METEO 521

Dynamic Meteorology

Meteorology 521, Dynamic Meteorology

Semester: Spring 2021

Instructor:
Dr. Steven Feldstein, 516 Walker, [email protected], Office Hours: TBA, or by appointment

Class meeting times and locations: TTh 10:35 – 11:50am, Remote Synchronous

Brief course description from University Bulletin

This course introduces some of the important concepts in dynamic meteorology - provide a theoretical basis for understanding weather and climate. It does not cover the entire spectrum of atmospheric motion; this course focuses on large-scale atmospheric motion for which rotation and stable stratification are central. However, as the concepts to be covered in this course are fundamental to atmospheric motion, the same conceptual approach (e.g., scaling, adjustment, concept of balanced flows) can often be applied to other atmospheric phenomena at smaller scales.

Basic mathematics such as calculus, vector calculus, and partial differential equations will be extensively used.

PREREQUISITE AND CONCURRENT COURSES: Prerequisites: Meteo 520

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. Students who add the course after being disenrolled according to this policy are in violation of Item 15 on the Student Code of Conduct: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/support-safety-conduct/student-conduct/code-conduct.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Atmospheric and Oceanic Fluid Dynamics. Vallis, 2017, 2^nd edition, Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781107065505

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics. Gill, 1983, Academic Press. Call#: GC190.G54 1982 (reserved)
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics. Pedlosky, 1986. Springer-Verlag. Call#: QC809.F5P43 1987 (reserved)

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 Care and Advocacy (120 Boucke Building, 863-4926, http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/studentcare). For additional need related to socioeconomic status please visit http://sites.psu.edu/projectcahir.

INTERNET MATERIALS AND LINKS: Canvas (https://canvas.psu.edu)

SYLLABUS: A detailed syllabus, with readings, due dates for homework, etc., is given separately on Canvas. The abridged outline of topics is:

Introduction
Preliminaries
Effect of rotation and stratification
Gravity waves
Vorticity and Potential Vorticity
Simplified equations for ocean and atmosphere
Instabilities
Planetary boundary layer

SYLLABUS AND PAPER ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORMS:
It is the recommendation of the college that all students sign and return the Syllabus Acknowledgement Form (http://facdev.e-education.psu.edu/sites/default/files/files/Syllabus acknowledgement form.doc) during the first week of the semester. In addition, The College also recommends the Paper Submission Form (http://facdev.e-education.psu.edu/sites/default/files/files/Paper submission form.docx) as a way to have students take responsibility for papers/labs/homework done as part of group work.

EXAMS: There will be two mid-terms and a final exam. Each mid-term will contribute 20%, and the final will contribute 30% to your final grade. The dates for the mid-term exams are in late February and early April.

HOMEWORK: Problem sets will be given about every two weeks. The problem sets will contribute 20% to your final grade.

LAB PROJECT: Hand-on laboratory experiments can help us to better understand key concepts and theories that are unique to rotating fluids. In previous years, when there was no pandemic, we performed rotating tank experiments in 529 Walker. (These experiments were developed at MIT. We have a rotating tank and other necessary equipment in the dark room adjacent to 529 Walker.) Unfortunately, we will be unable to do these experiments because of the pandemic. In place of these experiments, students will give zoom power point presentations in which they describe the theory, experimental design, and the results from these experiments, without actually performing the experiments. The laboratory-experiment report and zoom presentation will contribute 10% to your final grade. After the pandemic, perhaps in the fall semester, for those students that are interested, I hope we can arrange a common time to get together to perform some of these rotating-tank experiments. Of course, we would be doing these experiments long after you have received your final grades in the class. I have talked to students 1-2 years after they took Meteo 521. These experiments were their fondest memory of our class.

The class will be divided into 5 groups. Each group will be comprised of 2 students. The following 5 experiments are to be performed:

Exp 1. Taylor columns
Exp 2. Fronts, geostrophic adjustment
Exp 3. General circulation - Hadley Circulation
Exp 4. General circulation - Baroclinic Instability
Exp 5. General circulation - Ekman layers

The dates for these experiments will coincide roughly with when we learn the material in class.

