I. First Quarter
A. Chapters from Meteorology Today (Ahrens,
5th edition)
1. (1) The Earth
and its Atmosphere
2. (2) Energy:
Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere
3. (3) Seasonal
and Daily Temperatures
4. (4) Light,
Color and Atmospheric Optics
B. Introduction (Lecture 1)
1. Basic Concepts and Terminology
2. The ultimate cause of
wind and rain
3. TV Weather Reports
4. Contour Maps
5. Demo items
a. Spinable globe and flashlight
b. Beaker with ice
c. Dry ice in a dewar and matches
d. 10 beakers, food coloring and a 10 ml graduated cylinder
e. Bicycle pump and pressurized steel cylinder
f. 3-D contour map
C. The Solar System (Lecture 2)
1. Formation of the
planets
2. Compositions of
the planets
3. Solar system tour
4 The SUN
5. Demo items
a. Solar system model
b. Globe, Styrofoam ball
D. The Composition and Structure of the Earth's
Atmosphere (Lecture 3)
1. Formation and compositional
evolution of the Earth's Atmosphere
2. Temperature and
pressure in the Earth's atmosphere
3. Vertical structure
of the Earth's Atmosphere
4. Demo items
a. Single pan balance
b. Vacuum pump and rubber hose
c. 2 liter glass bulb
d. Mercury column setup (Hg, beaker, glass tube, meter stick)
E. The Earth in Space (Lecture 4)
1. Ancient discoveries
2. The Earth's orbit
and the Seasons
3. Demo items
a. 12in. globe, light bulb, extension cord, cardboard with inset
"U"
b. Pole to insert into the ground
c. QSUN computer program
F. Heat and Energy Transfer in the Earth's
Atmosphere (Lecture 5)
1. Terminology
a. Temperature (F,C, K)
b. Sensible heat
c. Latent heat
d. Specific heat
e. Heat Transfer
2. Radiation and the
transfer of heat into and out of the Earth's Atmosphere
3. Heat budget of
the Earth and the effect of latitude and the seasons
4. Demo items
a. Flashlight, black and white poster board pieces
b. Slinky, long spring
c. Globe and Styrofoam ball
G. Light, Color and Atmospheric Optics (Lecture 6)
1. Properties of light
2. Atmospheric phenomenon
3. Demo items
a. Prism, diffraction grating, mirror
b. Large beaker, powdered milk
c. Hose hooked up to a faucet outside
II. Second Quarter
A. Chapters from Meteorology Today
1. (5) Atmospheric
Moisture
2. (6) Condensation:
Dew, Fog, and Clouds
3. (7) Stability and
Cloud Development
4. (8) Precipitation
B. Humidity (Lecture 1)
1. Methods of describing
humidity
2. Measuring humidity
3. Demo items
a. Thermometers for all students
b. String and toilet paper
c. Beaker of water
d. 10 25ml beakers, food coloring, 10 ml graduated cylinder
C. Condensation, dew, fog and clouds (Lecture 2)
1. Dew
2. Types of fog
3. Types of clouds
4. Satellite pictures
5. Demo items
a. Ice, beaker, soda can
b. Glass bulb fog maker
c. Plastic milk jug, matches, paper
d. Video with dew, fog and cloud types
D. Stability and Cloud Development (Lectures 3, 4, and
5)
1. Gas Law (PV=nRT)
2. X-Y Diagrams (Y = mX
+ b)
a. Volume with temperature
b. Density with pressure and temperature
c. Temperature with height
d. Pressure with height
e. Humidity with temperature
f. Pressure and Temperature in the Atmosphere
3. The Thermodynamic Diagrams
4. Atmospheric Stability
5. Cloud Development
6. Topography and other causes
of Lifting
7. Demo items
a.
Colored thermodynamic diagrams for students
b.
Video of cloud base or go outside to see one
c.
Balloons, Styrofoam chest with dry ice, Hotplate and beaker
d.
Stan's Pressure cylinder
E. Precipitation (Lecture 6)
1. Droplets and ice crystals
2. Precipitation types
3. Demo items
a. Cubes of different sizes
b. Styrofoam balls of different sizes
III Third Quarter
A. Chapters in Meteorology Today
1. (9) The Atmosphere
in Motion: Air Pressure, Forces, and Wind
2. (10) Wind: Small
Scale and Local Systems
3. (11) Wind: Global
Systems
4. (12) Air Masses
and Fronts
B. The Atmosphere in Motion (Lectures 1 and 2)
1. Review the Gas Law (
P = T x ? x C)
2. Charts to describe the
atmosphere
3. Newton's Laws of Motion
4. Winds Aloft
5. Surface Winds
6. Winds and vertical air
movements
7. Demo items
a. Globe
b. Cardboard Layers
c. Stan's pressure cylinder
C. Small scale and local systems (Lecture 3)
1. Friction and turbulence
2. Local wind systems
3. Demo item: Cardboard layers
D. Global Scale Winds and Jet Streams (Lectures 4 and 5)
1. Models
2. Average conditions at
different times of the year
3. Jet Streams
4. Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions
5. Demo items:
a.
Globe
b.
Cardboard layers
E. Air Masses and Fronts (Lecture 6)
1. Air Masses
2. Fronts
3. Demo items
a. Globe
b. Stiff
and flexible cardboard pieces
IIII Fourth Quarter
A. Chapters in Meteorology Today
1. (13) Middle
Latitude Cyclones
2. (14) Weather
Forecasting
3. (15) Thunderstorms
and Tornadoes
4. (16) Hurricanes
5. (17) Air
Pollution
6. (18) Climate
Change
7. (19) Global
Climate
B. Mid-latitude Cyclones (Lectures 1 and 2)
1. Polar front theory
2. Cyclogenesis
3. Vertical structure
of deep pressure systems
4. Divergence and
convergence along flanks of the jet stream
5. Upper level waves
and surface storms
6. Ingredients for
a developing wave cyclone
7. Vorticity (Spin)
8. Demo items
a. Globe
b. 3-D models
c. Cardboard layers
C. Weather Forecasting (Lecture 3)
1. Forecasting approaches
a. Type forecasting
b. Computer forecasts
c. Forecasting temperature advection
2. East coast forecasting
3. West coast forecasting
D. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes (Lecture 4)
1. Air mass thunderstorms
2. Severe thunderstorms
3. Lightning
4. Tornadoes
5. Demo items
a.
Globe
b.
Relief map of western US
c.
VCR tape of tornadoes
E. Hurricanes (Lecture 5)
1. Tropical weather
2. Hurricane formation and dissipation
3. Hurricane movement
4. Demo items
a.
Globe
b.
Satellite pictures and movies
F. Climate Change (Lecture 6)
G. Air pollution and global climate (Lecture 7)
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