Welcome to the GEOS 170, Atmospheric Science, webpage for the Spring 2022 semester.
I will try to update this page every few days during the semester.

Above: Beautiful clouds in Chico, California, on June 21, 2021, taken by instructor.

Spring 2022 Lectures: MWF, 1:00 - 1:50 PM.

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

Mon. 24 Jan., Weather discussion and review syllabus.
Weds., 26 Jan., Billion dollar weather and climate disasters and begin Chapter 1.
Fri., 28 Jan., Energy from the sun, composition of the atmosphere, greenhouse gases.
Mon., 31 Jan., Pressure, density, mean vertical structure of the atmosphere, weather observing technologies.
Weds., 2 Feb., Atmospheric technologies. Begin Chapter 2. Forms of energy, first law of thermo, temperature.
Fri., 4 Feb., Heat capacity, flux, phase changes, latent heats,
Mon., 7 Feb., Conduction and convection, air parcels that expand and compress with rising and sinking
Weds., 9 Feb., Convection versus advection. Then begin EM radiation and radiant energy transfer.
Fri., 11 Feb., Example on density, buoyancy, and convection. Then, continue with blackbodies versus selective absorbers.
Mon., 14 Feb., Atmospheric windows, albedo, global energy budget, trends in global average surface temperature.
Weds., 16 Feb., Begin Chapter 3: Seasonal and daily temperatures. The diurnal cycle, thermal belts, and cold pools.
Fri., 18 Feb., Climate zones in California. Then, surface energy budget, effect of clouds,
Mon., 21 Feb., Begin Chapter 4: Atmospheric humidity
Weds., 23 Feb., Dew point, wet-bulb, dry-bulb, wet-bulb depression.
Fri., 25 Feb., Class activity: use of sling psychrometers and looking up dew point and RH.
Mon., 28 Feb., Problem solving for Special Assignment #1 and coming exam.
Weds., 2 Mar., Review and practice problem solving.
Fri., 4 Mar., Exam #1 on Chapters 1-4.
Mon., 7 Mar., Began Chapter 5: Condensation: Dew, Frost, Fog, and Clouds
Weds., 9 Mar., Haze, visibility, smoky mountains, ship tracks, direct and indirect effect, begin fog types.
Fri., 11 Mar., Complete fog types and begin Section 5.6 on general cloud types.
Mon., 14 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Weds., 16 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Fri., 18 Mar., Spring break. No classes.
Mon., 21 Mar., Supercooled droplets, ice crystals, visual identification of major cloud types.
Weds., 23 Mar., Specialty clouds. Discussion of laminar and turbulent flow. Complete Chapter 5.
Fri., 25 Mar., Begin Chapter 6: Stability and cloud formation. Lapse rates: adiabatic process and environmental.
Mon., 28 Mar., Stable systems, oscillations, static stability, stabilization, and internal (gravity) waves.
Weds., 30 Mar., Unstable, conditionally unstable, and neutral atmospheres. Then begin mechanisms for cloud development.
Fri., 1 Apr., Entrainment, shear, horizontal convective rolls, wave clouds, billows, orographic clouds and related climate.
Mon., 4 Apr., Begin Chapter 7: Precipitation: Curvature and solute effects, collision and coalescence, ice crystal process.
Weds., 6 Apr., Continue Chapter 7: more on ice crystal process, cloud seeding, Begin types of precipitation.
Fri., 8 Apr., Quiz on Chapter 7. Begin Chapter 8 on Pressure and wind. Barometers. Boyle's, Charles's, and ideal gas law.
Mon., 11 Apr., Direct thermal circulations, correction of station pressure, pressure gradients, and pressure gradient forces.
Weds., 13 Apr., Coriolis and geostrophic wind. Then, wind in the "friction layer". Convergence/divergence in low/highs.
Fri., 15 Apr., Weather discussion and review of Chapter 8 material.
Mon., 18 Apr., Exam #2 on Chapters 4-8.
Weds., 20 Apr., Begin Chapter 9: Wind on small scales. No slip, viscosity, turbulence, and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL).
Fri., 22 Apr., Complete ABL. Discussion of KHI, waves, and billows, CAT, wind power, and Aeolian processes.
Mon., 25 Apr., Air flow over water, local wind systems, thermal highs & lows, land & sea breezes, katabatic and anabatic winds.
Weds., 27 Apr., Chinook winds, Marshall Fire. Then the Dust Bowl, black blizzards, haboobs, and dust devils.
Fri., 29 Apr., Begin Chapter 10: Global/large-scale atmospheric circulation, 3-cell model, subtropical and polar jet streams
Mon., 2 May, Walker circulation, El Niño, La Niña, and ENSO.
Weds., 4 May, El Niño, La Niña, and regional and global impacts
Fri., 6 May, Asymmetry of hemispheres, then atmospheric dynamics and weather in the tropics, mid-latitudes, and polar regions.
Mon., 9 May, Review
Weds., 11 May, Review
Fri., 13 May, Review
Weds., May 18, Final comprehensive exam.

Dr. Mayor's page

---