As described above, the students in each group will give a zoom power point presentation in which they describe the theory, experimental design, and the results from these experiments, without actually performing the experiments. In addition, each group is required to write a short report (approximately 3-4 pages long). This report may include (a) an experimental log which can supplement the log available on the “Weather in a Tank” web page ( http://weathertank.mit.edu/ ), (b) a discussion of what has been learned from the experiment, and (c) an observed analog of the experiment (e.g., examples from weather maps, analyses from the literature, etc.). In the report, briefly describe how each member of the group contributed to the report.
Your credit will be given based on (a) clarity of demonstration, (b) clarity of explanations (i.e., what we are trying to learn from the experiment, and how this is related to the class material), and (c) the report.
Time line: Let me know your choice of experiment (first come, first choice) and the members of your group by Jan 28.

GRADES: A: 92-100%; A-: 88-91%; B+: 84-87%; B: 80-83%; B-: 75-79%; C+: 71-74%; C: 63-70%; D: 50-62%; F: <50%.

CURVING POLICY: For the exams, a curve will be applied if the class average is below 80.

LATE PENALTY: For homework assignments, a 10% penalty will be applied for each day.

Webcam Requirements

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.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: 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 Policy: http://www.ems.psu.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising/forms-and-procedures/academic-integrity, which this course adopts. To learn more, see Penn State's "Plagiarism Tutorial for Students."

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.

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://policy.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

Wellness Days

For Tuesday/Thursday classes:

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.

For M/W/F classes:

Wednesday, April 7th has been designated as a Wellness Day. No class meeting will happen, either in person or remotely, for that day, and no assignments will be due on that day. Students are encouraged to use the day 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.

For laboratory classes or programs that have received an exemption from offering one or more wellness days:

[Date of wellness day] has been designated as a Wellness Day by Penn State; however, the nature of the coursework for this class means that the class will meet on this day and has received an exemption from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences [or, describe the nature of the modification].

[**NOTE: Instructors in this exemption scenario are encouraged to make as much allowance as possible for Wellness Days by possibly using recorded lectures, group discussion boards, or other independent work that can be done asynchronously.**]

Reporting Bias-Motivated Incidents

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.html) and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage.

PENN STATE E-mail:

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 (see https://pennstate.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article_view&sys_kb_id=16f3599b1b20485c40a242a2cd4bcbdf) to your preferred e-mail account, so you don't miss any important information.

COURSE WEB SITE: I will use Canvas to communicate with the class electronically, and I would like you to email your questions to me. I will also use Canvas to post assignments, handouts, quizzes, exam answer keys, past exams, and visuals that I show in class.

ACCOMODATIONS 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: 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.

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.

DEFERRED GRADES

If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time for reasons that are beyond your control, it is possible to have the grade deferred with the concurrence of the instructor, following Penn State Deferred Grade Policy 48-40 (http://senate.psu.edu/policies-and-rules-for-undergraduate-students/47-00-48-00-and-49-00-grades/#48-40). To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a written request (by e-mail or U.S. post) to the instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested before the beginning of the final examination period. It is up to the instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If permission is granted, you will work with the instructor to establish a communication plan and a clear schedule for completion. 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.

NETIQUETTE: The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Please review some general Netiquette guidelines that should be followed when communicating in this course.

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.

TECHNICAL REQUIRMENTS: For this course, we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the Dutton Institute Technical Requirements page (https://www.e-education.psu.edu/techspecs), including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications. If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the ITS Help Desk (http://itservicedesk.psu.edu).

Safety

In the case of an emergency, we will follow the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Critical Incident Plan (https://www.ems.psu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/faculty_staff/cip_fall_2018-spring_2019.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/resources-faculty-and-staff/safety-and-emergency-information. For more information regarding actions to take during particular emergencies, please see the Penn State Emergency Action Guides.

Mandated Reporting Statement

Penn State’s policies require me, as a faculty member, to share information about incidents of sex-based discrimination and harassment (discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and retaliation) with Penn State’s Title IX coordinator or deputy coordinators, regardless of whether the incidents are stated to me in person or shared by students as part of their coursework. For more information regarding the University's policies and procedures for responding to reports of sexual or gender-based harassment or misconduct, please visit Penn State's Office of Sexual Misconduct and Prevention & Response website.

Additionally, I am required to make a report on any reasonable suspicion of child abuse in accordance with the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law.

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:

Accessible Syllabus

Notes: Any syllabus posted online (e.g. a Word/PDF file or an online syllabus) should make destinations clickable links such as is done throughout this page. Also, in order to comply with Penn State Policy AD69(Accessibility of Penn State Web Pages, http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD69.html), PDF documents cannot be the sole source of presenting online information. Such documents include syllabi, homework assignments, and scanned notes.

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 shall also be given to the student in written (paper or electronic) form.