SIO 209 Special Topics: Weather Discussion (Winter 2012)
Instructor: Joel Norris
440 NH
822-4420
jnorris@ucsd.edu
Meeting Time and Place: 12:00 to 1:00 on Wednesdays in Spiess 330. Students are welcome to
bring lunch to class.
Instructor Absence: I do not plan to have any absences.
Attendance Expectations: Students are expected to attend every class with exceptions only for
illness and direct time conflicts such as out-of-town conferences.
Units/Grading Option: 1 unit S/U only.
Grading Criteria: Satisfactory participation in class discussions of weather phenomena,
including making at least one presentation on current weather or a weather-related topic.
Course Schedule: The course topics will not follow a fixed schedule since particular weather
conditions cannot be predicted in advance.
Course Topics:
• Reading surface weather maps
• Reading upper-level weather charts
• Reading skew-T plots
• Interpreting satellite imagery
• Conceptual model for fronts
• Marine layer
• Santa Ana conditions
• Extratropical cyclones
• The Catalina Eddy
• Atmospheric Rivers