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General Circulation of the Atmosphere (ATOC90014)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Off Campus
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
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Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 - Off Campus |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject provides an introduction to the large-scale circulation features of the atmosphere and the processes that maintain them. Students will be introduced to a set of mathematical tools that will be used to analyse the transport of energy, momentum and moisture through the atmosphere and to build a conceptual picture for how these transports are achieved by the atmospheric circulation. Topics covered will include:
- Review of the governing equations
- Reynolds decomposition and atmospheric transports
- Atmospheric reanalysis
- The Hadley circulation
- Monsoons
- Midlatitude eddies and jet formation
- The Ferrel Cell
- Isentropic and transformed Eulerian mean circulations
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Identify the main features of the atmospheric circulation and the processes that contribute to their maintenance;
- Apply mathematical tools to analyse the transports of energy/momentum through the atmosphere;
- Critically engage with the scientific literature regarding the large-scale atmospheric circulation and its possible changes under climate change.
Generic skills
- Exercise critical judgement;
- undertake rigorous and independent thinking;
- adopt a problem-solving approach to new and unfamiliar tasks;
- develop high-level written report and/or oral presentation skills.
Last updated: 31 January 2024