Introductory physical science course for all undergraduates in any major. A non-mathematical introduction to basic atmospheric variables, Earth’s past climates, global warming, air pollution, El Nino, hurricanes, tornadoes, and forecasting weather in Hawai‘i.
(1 3-hr Lab) Exercises with meteorological data and measurement systems. Characteristics of Hawaiian winds, temperatures, and rainfall
Highlights the interface between the observed weather and climate of the Pacific and the past and future culture of the people of the Hawaiian and Pacific islands. A-F only. (Alt. years)
Introduction to pre-calculus math and physics applied to Earth and environmental science. Students work on real-world problems and engage in participatory learning. Preparatory for classes in calculus and physics. Pre: MATH 134, 161, or MATH assessment exam (with score required for MATH 140X). (Fall only) (Cross-listed as ERTH 150 and OCN 150)
Students gain familiarity with ATMO research. Students can select 1-3 credits per semester for maximum 6 credits over 4 semesters. Students must pre-arrange research and reading content with instructor. Repeatable three times, up to six credits. Freshman and sophomore standing only. CR/NC only. Pre: instructor approval.
Atmospheric variables, gas laws, radiation processes, thermodynamics, conservation laws, dynamic approximations, clouds and precipitation, convection, atmospheric circulations, mid-latitude and tropical weather systems, forecasting, climate. Pre: PHYS 170 (or concurrent).
Energy and thermodynamics, statics and stability, physical processes of cloud formation, radiation and Earthatmosphere heat balance, kinetic theory, optical effects. Pre: 200, MATH 242, and PHYS 272; or consent.
Scalar and vector development of basic laws of hydrodynamics, equations of motion, kinematics, divergence and vorticity, viscosity and turbulence, introduction to numerical weather prediction, general circulation. Pre: 302 and MATH 244.
Dynamics and structure of the main types of severe weather (tropical cyclones, supercell storms, tornadoes, flash floods, hailstorms, fog, etc.); future changes due to climate change; risk assessment; severe weather in Hawai‘i. ATMO, GES, GG, GEO, GES, NREM, or OCN students only. A-F only. (Alt years: Spring) (Cross-listed as GES 304 and SUST 304) DP
(2 Lec, 1 3-hr Lab) Each week targets a different meteorological instrument and culminates in a lab exercise and report. The focus is on accurate measurement and scientific-style writing. A-F only. Pre: 302 and PHYS 272/272L
Global environmental change problems such as carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect, acid rain, chlorofluorocarbons and the ozone layer, global deforestation and the effect on climate, etc. Pre: 200, OCN 201, ERTH 101, ERTH 103, or ERTH 170; or consent. (Cross-listed as OCN 310)
Scientific programming in Fortran 77, graphics software and meteorological applications. A-F or Audit. Pre: 302 (or concurrent) and MATH 241; or consent.
Experiential approach to earth science; students serve as interns to field professionals; responsibilities include supervised field work. Open to undergraduate SOEST majors. Repeatable one time. CR/NC only. Pre: junior/senior standing and consent. (Fall only)
Individual reading in Atmospheric Sciences. Repeatable one time, up to three credits. ATMO students only. Junior and senior standing only. A-F only. Pre: consent
Advanced concepts in dynamics: vorticity, cyclogenesis, jet streams, fronts, mesoscale circulations. Pre: 303.
(2 Lec, 1 3-hr Lab) Satellite applications to synoptic meteorology and forecasting, including orbital elements, ephemerides, viewing geometry, radiation, satellite sensors, and interpreting satellite data. Pre: 302.
History; tropical clouds and hydrometeors; typhoons; monsoons; local and diurnal effects. Pre: 303.
(2 4-hr Lab) Techniques and methods of forecasting extratropical systems with analyzing atmospheric structure and weather systems. Students will be instructed on how to communicate and discuss a weather forecast and how to present a research paper. Pre: 303 or concurrent. (Alt. years)
(2 Lec 2 3-hr Lab) Techniques of portraying and analyzing atmospheric structure and weather systems in tropical and equatorial regions; forecasting tropical systems. Pre: 303 or concurrent.
Introduction to regional and global climate modeling for environmental scientists and engineers. Learn principles of climate modeling, how to access and use climate data for sustainable engineering and environmental management solutions, and effectively communicate results. A-F only. Senior standing or higher, or consent. (Cross-listed as CEE 449 and SUST 449)
Capstone for senior Meteorology majors. Undergraduate thesis project includes literature review, experiment or research design, data collection and analysis, technical writing of a final thesis paper and oral presentation of the paper. Junior and senior standing only. A-F only. Pre: 302, 303 (or concurrent).
Governing equations for moist atmospheric motions, approximations, basic theoretical models, boundary layer dynamics, atmospheric waves, quasi-geostrophic theory for mid-latitudes. Pre: 402, and either MATH 402 or MATH 405; or consent.
