METEO 470

Climate Dynamics

METEO 470 – Climate Dynamics

Spring 2021 Syllabus 

Classes:         
Tuesday, Thursday 10:35-11:50 AM, Zoom and Walker Building 124 

Instructor:    
Prof. Colin Zarzycki
Office:  524 Walker Building            
Email:  [email protected]
Office hours: TBD (or by appointment) 

Teaching Assistant:
Qinxue (Sharon) Gu
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: TBD 

Required Courses:
Prerequisites: METEO 300 (Fundamentals of Atmospheric Science), METEO 421 (Atmospheric Dynamics), METEO 431 (Atmospheric Thermodynamics).

Enrollment Policy – Students who do not meet these prerequisites may be disenrolled according to Administrative Policy C-5 if they do not have the proper prerequisite override. If you have not completed the listed prerequisites, then consult with the instructor. Students who add the course after being disenrolled according to this policy are in violation of Item 15 on the Student Code of Conduct. 

Class Structure:  Lectures will be 75 minutes and held on Tuesday and Thursday. 

Course Description: Climate dynamics delves into the fundamental processes that control the earth's climate of the past, present, and future. Fundamentals are developed from concepts of basic dynamic meteorology, radiative transfer, and thermodynamics. Surface energy and hydrologic budgets, and the atmospheric and oceanic circulation are covered. A survey of the earth's climate through geologic history is also explored, including extinction events and the impacts on climate. The concepts developed in this course are applied to the topic of anthropogenic climate change and how various aspects of the climate system could be influenced by global mean, long-term warming.  

Course Objectives

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the dynamics and thermodynamics governing the ocean and atmosphere on spatial and temporal scales appropriate for climate systems
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the basic mechanisms of climate variability that are related to the coupling of the ocean and the atmosphere 

Course Outcomes

  • Demonstrate knowledge of radiation and its role in determining atmospheric thermal structure
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the atmospheric general circulation and energy budget as well as their roles in determining the climate state and its variability, with possible applications to ocean-atmospheric responses such as El Nino/Southern Oscillation and/or ocean circulation dynamics
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate temporal and spatial averaging of the governing equations relevant to the description of climate and its variability
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the state of the ocean, wind-driven oceanic circulations, thermohaline circulations, and coupled ocean-atmosphere processes, and their roles in determining the climate state and its variability
  • Demonstrate knowledge of internal and forced climate variability
  • Demonstrate knowledge of past climates
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the processes responsible for climate change and how global climate models are used to assess it 

Course outline:

  • Introduction (Chapters 1, 8, 11, 12)
    • Goals and Scope of the Course
    • Observations and Motivations
  • Radiative Equilibrium (Chapter 2)
    • Energy Balance of Earth
    • Emission Temperature of a Planet
    • Greenhouse Effect
    • Distribution of Insolation
    • Poleward Heat Flux
  • Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Climate (Chapter 3)
    • Reading assignments (3.1-3.5)
    • Formulation of Flux Absorption
    • Infrared Radiative Transfer Equation
    • Heuristic Model of Radiative Equilibrium
    • Clouds, Radiation, and Energy Balance of Earth
  • The Energy Balance of the Surface (Chapter 4)
    • Surface heat and radiative fluxes
  • The Hydrological Cycle (Chapter 5)
    • Potential Evapotranspiration
    • Hydrological Cycle of warmer and cooler climates
  • Atmospheric General Circulation and Climate (Chapter 6)
    • Atmospheric Motions and the Meridional Transport of Energy
    • The Axisymmetric Circulation
    • The Wave (weather)-Driven Circulation
    • Large-Scale Circulation Patterns and Climate
    • Moist effects on the Circulation and Hydrologic Cycle
  • Ocean General Circulation and Climate (Chapter 7)
    • Properties of Seawater
    • The Mixed Layer
    • The Wind-Driven Circulation
    • Thermohaline Circulation & Two-Box Model
  • Natural Intraseasonal and Interannual Variability (Chapter 8)
  • History and Evolution of Earth’s Climate (Chapter 9)
  • Climate Sensitivity and Feedback Mechanisms (Chapter 10)
  • Global Climate Models (Chapter 11)
  • Climate Change (Chapter 12 & 13) 

A detailed course schedule with specific topics, readings, and homework due dates is given separately on Canvas. This schedule will be updated accordingly throughout the semester. 

Required Course Materials:

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 needs related to socioeconomic status please visit http://sites.psu.edu/projectcahir. The text is also on reserve in the EMS library. 

Supplemental Textbooks:

  • Peixoto, J. P. and A. H. Oort, 1992. Physics of Climate, American Institute of Physics.
  • Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs, 2006. Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, 2nd Edition, Academic Press. 

There are a few additional required readings from other sources, which will be made available to you electronically. 

Homework:  There will be five homework assignments, assigned via Canvas approximately every 1.5-2 weeks and due at the beginning of class of the assigned date. Late homework (up to 24 hours late) will be accepted with a 25% penalty and must be turned in directly to the instructor (not the teaching assistant). Homework assignments are equally weighted. There will be one mini-final project that includes an in-class presentation. The same late penalty applies to the mini-final project. 

