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Geog410 Applied Climatology
KH-D4047, Wed 6:10-10:00PM, Winter 2013
Instructor: Dr. Hengchun Ye, KH-D4058; hye2@calstatela.edu; 3-2229.
Office Hours: Mon and Wed 2:00PM-4:20PM and by appointment
Text Book: Climatology, An Atmospheric Science, second edition by J. E. Oliver and J. J.
Hidore
Objectives:
Climate is one of the most significant factors affecting our environment. It has a wide range of
implication on economic, social and political decisions. In this class, students will learn about
the application of climatology to problems of resource management, food production, energy
supplies, health and comfort, and housing. Through studying these applications, students will
also master the basic concepts of atmospheric properties and physics. In addition, the causes and
history of climate variation and change and potential human-induced global warming will be
studied.
Grades:
The final grade for this class is based on the total points accumulated throughout the quarter.
There will be two exams including the final. The mid-term exam accounts for 30% and the final
accounts for 45%. There will be take-home exercises worth a total of 10%, and a research paper
that accounts for 15%. A plus-minus system is used; no curving is used in grading. The details
of the research paper are attached.
Topics
Climatology
Brief history and content
Chapter 1
The human response to climate
Chapter 17
The physical response
Biometeorological indices
Solar radiation and people
Climate and health
Climate and architecture
Urban climate
Concepts: solar spectrum, energy transfer, global circulation pattern, air masses, climate
classification, earth-sun relationships (Chapters 2, 6, 8, and 10)
Climate, agriculture and industry
Chapter 18
Climate and crops
Industry and energy production
Transportation
Tourism and commerce
Concepts: atmospheric vertical temperature profile and layers, heating and cooling degree days,
ocean surface circulation, evapotranspiration and water budget calculation (Chapters 3, 4, and 7)
Global changes in atmospheric chemistry
Atmospheric pollution
Acid precipitation
Chapter 19
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Stratospheric ozone and ultraviolet radiation
Concepts: atmospheric composition, condensation nuclei, pollutants (Chapters 1 and 4)
Natural causes of climatic change
Chapter 15
Short-term changes
Long-term climatic changes
Concepts: greenhouse effects and greenhouse gases, differential heating between land and water
(Chapters 2 and 3)
Warming of the planet earth
Evidence for global warming
Processes contributing to global warming
Future changes in earth’s temperature
Chapter 16
Final Exam
Policies:
1. Instructor’s notes, review material, exercises are available at
http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/hye2/geog410. It is the student’s responsibility to
download materials, attend classes and take notes.
2. Exercise follows each lecture and due in a week, no late exercises will be collected.
3. The mid-term date will be announced one week in advance. “Make-up” exams are not
allowed except for special situations that must be approved by the instructor before the
exam date.
4. Students with disabilities should personally contact the instructor as soon as possible so
necessary accommodations can be arranged to ensure full participation.
5. Communication with the instructor regarding any concerns is strongly encouraged.
6. This class has zero tolerance for plagiarism.
7. The instructor reserves the right to change any topics or arrangements specified in the
syllabus.
Video: Building the American Dream, Suburbs. FLIC88320. Clean Air. FLIC87613. The Ozone
Layer. FLIC87615. Acid Rain, New Bad News FLIC85366.
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Research Project for Geog410, Applied Climatology
Overview:
The objective of this research project is to practice individual research skills through planning,
data collection, quantitative analyses, and the discovery and illustration of findings. Each
student has the freedom to design a research project in any area of climatology. It is strongly
recommended by the instructor to start planning the project as soon as the second week of the
class. Please come to see the instructor to discuss the topic and ideas regarding the project
during the first and second weeks of class. Students should have developed their project topics
and plans by the mid-term date.
Procedures:
Students need to collect two sets of data: climate data and environmental data. The
environmental data will be chosen based on the subject matter of interest. They can be long-term
means or short-term hourly observations. Thus, the choice of climate data will depend on the
environmental data time scales. Numerous sources of data are available through the internet,
publications and books, media such as newspapers, radio, and TV, government agencies, or the
student’s own collections, etc. Students need to explore sources when deciding on topics. The
instructor has listed a few data sources below for your convenience. The research can either be
quantitative or qualitative depending on the subject matter.
Grading:
Each student is required to give an oral presentation during the last 1-2 weeks of the class period
(depending on the class size). The presentation accounts for 5 points. The title of the paper
needs to be submitted to the instructor for approval by the mid-term exam date. This title
submission accounts for 4 points. The final written paper is submitted to the instructor by the
last day of the class and accounts for 6 points. Students who discuss topics and ideas with the
instructor during the first two weeks get an additional bonus of 2 points.
Paper requirements:
The paper needs to have five sections. 1. Title of the paper. 2. Introduction that includes
relevant background information that you learned from your literature search and a clear
statement of the goal of your research (citation in the text is required). 3. Data and Methods
include where and how did you get the data and what methods you used in your research. 4.
Results and conclusions include your findings through this research, explanations and
implications. 5. References cited (at least two peer-reviewed manuscripts/books are required).
The paper is expected to be around 5 double-spaced pages not including references and
attachments (tables and figures).
Selected Data Sources:
Daily weather records and climate data are available through the National Climatic Data Center:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/stationlocator.html. Some data can be downloaded
directly; others the climate center will email to your account after you submit a request; there is
no cost.
Current daily weather reports and data are available from the Western Regional Climate Center
at
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/index.html
Air quality data in Southern California is available from
http://www.arb.ca.gov/aqd/aqdcd/aqdcddld.htm; information regarding data is available at
California Air Source board: http://arbis.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm