GEOS 114 Intro to Meteorology
# 4217
SPRING 2010
M 4:00AM-5:20AM
Rossey 601
Instructor: Dr. Deborah Freile
Tel.: 201.200.3188
E-mail: dfreile@njcu.edu
Office Hours: MTh 11-11:50AM; M 2-2:50PM; W 23:50PM or by appointment
Course Description
Offered in this course is a study of meteorological science through the analysis of atmospheric circulation of air masses and fronts,
micrometeorology, cloud physics, as well as other energy relationships. Laboratory work and measurements of weather components are an integral
part of the course.
Textbook
Moran, Joseph M., 2009, Weather Studies: Introduction to Atmospheric Science, 4th Edition, American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society, 2009, Weather Studies Investigations Manual: 2009-2010 and Summer 2010
To Log On you need to go to
http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/login.cfm
Login ID:
Password:
njcu347
aws*10s
Objectives
To understand the interdisciplinary nature of the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting.
This class will discuss and apply basic concepts of atmospheric physics and chemistry to the study of weather and climate. Specific
topics will include an introduction to temperature, pressure, water vapor, and the gradients and interactions of each variable, and how
they change through time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The different subject areas that we will cover include:
Monitoring the weather
6.
The Atmosphere
7.
Radiation
8.
Atmospheric circulation
9.
Air pressure
Course Schedule
WEEK 1(Jan.20)
WEEK 2(Jan. 25-27)
WEEK 3(Feb.1-3)
WEEK 4(Feb.8-10)
WEEK 5(Feb.15-17)
WEEK 6(Feb.22-24)
WEEK 7(Mar. 1-3)
WEEK8(Mar.8-10)
WEEK9(Mar.15-17)
WEEK 10(Mar.22-24)
WEEK 11(Mar.29-31)
WEEK 12(Apr.5-7)
WEEK 13(Apr.12-14)
WEEK 14(Apr.19-21)
WEEK 15(Apr.26-28)
WEEK16(May 3)
Humidity
Clouds & Precipitation
Wind & Weather
Planetary Circulation
Course Structure/ Why Meteorology?/ Monitoring the Weather
Monitoring the Weather /The Atmosphere
The Atmosphere /Solar Radiation
Atmospheric Circulation/ Solar Radiation
No class Monday (Pres. Day)/Air Pressure
Air Pressure/ Humidity
Humidity
SPRING BREAK
Midterm/ Clouds & Precipitation
Wind & Weather
Planetary Circulation
Weather Systems of mid latitudes
Tropical Weather Systems
Climate & Climate Change
Presentations
Presentations
10.
11.
Tropical Weather Systems
Climate Change
Ch. 1
Ch. 1/2
Ch. 2/3
Ch. 3/4
Ch. 5
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Ch. 10
Ch. 12
Ch. 15
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance: Attendance is strongly recommended. Attendance will be taken at the start of each class period. Excused absences from
class will be granted only upon a written medical or sponsored university activity notification. If the student comes to class late, it is his
or her responsibility to inform the instructor and sign the attendance sheet. Once the instructor leaves the classroom, any student not
appearing on the attendance sheet will be counted as absent. Attendance counts towards class participation.
Methods of Instruction: This course will employ the following pedagogic techniques:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lecture and class discussion of material.
Labs on paper and computer exercises
Visual instruction in the form of PowerPoint, specific VHS tapes and DVDs. USE your Text and info on the Text’s Website
Applied problem solving skills and analysis.
Testing and assignments ON the publisher’s Website
Evaluation Components and Grading Scale
Weekly Assignments on Publisher’s website and Investigations Manual
Quizzes
Midterm
Presentation/paper
Grading Scale
95-100 A
90-94 A-
87-89
84-86
B+
B
80-83
77-79
BC+
74-76
68-73
C
C-
58-67
40%
25%
20%
15%
100%
D
Tests: There will be weekly assignments from the publisher’s website and from the Investigations manual that MUST be done
when assigned by instructor or you will receive a zero on the assignments, NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ALLOWED. There will be
a Mid-term and several quizzes during the semester- Quizzes will be announce the class period before. There is no Make-up exam for
the mid term.. The midterm will consist of the following types of questions- multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blanks, short answer,
and diagrams to label. The test will contain extra-credit questions for bonus points.
Quizzes: There will be roughly 5 quizzes during the semester on material covered. Times to be arranged.
Presentation/paper: Each student will make a short (about 5 minute) presentation on the weather tracking that they have been doing
throughout the semester on a specific area in a state/region. At the beginning of the semester the student will be assigned an area, the
student will follow the changes in weather (temp.; precip.; humidity; wind pattern etc) throughout the semester (you should have a very
detailed graph for a continuous two week period for Feb., Mar. and April)(see below for details) . He/she will download several maps
from the AMS website during the semester that show some of these changes. The student will compare this semester’s data with the longterm climate data for that area. The presentation/paper should have a brief introduction on the climate for that area and then an analysis of
the changes in weather as well as what can be expected in that region as the climate changes. All information must be properly cited and
referenced. I have a zero tolerance policy on plagiarism. You will follow the APA style of referencing. See the guideline on the library
website at http://www.njcu.edu/Guarini/Instructions/CitationGuide.htm
Participation: Class participation is an important part of the learning process. Participation in class is highly encouraged and variations
in points of view are welcomed. Attendance to class counts towards class participation.
Homework Assignments: There will be several assignments due from the publisher’s webpage and the Investigations manual during the
semester.
Expected Outcomes: After completing this course the student is expected to have a solid understanding of basic concepts of meteorology.
Its component parts and the integration of the aforementioned parts into a cohesive whole. The student will be able to explain the physical
and chemical properties of the atmosphere, weather systems, the structure of the atmosphere, and the concept of climate change. The
student will also have developed skills in identifying weather systems and reading and understanding weather maps. The students will
have made a useful contribution to the success of their understanding of science and scientific principles and their application to the world
around them.
Participation: Class participation is an important part of the learning process. Participation in class is highly encouraged and variations
in points of view are welcomed.
Assignments: Students must submit all major assignments on time. Failure to do so will result in failure of the course.
Academic Dishonesty: Students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity at all times. NJCU condemns cheating and plagiarism in
any form. Plagiarism is defined as intentionally using the ideas, knowledge, words, and/or visual images of another individual as if those
were original to the writer or speaker (INCLUDING THE IMPROPER CITATION OF THOSE WORKS USED); and any other forms of
deceit in relation to the student’s affiliation with and commitment to the university. [According to the Student Rights and
Responsibilities: Code of Conduct- Some specific activities that are not to be tolerated on the campus are: (7). Fraud in any for, whether
it be altering or changing University records, or cheating in any form. Prohibited activities include (12). Academic dishonesty (a).
Plagiarism, cheating (b). Use of term papers or reports not completely prepared by the student. In this course any student caught cheating
on any test or plagiarizing any work will receive an ‘F’ for the entire course.
Withdrawal: Please note that April 15th is the last day to withdraw from a course with a grade of “W
Extra Credit: There will be 1 extra credit opportunity. 20 points can be added to the midterm. The extra credit consists of investigating
a specific weather event (nor’easter, snow blizzard, tornado or hurricane) and writing a 3-4 page type written double space 10-12 size font
plus figures, charts and maps describing how this event came about and its ramifications. The paper MUST have an introduction, body
and conclusion and must be WELL REFERENCED, any plagiarized material will result in NO credit. No 2 people can do the same
weather event. You MUST chose a topic by Spring Break and get my prior approval.
Cell Phones and Pagers: Please turn OFF all cell phones and pagers. If a phone rings during class time the student will be asked to
leave and counted as absent for that day.
Use of cell phones, IPods, MP3 players or any other electronic device is PROHIBITED during class or EXAMS. Any student
using the device will be asked to LEAVE immediately and if taking an exam the exam grade will result in a zero (0).
DETAILS FOR PAPER/PRESENTATION
For your location obtain good weather data, consistently, every day. It is essential that you also be able to obtain climate data on your
location as well.
Ideally, daily weather data on your location should include, temperature (minimum and maximum, if you go back to the record from the
day before), and total precipitation for the day (also from the record of the day before). If you are able to check your source at the same
time each day (e.g. 4 p.m.), you could get current readings. Your site should also include one or more of the following:
Date, Time (Local)
Temperature
Relative Humidity
Dewpoint
Wind direction and velocity
Atmospheric Pressure (note inches or millibars)
Atmospheric Conditions (e.g. partly cloudy, cloudy, etc.)
Precipitation, if any - type and amount
Visibility (distance)
Yesterday's Maximum and Minimum Temperatures
Yesterday's Precipitation totals
Time of Sunrise and Sunset
Keep in mind that your main goal is to obtain daily temperature and precipitation, and the other data fill out the picture. If you have
temperature and humidity, you can estimate precipitation days, even if that data isn't available. Precip data is the most difficult to obtain
unless you get the record from the day before.
The climate data should include mean monthly temperature, mean minimum and maximum temperatures, and mean precipitation (for
Feb., Mar. and Apr.). If you are collecting other weather variables, try to find the same variables in the climate record so that you can
compare records. The climate record should go back at least 30 years, but doesn't have to be the most recent 30 year period (e.g. 1971
through 2000).
What you will do: You'll gather daily records for your site for two continuous weeks (Feb., Mar. and Apr.), then plot the daily
temperature (highs and lows, and time of recording), and precipitation or humidity on Excel spreadsheets or graphs. Then you'll compare
your weather data to climate data by calculating your 2010 means and comparing them to your climate data. Is this year unusual? Or
nearly average? Your exercise must include a Discussion of the meaning of the data comparison. Does your climate data indicate record
highs and lows, min and max precipitation for this period? How do these record temperatures/precipitation compare with the past? Keep in
mind you're only doing two weeks for each month, so it won't be entirely comparable. Also, how will future changes (Global climate
changes-increasing temperature, drought, excess precipitation) affect YOUR area (North America)- refer to the data as specified in the
Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change report (http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-chapter14.pdf) or other
sources.
Include Prominently in your report and on your charts the Name and Location of your place, in Longitude and Latitude and a MAP.
Using a web site, try to gather your data at the same time each day. Pick a time when you can reliably get on the web, preferably during
daylight hours for your location, but at night if necessary. (What is the time difference between here and your location?) Please include
complete reference citations for your data sources, web sites, print sources, or other media.
Organize your data collection before you begin. For example, you can set up a piece of graph paper with your climate variables across the
top (X axis) and dates along the left edge (Y axis), with boxes for each variable. Write clearly so that you can read what you wrote later.
Include a box for Miscellaneous - if some special weather event occurs you want space to note it. OR, set up your data sheet in an Excel
worksheet on your computer and transfer the data from the web to your sheet. This will make it much easier to graph your results. If you'd
like some help with this, please ask.
What you will turn in:.
When you have gathered your data set, plot each of the main variables that you've collected on a graph. You will have one graph for
each variable.
Make graphs of the daily variations in Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Atmospheric Pressure, and Precipitation for each day.
For your Temperature graph, you may have three colored lines: one each for the Temperature Maximum, Minimum, and Temperature at
time of your observation. For example, you may have a graph with Days or Dates along the X-axis and Variations in Temperature along
the Y-axis.
Along with your graphs of Temperature, Precipitation, and other variables, please also turn in your original data sets.
Bonus: If you see interesting weather going on in your location, turn in satellite images that correspond to your location for particular
days.
SPRING 2010 ACADEMIC SKILLS WORKSHOPS
No preregistration required!
All workshops take place in Gilligan Student Union 310
TIME MANAGEMENT
Wed., February 10th from 2-3 p.m. OR from 6-7 p.m.Wed., April 21st from 1-2 p.m. OR from 5-6 p.m.
Learn better management of time, quantitatively and qualitatively
STUDY SKILLS & NOTE TAKING
Tuesday, February 16th from 2-3 p.m. OR from 6-7 p.m.;Tuesday, April 20th from 1-2 p.m. OR from 5-6 p.m.
Learn to increase your retention of what you read in your textbooks and hear in your class lectures
Learn to simply and effectively take notes in class
TEST TAKING
Monday, February 22nd from 2-3 p.m. OR from 6-7 p.m.; Monday, April 19th from 1-2 p.m. OR from 5-6p.m.
Learn better test preparation and proven techniques for taking objective (multiple choice, true or false, matching) and essay tests
TEST ANXIETY
Thursday, March 4th from 2-3p.m. OR from 6-7 p.m.; Thursday, April 22nd from 1-2 p.m. OR from 5-6 p.m.
Learn easy, effective techniques for reducing anxiety and achieving better grades on your exams
For more information contact the NJCU Counseling Center at 201-200-3165 or visit us
http://web.njcu.edu/dept/counselingcenter
on the web at