Exams:  There will be three exams. When calculating your final “exam component,” they are weighted as 18%, 15%, 12% for your best, median, and worst scores, respectively (sum to 45% final exam grade contribution). Official dates will be provided during the first few weeks of classes, no later than 14 days before the exam date. 

Quizzes: There will be six in-class quizzes throughout the semester, with dates chosen at random. Each quiz will be scored either a 0, 1, or 2. The lowest quiz score is dropped, therefore each student is effectively allowed one unexcused absence without penalty. 

Grades:  The weighting of the components of your course grade is as follows:

  • 35% homework
  • 45% exams
  • 10% mini-final project
  • 10% in-class quizzes 

The final grade will be based on a standard grading scale: 

  • A: 93-100%
  • A-: 90-92%
  • B+: 87-89%
  • B: 83-86%
  • B-: 80-82%
  • C+: 77-79%
  • C: 70-76%
  • D: 60-69%
  • F: 0-59% 

There will be no grade curving, however, the instructor reserves the right to adjust the grading scale. In the event this is required, grades will only be adjusted upwards. 

Online submission of coursework: If a student is unable to turn in coursework directly to the instructor or TA (e.g., sickness, travel), they may request the ability to turn it in electronically (e.g., scans, phone pictures, typed, etc.). To do so the they must first obtain permission and then submit via Canvas by the due date. Assignments sent via general e-mail may be timestamped incorrectly and will be graded at the TA/instructor’s discretion. 

Academic integrity:  Students in this class are expected to write up their problem sets individually, to work the exams on their own, and to write their papers in their own words using proper citations.  Class members may work on the problem sets in groups, but then each student must write up the answers 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 or websites 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.  Please see: Earth and Mineral Sciences Academic Integrity Procedures: https://www.ems.psu.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising/policies-procedures-and-forms/academic-integrity-undergraduates, which this course adopts. To learn more, see Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students." 

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 Office for Disability Services (ODS) website provides contact information for every Penn State campus: (http://equity.psu.edu/student-disability-resources/disability-coordinator). For further information, please visit the Office for Disability Services 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/applying-for-services). 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:  Regular attendance is critical for building on the skills and knowledge developed throughout the class. Students who participate have a more complete understanding of the material presented and are more likely to succeed in the class. This is true whether your attendance is in person or remote.  The University recognizes that, on exceptional occasions, students may miss a class meeting to participate in a regularly scheduled university-approved curricular or extracurricular activity (such as field trips, debate trips, choir trips, and athletic contests), or due to unavoidable or other legitimate circumstances such as illness, injury, military service, family emergency, religious observance, participation in local, state, and federal government elections, or post-graduate, career-related interviews when there is no opportunity for students to re-schedule these opportunities (such as elections or employment and graduate school final interviews).  In all cases, you should inform me in advance, when possible.  Missing class, even for a legitimate purpose, may mean there is work that cannot be made up, hurting your grade in this class.  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 Care and Advocacy for help: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/studentcare.  You should be prepared to provide documentation for participation in University-approved activities, as well as for career-related interviews.  You should submit to the instructor a Class Absence Form: https://undergrad.psu.edu/aappm/class_absence_v3.pdf, at least one week prior to the activity. 

Because of classroom size limitations, you will be asked to attend in person only on certain days. Your schedule of attendance will be given to you or available in Canvas. The attendance schedule is designed with the health and safety of everyone in the class in mind, to ensure that we can maintain safe physical distancing during class time. To maintain appropriate physical distancing and safety of in-person participants, come only on the day you are scheduled, wearing your mask appropriately (i.e., covering your mouth and nose). 

Use the symptom checker of the Penn State GO app every day to see if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.  If you have COVID-19 symptoms or are otherwise not feeling well, DO NOT COME TO CLASS, and seek the advice of a medical professional as appropriate.  If you have been notified or know yourself that you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, DO NOT COME TO CLASS and please make sure you have been reported as a close contact. I cannot stress this strongly enough. We are counting on you to help contain the spread of the virus (and other illnesses) on campus.  If you need to isolate (because you are infected) or quarantine (because you were a close contact to an infected person), the Student Support Services Office will let both of us know when you are allowed to attend class again.  If you attend class before the approved date, it will be a student conduct violation, because you are endangering the health of your classmates and me.  While you are in isolation or quarantine, I will work with you to help you maintain progress in the course as you are able. If you are not in class on your assigned day, you may be contacted by the instructor or the TA to check up on you and make sure you are okay. 

According to University guidelines, and because of the distancing procedures in place for in-person classes, if someone in the class tests positive, we will continue with our regularly scheduled classes. 

If there is an outage with Zoom, students are asked to remain at their computers for 15 minutes to see if the outage is fixed in a reasonable amount of time. Students will be contacted by Canvas and e-mail during this window. If the outage lasts longer than 15 minutes, class will be cancelled for the day and a recorded lecture will be provided to make up the missed class period. If the Zoom outage occurs during an in-person class, the in-person class will still take place as scheduled, with the lecture being recorded and provided to remote participants at a later time. 

