missing class include religious observance, family emergencies, and regularly scheduled university-approved curricular or extracurricular activities.  Students who encounter serious family, health, or personal situations that result in extended absences should contact the Office of Student and Family Services for help: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/familyservices/.  Whenever possible, students participating in University-approved activities should submit to the instructor a Class Absence Form available from the Registrar's Office: http://www.registrar.psu.edu/student_forms/, at least one week prior to the activity. 

Assessment tools: Required written/oral assignments:  Students will participate in weather briefings and/or verification briefings several times per semester (dependent on size of class).  Beginning in late January, students will provide precipitation forecasts for a selected location 3 times per week.  There will be occasional homework assignments.  Briefings, forecasts and other assignments will account for 35% of the total grade. 

Examination policy:  There will be five (5) quizzes.  There will be no final exam.  Each quiz will account for 10% of the total grade for a total of 50% of the final grade. 

Attendance and Participation:  Attendance and participation in class discussion are expected.   Attendance and participation will account for 15% of the total grade.   

Grading policy:  Quiz scores may be curved if the class median score is below 80%.  Late assignments will be reduced one grade level (e.g., A to B).  Forecasts may not be entered late. 

Academic integrity statement: Students in this class are expected to write up their problem sets individually, to work the quizzes on their own, and to write their papers in their own words using proper citations.  Class members may work on the problem sets or forecasts in groups, but then each student must write up the answers or submit the forecast separately.  Students are not to copy problem or exam answers from another person's paper and present them as their own; students may not plagiarize text from papers written by others.  Students who present other people's work as their own will receive at least a 0 on the assignment and may well receive an F or XF in the course.  For information about the Earth and Mineral Sciences Academic Integrity Policy, which this course adopts, please see: http://www.ems.psu.edu/current_undergrad_students/academics/integrity_policy. 

Accommodations for students with disabilities: Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus: (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator). For further information, please visit the Student Disability Resources website (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources).

In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/guidelines). If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus’s disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations. 

Attendance: This course abides by the Penn State Attendance Policy E-11: http://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/E-11-class-attendance.html, and Conflict Exam Policy 44-35: http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/44-00-examinations/#44-35. Please also see Illness Verification Policy:  http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/welcome/illnessVerification/, and Religious Observance Policy: http://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/R-4-religious-observances.html. Students who miss class for legitimate reasons will be given a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work, including exams and quizzes.  Students are not required to secure the signature of medical personnel in the case of illness or injury and should use their best judgment on whether they are well enough to attend class or not; the University Health Center will not provide medical verification for minor illnesses or injuries. Other legitimate reasons for missing class include religious observance, military service, family emergencies, regularly scheduled university-approved curricular or extracurricular activities, and post-graduate, career-related interviews when there is no opportunity for students to re-schedule these opportunities (such as employment and graduate school final interviews).  Students who encounter serious family, health, or personal situations that result in extended absences should contact the Office of the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (AVPSA) and Student and Family Services for help: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/familyservices/.  Whenever possible, students participating in University-approved activities should submit to the instructor a Class Absence Form available from the Registrar's Office: http://www.registrar.psu.edu/student_forms/, at least one week prior to the activity. 

Weather and Emergencies: Campus emergencies, including weather delays, are announced on Penn State Live (http://live.psu.edu/) and communicated to cellphones, email, the Penn State Facebook page, and Twitter via PSUTXT (to sign up, please see http://live.psu.edu/psutxt).  

Penn State E-mail Accounts

All official communications from Penn State are sent to students' Penn State e-mail accounts. Be sure to check your Penn State account regularly, or forward your Penn State e-mail to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.

Deferred Grades

If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to your instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If, for any reason, the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F" will be automatically entered on your transcript. 

Military Personnel

Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or spouses with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, disabilities, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.

Disruptive Behavior: Behavior that disrupts normal classroom activities will not be tolerated, in accordance with Items 9 and 14 in the Student Code of Conduct. 

Safety: In the case of an emergency, we will follow the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Critical Incident Plan (http://www.ems.psu.edu/sites/default/files/u5/research/CIP_March2016.pdf).  In the event of an evacuation, we will follow posted evacuation routes and gather at the Designated Meeting Site.  Evacuation routes for all EMS buildings are available at http://www.ems.psu.edu/faculty_staff/safety/evacuationPlans.  For more information regarding actions to take during particular emergencies, please see the Penn State Emergency Action Guides.  

Disclaimer Statement

Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus can be changed at any time, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes.