Week 1: Introduction to the Climate System
Atmospheric properties and structures
World Ocean, land surface, and cryosphere
Classnote #1: Introduction & atmosphere (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch1); MT (Ch1, 4, 6)
Week 2: The Global Energy Balance
Planetary balance, greenhouse effect
Global radiative energy balance, poleward energy flux
Classnote #2: Global energy balance (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch2)
Week 3: Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Climate
Solar and infrared radiation, selective absorption and emission
Cloud and radiation, radiative-convective equilibrium
Classnote #3: Radiation transfer (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch3); TES (Ch3); MT (Ch2)
Week 4: The Energy Balance of the Surface
Surface Properties, Storage, Heating, Albedo, Emission
Planetary boundary layer, drag, mixing, fluxes
Classnote #4: Surface Energy Balance (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch4)
Week 5: Atmospheric General Circulation and Climate
Zonal-mean circulation, eddies
Angular momentum, moist static energy
Classnote #5: Atmospheric Circulation (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch6); TES (Ch4); MT (Ch8 & Ch9)
Week 6: The Ocean General Circulation and Climate
Ocean properties and structures
Water mass
Wind-driven circulation, thermohaline circulation, and transports
Classnote #6: Ocean General Circulation (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch7); TES (Ch5)
Week 7: The Cryosphere
Glaciers, ice sheets, mass balance, sea-Level
Classnote #7: The Cryosphere (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
TES (Ch6)
Week 8: Natural Intraseasonal and Interannual Variability
Internal atmospheric variability, El Nino and the southern oscillation
Decadal variations of weather and climate
Classnote #8: Natural Climate Variability (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch8)
recorded Lecture 8a from 2020
recorded Lectures 8b & 9 from 2020
Week 9: Climate Sensitivity and Feedback Mechanisms
Sensitivity and feedback
Plank, Lapse-rate, Water vapor, ice-albedo, cloud, dynamical feedbacks
Classnote #9: Sensitivity and Feedback (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch10)
recorded Lectures 9b & 10 from 2020
Week 10: Natural Climate Change
Natural solar, aerosol, volcanic forcing
Past climate changes
Classnote #10: Natural Climate Change (PDF) (Handout)
Suggested Reading:
GPC (Ch12)
Final Exam (80 minutues on Canvas) - taken anytime between Dec 2 (12:00 pm) and Dec 6 (11:59pm); covering chapters 7, 8, 10, 12 of the GPC textbook and Classnotes #6-#10
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