MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY
Course Syllabus
Department of Geosciences
COURSE NUMBER: GSC 125
I.
Title:
Weather and Climate/ON-LINE Weather Studies
II.
CREDIT HOURS: 4
Catalog Description:
This course is an introduction to the dynamics of the atmosphere and how humans
interact with and are influenced by atmospheric processes and climatic variations.
III. Purpose:
To provide the student with a fundamental knowledge of meteorology and
climatology and how they are connected to activities on earth.
IV. Course Objectives:
A. To learn the basic elements of weather and how they are quantified.
B. To understand the "Energy Budget."
C. To see our role in the production of air pollutants and the subsequent clean-up
of the atmosphere.
D. To produce fundamental weather forecasts by using internet accessible data.
E. To become familiar with some of the criteria used to classify climates and the
consequences of long-term climate variability.
F. To understand human impact on global climate.
G. To produce a simple 24-hour forecast for several cities of the U.S. using basic
weather parameters and satellite imagery.
V.
Content Outline:
METEOROLOGY
Internet, Text,
Investigations
Manual Assignments
Monitoring the Weather
Atmosphere, Origin, Composition,
and Structure
Solar and Terrestrial Radiation
Heat, Temperature, and Atmospheric
Circulation
Air Pressure
Mid-term Exam
Humidity, Saturation, and Stability
Climate and Climate Change
Clouds, Precipitation & Weather Radar
Availability and
Due Date
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 15
Chapter 7
Feb 19
The Atmosphere’s Planetary Circulation
Weather Systems of the Middle Latitudes
Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Tropical Weather Systems
Final Exam Week of
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Weekly Research Summary Topics
January 22
Chapter 1: Doppler Radar WSR88
January 29
Chapter 2: The Formation of the Aurora Borealis
February 5
Chapter 3: Antarctic Ozone Hole
February 12
Chapter 4: Atlantic Conveyor Belt System
February 19
Chapter 5: The Jet Streams of North America
February 26
Chapter 6: Dew Point
March 5
Chapter 15: Possible Causes of Climate Change
March 12
Chapter 7: Wind Shear
Due
Spring Break for MSU
March 26
Chapter 9: North Atlantic Oscillation
April 2
Chapter 10: Bermuda-Azores High
April 9
Chapter 11: Tri-State Tornado of 1925
April 16
Chapter 12: Dr. William M. Gray, or NOAA Annual
Hurricane Predictions
VI. Instructional Activities:
“Current Weather” Web activities will be available Mondays and Wednesdays
after 12:00 p.m. at the URL listed at the end of this syllabus and in “External
Links” on Blackboard. Your ‘Investigations Manual’ activities are already in your
lab manual. Print out your “Current Weather”activities and images from the
website with any supplemental information. There will also be a topic to be
researched and summarized each week. The brief research paper (1-2 pages)
will need to be word-processed and sent to the instructor. The topics are posted
immediately above this paragraph under ‘Weekly Research Summary Topics.’
The background research can come from the internet; but only government and
education sites should be utilized. The weekly activity Investigations Response
for the lab manual and the Answer form for the Current Weather activities
are both on the website. Save the Investigations Response form as a text file
(.txt) and then modify it in your word processing program. Please submit
them along with the Research Summary. Referencing citation formats for the
research summary are also in ‘Course Documents’ on Bb. Articles used for
references should be less than 3 years old.
VII. Field and Clinical Experiences:
N/A
VIII. Resources:
Online weather studies web-site and related meteorological links. I will check
the “Discussion Board” on Bb about twice per day if you have any questions
about your assignments. Please call me if that would be more convenient or
email me directly.
Please see the additional information under ‘Course Information’ on
Blackboard.
IX. Grading Procedures:
The grade for the course will be calculated on the basis of (2) one-hour exams, and
(13) weekly sets of activities. The Mid-term exam = 25%, Final exam = 25%,
Weekly Web Activities = 35%, Weekly Research Summary = 15%,
A = 90% of total points
B = 80% of total points
C = 70% of total points
D = 60% of total points
E= less than 60% of total points
Regular transmission of weekly activities is required. If activities are more than
one week past due they will not be accepted. Send the current week activities:
Response/Answer Forms, images, and Research Summary the following Monday
to my office by 8 am. All papers will be graded by Friday afternoon and returned
in the manner in which they were sent.
X. Attendance:
Please refer to page 10 of the 2005-2007 MSU Undergraduate Bulletin.
XI. Academic Honesty Policy: Cheating, plagiarism (submitting another person'
s
material as one'
s own, or doing work for another person who will receive
academic credit) are all impermissible. This includes the use of unauthorized
books, notebooks, or other sources in order to secure or give help during an
examination, the unauthorized copying of examinations, assignments, reports, or
term papers, or the presentation of unacknowledged material as if it were the
student'
s own work. A grade of zero will be given for the assignment which has
been submitted dishonestly. A second offense will result in a failing grade for the
course! Please refer to page 10 of the 2005-2007 MSU Undergraduate Bulletin.
XII. Text and References:
Texts: Online Weather Studies Textbook and Investigations Manual, American
Meteorological Society, 2006-2007 edition.
Website URL: www.ametsoc.org/amsedu/login.cfm
Log-in:
Password:
XIII. Prerequisites: None
XIV. Statement of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity:
Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, marital status, age or disability in employment,
admission, or the provision of services, educational programs and activities, and
provides upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and
services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to
participate in all programs and activities. For information regarding
nondiscrimination policies contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, 270-8093155.