Overview of dynamic meteorology, numerical weather prediction, geophysical fluid instabilities, approximate dynamical systems, atmospheric general circulation, stratospheric dynamics. Pre: 600 or consent. (Alt. years)
Dynamics of convective systems: tornadoes, waterspouts, squall lines. Interactions with synoptic scale. Pre: 620 or consent. (Alt. years)
Scale analysis. Observational and theoretical aspects of mesoscale circulation systems. Pre: 600 or consent. (Alt. years)
Climate and general circulation of the tropics; El Niño and Southern Oscillation; intraseasonal oscillation; trade winds; tropical weather systems; energy balance; typhoons. Pre: 303 or consent.
(2 Lec, 1 3-hr. Lab) Principles and practices of satellite remote sensing as used in the atmospheric sciences, specifically clouds, aerosols, precipitation, ocean and land cover datasets from various satellites. Develop skills including data manipulation, analysis, and visualization using Matlab. A-F only. Pre: 620 or consent. (Alt. years)
Lecture covering fundamentals of tropical cyclone structure, motion, and impacts on society. Observations from satellites, aircraft, ships and buoys, and numerical simulations focusing on storm structure and track. Some forecasting exercises. Repeatable one time. Pre: 600 and 610, or consent. (Alt. years)
Synoptic components of monsoons, regional and temporal variability, numerical models, research exercises. Pre: 610 or consent. (Alt. years)
Molecular kinetics, atmospheric thermodynamics, cloud physics, precipitation processes, atmospheric electricity, scattering and absorption of solar radiation, absorption and emission of infrared radiation, radiative transfer. Pre: 302 or consent.
(2 Lec, 1 3-hr Lab) Radar hardware, electromagnetic propagation and scattering, radar equation, signal processing, precipitation estimation and polarimetric applications, Multi-Doppler wind synthesis, mobile and spaceborne radars, forecasting, and data assimilation applications. A-F only. Pre: 620 (with a minimum grade of B- or higher) or consent. (Alt. years)
Probability; frequency distributions of atmospheric variables; linear models; time series analysis (frequency and time domain); principal component analysis; statistical weather forecasting and verification. Pre: MATH 371. (Alt. years)
Methods for numerous multivariate analyses will include singular spectrum, extended empirical orthogonal function, singular-value decomposition, canonical correlation, discriminant and cluster analysis. Other advanced topics include wavelet analysis, statistical downscaling and Bayesian analysis. A-F only and audit. Pre: 631 or consent. (Every 3rd year)
Basics of Earth System Model development, parameterizations, intermodel variability and design of paleoclimate simulations. Types of proxies, tools and techniques for paleoclimate record development and reconstructions. Hypothesis testing and methods for proxy-model comparison studies. ATMO, GEO, EPET, NREM, OCN, and ORE majors only. Graduate students only. (Alt. years: spring)
Observations and theory of small-scale processes which couple the atmosphere and ocean boundary layers, including introduction to turbulence theory and parameterization of turbulent fluxes. Pre: MATH 402 and 403 (or their equivalents) and either 600 or OCN 620; or consent. (Alt. years) (Cross-listed as OCN 665)
Lecture/seminar introduces physical oceanography and meteorology students to the stateof-the-art theories and observations of large-scale ocean-atmosphere interaction, as well as conveying the fundamental understanding that has been developed during the past 30 years. Emphasis will be on phenomena such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and global climate change. Repeatable one time. Pre: 600 or OCN 620, or consent. (Alt. years) (Cross-listed as OCN 666)
Repeatable unlimited times. Pre: consent.
Repeatable unlimited times.
(2 Lec, 1 3-hr Lab) Fundamental methods and techniques in numerical weather prediction: time differencing, spatial finite differencing, spectral methods, numerical stability, explicit and implicit methods. Modern operational and research forecast models. Hands-on laboratory includes simple to complex dynamic models, with a term project. Repeatable one time. Pre: 600 or OCN 620; MATH 407 or 408; or consent. (Alt. years)
Physical basis of climate, numerical climate models, paleoclimatic indicators, modern instrumental climate records, assessment of human impact on climate, predictions of future climate. Repeatable one time. Pre: 600 or OCN 620, or consent. (Alt. years)
Overview of current progress in tropical climate dynamics with a particular focus on large-scale atmosphere-ocean interactions; introduction of basic numerical techniques for students to construct and run immediate tropical atmosphere and ocean models. Pre: 600.
Theory, observations, large-scale analyses, and global model simulations that describe characteristic large-scale circulation of the Earth’s atmosphere. Includes zonally averaged climatology, asymmetric features of the general circulation, and El NinoSouthern Oscillation phenomenon. Repeatable one time. Pre: 600 or consent. (Alt. years)
Concentrated studies on selected atmospheric problems. Repeatable two times, up to nine credits. Pre: 600 or consent.
Participation in departmental seminars and presentation of a seminar on research results. Includes written critiques of departmental seminars. Repeatable three times. Pre: consent.
Repeatable unlimited times.