GEO 387H HYDROCLIMATOLOGY

(Unique# 52220 TTh 9:30-11:00)

Spring 2004

Goals: To quantitatively understand the earth’s hydrological cycle, climate variability and climate change from a system point of view.

Topics: Atmosphere, Oceans, and Land. Basics of weather and climate and their mathematical equations. Radiation, Convection, Clouds, Precipitation, and General Circulation. Physical processes having an impact on precipitation and evapotranspiration at the earth's surface. Key global change issues explored using simple web-based climate models or state-of-the-art climate models.

Instructor: Dr. Zong-Liang Yang, Tel: 512-471-3824, Email: liang@mail.utexas.edu

Lectures:

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 – 11:00 am

GEO Room 3.218

Office Hours:

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-2pm, GEO Room 5.220DA

Grading Policy:

Homework (60%) + web-based or UNIX-based modeling (20%) + Report and presentation (20%). Depending on the overall performance of the class, final exam may be dropped. Generally, homework will be given on Thursday and it will be due next Thursday in the beginning of the class. Being late (but prior to the distribution of answer sheet) will result in 10% reduction of the score for each homework assignment.

Required Textbook:

Prerequisite:

Basic calculus and physics (M308M and PHY 303K or equivalent courses) and an interest in interdisciplinary processes

Major References:

Handbook of Hydrology, D. R. Maidment, GB 662.5 M35 1993

The Atmospheric Boundary Layer, J. R. Garratt, QC 880.4 B65 G37 1992

Land Surface Evaporation: Measurement and Parameterization, T. J. Schmugge  and J.-C. Andre, QC 915.6 L36 1991

Physics of Climate, J. Peixoto, QC 981 P.434 1992

Climate System Modeling, K. E. Trenberth, QC 981 C65 1992

Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, J. T. Houghton, Y. Ding, D. J. Griggs, M. Noguer, P. J. van der Linden, X. Dai, K. Maskell, and C. A. Johnson, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, Third Edition, J. R. Holton, Academic Press, 1992.

Storm and Storm Dynamics, W. R. Cotton and R. A. Anthes, Academic Press, 1989.

Cloud Dynamics, R. A. Houze, Jr., Academic Press, 1993.

Mesoscale Meteorological Modeling, Second Edition, R. A. Pielke, Sr., Academic Press, 2002.

General Circulation Model Development: Past, Present and Future, Edited by D. A. Randall, Academic Press, 2000.