There may be lectures that I cannot make it to due to circumstances beyond my control. In this case, you will either have a guest lecturer or the live synchronous lecture will be cancelled. You will be notified in advance of this change. In the case of a live lecture being cancelled, a recorded lecture will be made available and you are responsible for the material in that lecture just as a live lecture. 

Cancellations and delays:  Campus emergencies, including weather delays, are announced on Penn State News and communicated to cell phones, email, the Penn State Facebook page, and Twitter via PSUAlert (Sign up at: https://psualert.psu.edu/psualert/). 

Webcam: This course may require you to have a webcam for class assessments. Classes and assessments may be conducted using Zoom or other technology selected by your instructor which may use your computer’s webcam or other technologies to communicate, monitor, and/or record classes, class activities, and assessments. Assessments may also be conducted using proctoring software, which may listen to you, monitor your computer screen, view you and your surroundings, and record (including visual and audio recordings) all activity during the proctoring process. Please contact me if you are unable to comply or have any questions or concerns. 

Mask Wearing: We know from existing scientific data that wearing a mask in public can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community (Lyu and Wehby, 2020; CDC, 2020; Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2020). Just as you’re expected to wear a shirt and shoes to class every day, everyone -- including the instructor and TAs -- are required to wear a face mask in University buildings, including classrooms and labs. You MUST wear a mask appropriately (i.e., covering both your mouth and nose) in the building if you are attending class in person. Masks have been provided for students, faculty, and staff, and everyone is expected to wear one while on campus or out in the community. 

All students, faculty and staff are expected to maintain physical distancing (i.e., maintain at least six feet of space between individuals) when possible. Seating patterns and attendance patterns, including assigned seating and closed-off desks/chairs/room sections, have been established to help allow for this distance for your safety. It is also important to follow related guidance communicated by the University and via public postings/signage related to directional traffic flow and maximum occupancy of spaces. 

You are not permitted to consume food or drink in classrooms, except for water. If you must drink water, please be especially conscious of maintaining social distancing and minimizing the time your mask is moved aside. Or, better yet, use a water bottle with a built-in straw. Cooperation from EVERYONE will help control the spread of the virus and help us get back to the previous version of campus life as quickly as possible. 

Students with conditions that make it difficult to wear a mask or who choose not to wear a mask may participate in class remotely but may not attend class in person. This is to protect your health and safety as well as the health and safety of your classmates, instructor and the University community. Anyone attending class in person without a mask will be asked to put one on or leave. Refusal to comply with University policies is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Students who refuse to wear masks appropriately may face disciplinary action for Code of Conduct violations. See details here: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/support-safety-conduct/student-conduct/code-conduct 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 3) Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html 

Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2020, June 17) Coronavirus Face Masks & Protection FAQs. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-face-masks-what-you-need-to-know 

Lyu, W. and Wehby, G.L. (2020, June 16) Community Use Of Face Masks And COVID-19: Evidence From A Natural Experiment Of State Mandates In The US. Health Affairs. https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00818?url_ver=Z39.88- 2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&  

Wellness Days: Tuesday, 2/9 and Thursday, 3/11 have been designated as Wellness Days. No class meeting will happen, either in person or remotely, for those two days, and no assignments will be due on those days. Students are encouraged to use these days to focus on their physical and mental health. Please see https://wellnessdays.psu.edu  for university sponsored events focusing on wellness that may be of interest to you. See Canvas and the course syllabus for any work that may be due before the next class meeting. 

Course Copyright:  All course materials students receive or to which students have online access are protected by copyright laws. Students may use course materials and make copies for their own use as needed, but unauthorized distribution and/or uploading of materials without the instructor’s express permission is strictly prohibited. University Policy AD 40, the University Policy Recording of Classroom Activities and Note Taking Services addresses this issue. Students who engage in the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials may be held in violation of the University’s Code of Conduct, and/or liable under Federal and State laws. For example, uploading completed labs, homework, or other assignments to any study site constitutes a violation of this policy. 

Course Website:  The instructor will use Canvas to communicate with the class electronically. Canvas will also be used to post assignments, handouts, quizzes, and visuals that are shown in class. 

Reporting Educational Equity Concerns:  Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated (https://guru.psu.edu/policies/ad29) and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage. 

Counseling and Psychological Services:  Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. The university offers a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental health screenings. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of clients’ cultural and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation. Services include the following:

Counseling and Psychological Services at University Park  (CAPS): 814-863-0395
Counseling and Psychological Services at Commonwealth Campuses
Penn State Crisis Line (24 hours/7 days/week): 877-229-6400
Crisis Text Line (24 hours/7 days/week): Text LIONS to 741741 

Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect: Penn State is “committed to creating an educational environment which is free from intolerance directed toward individuals or groups and strives to create and maintain an environment that fosters respect for others” as stated in Policy AD29 Statement on Intolerance. All members of this class are expected to contribute to a respectful, welcoming and inclusive environment and to interact with civility. 

For additional information, see:

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. Changes to the syllabus will be posted to the course website on Canvas.