Welcome to the ERTH 170, Atmospheric Science, public webpage for the Spring 2024 semester.
I will try to update this page every few days during the semester.

Steam fog over Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park on October 8, 2023 at 7:43 AM. Photo by S. D. Mayor.

Spring 2024 Lectures: MWF, 12:00 - 12:50 PM.

Required book: Meteorology Today 13th edition by C. Donald Ahrens and Robert Henson.

Mon. 22 Jan., Faculty on Strike. No Classes
Weds., 24 Jan., First day of the semester. Review syllabus and begin Chapter 1.
Fri., 26 Jan., Weather discussion and continue with Chapter 1.
Mon., 29 Jan., ozone, CO2, particulate matter, cloud particles, P(z) and T(z)
Weds., 31 Jan., surface weather observations, radiosondes, weather radar and satellites
Fri., 2 Feb., Quiz #1, Cartesian vs polar coordinates, radial and tangential velocity components, radar, AMV, AMDAR, hurricane reconnaissance
Sun., 4 Feb., Matlab Onramp certificate due at midnight.
Mon., 5 Feb., Begin Chapter 2: forms of Energy, units, temperature, heat capacity
Weds., 7 Feb., continue heat capacity, flux, phase change, conduction, convection.
Fri., 9 Feb., Special guest lecture in Physics Dept on Atmospheric turbulence recorded.
Fri., 9 Feb., Last day to add or drop classes without special permission of instructor.
Mon., 12 Feb., Convection, advection, air parcels, begin radiant energy: waves versus photons
Weds., 14 Feb., Planck function, blackbodies, Stefan-Boltzmann, Wein's law, then selective absorbers, GHG, greenhouse effect, albedo
Fri., 16 Feb., Last day to drop with instructor's permission.
Fri., 16 Feb., Global energy budget, radiative forcing, and Begin Chapter 3: Seasons and latitudinal temperature variations.
Mon., 19 Feb., All board work on how to use Stefan-Boltzmann, Wein's law, and ideal gas law for the special assignment.
Weds., 21 Feb., Diurnal cycle, cold flows into valleys, thermal belts, the effect of clouds on radiation, and the surface energy budget.
Fri., 23 Feb., Begin Chapter 4 on Atmospheric Humidity: absolute and specific humidity, mixing ratio. Begin RH.
Mon., 26 Feb., Finish RH, Begin Dew point and wet bulb and use of a sling psychrometer.
Weds., 28 Feb., Special assignment #1 due. Conclude Chapter 4 on humidity.
Fri., 1 Mar., Open Q&A. Discussion on use of Matlab for special assignment.
Mon., 4 Mar., Exam #1 on Chapters 1 - 4. No lecture today.
Weds., 6 Mar., Begin Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds. Discussion of dew, frost, nuclei, and haze.
Fri., 8 Mar., Continue Chapter 5: Impacts of haze and CCN (direct and indirect effects), and types of fogs.
Mon., 11 Mar., Begin types of clouds: major types (cirrus, cumulus, etc.), and begin special types: lenticularis
Weds., 13 Mar., Complete cloud types with a focus on special types such as pileus caps, mammatus, contrails, nacreous, noctilucent
Fri., 15 Mar., review Matlab assignment and discuss various aspects of using Matlab
Mon., 18 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Weds., 20 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Fri., 22 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Mon., 25 Mar., Begin Chapter 6: Stability and cloud development. Environmental and process lapse rates.
Weds., 27 Mar., Dry and moist adiabatic lapse rates, absolutely stable atmospheres
Fri., 29 Mar., Absolutely unstable atmospheres, conditional instability, and neutrality
Mon., 1 Apr., César Chávez Day (observed). Campus closed.
Weds., 3 Apr., 6.3: Mechanisms for cloud development: convection, orographic lifting, convergence, and fronts.
Fri., 5 Apr., Cloud streets and wave clouds, K-H billows,
Mon., 8 Apr., Quiz 6b. Begin Chapter 7: Precipitation. Curvature and solute effects. Collision and coalescence.
Weds., 10 Apr., Mixed phase clouds. The ice-crystal or Bergeron process. Begin types of precipitation.
Fri., 12 Apr., Conclude types of precipitation. Begin Chapter 8: Air Pressure and Wind.
Mon., 15 Apr., Air pressure does not require gravity! The Tale of two cities. Correction for altitude. Constant pressure surfaces.
Weds., 17 Apr., Pressure gradient and the PG force, hydrostatic balance, Newton's 1st and 2nd laws, Coriolis "force".
Fri., 19 Apr., Geostrophic flow, flow in the "friction layer", convergence in lows, divergence in highs.
Mon., 22 Apr., Review of Chapters 5 - 8.
Weds., 24 Apr., Exam #2 on Chapters 5 - 8.
Fri., 26 Apr., Begin Chapter 9: Small-scale winds: microscale and mesoscale meteorology. Viscosity, turbulence, momentum flux...
Mon., 29 Apr.,
Weds., 1 May,
Fri., 4 May,
Mon., 6 May, Review
Weds., 8 May, Review
Fri., 10 May, Review
Weds., May 15, Final comprehensive exam.

Dr. Mayor's page

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