Course Syllabus

METR 3113 – Atmospheric Dynamics I:

Introduction to Atmospheric Kinematics and Dynamics

Fall 2020 Syllabus

Instructor

Dr. Evgeni Fedorovich

School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, National Weather Center, Room 5419; Phone: (405) 325-1197; Email: fedorovich@ou.edu

Teaching assistant

Mr. Tyler Young

Email: tyler.young3@ou.edu

Class meeting time and place

Mon, Wed, Fri: 08:00 – 08:50 am, NWC 1313.

Office hours

Appointments for individual meetings with the instructor and teaching assistant should be made through email. Additional virtual group meetings may be arranged on request.

Prerequisites

Grade of C or better in METR 2023/2021, MATH 2443 or 2934, PHYS 1215 or 2524.

Required textbook

Holton, J. R., and G. J. Hakim, 2013: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, 5th edition, Academic Press (Elsevier), 532 pp. (4th edition of this textbook may also be used).

Supplementary textbooks/materials

Wallace, J. M., and P. V. Hobbs, 2006: Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey. Elsevier/Academic Press, 483 pp.

Fiedler, B. H., 2015: Forces and Motion in the Atmosphere. Manuscript v1.20, University of Oklahoma, 157 pp.

Website

Course materials will be posted on canvas.ou.edu

Proposed grading

Two quizzes (September 16, October 28): 10% each.

Two intermediate exams (October 7, November 18): 20% each.

Final exam (December): 40%.

Grade cutoffs. A: ≥85%, B: ≥70%, C: ≥50%, D: ≥20%, F: <20%.

General information

Students will be introduced to formal mathematical description of atmospheric motions, to forces acting in the atmosphere, and to equations of atmospheric kinematics and dynamics. Particular topics include coordinate systems used in meteorology, basics of vector calculus, Newton's laws of motion, conservation of mass and energy, basic force balances and atmospheric motion types, concepts of equilibrium and stability in the atmospheric context, and equations of motion.

COURSE OUTLINE

Units and Dimensions

• Standard techniques to operate with physical units.
• Conversions between SI and Imperial units used in atmospheric dynamics.
• Concept of dimension; idea of dimensional (scale) analysis and principle of dimensional homogeneity.

Coordinate systems

• Cartesian coordinates.
• Polar coordinates.

Fundamentals of Vector Calculus

• Concepts of vector (versus scalar), unit vector, and vector decomposition basis.
• Properties of the vector dot and cross products, commonly employed vector identities and operations.
• Rules of vector differentiation.
• Properties and applications of del (nabla) operator in vector analysis.
• Definitions and properties of divergence, gradient, curl, and Laplacian operations; physical meanings of these operations.
• Divergence theorem of vector calculus.

Basics of Newtonian Mechanics

• Notions of inertial and non-inertial reference frames.
• Three Newton’s laws of motion.
• Newton’s law of gravitation.
• One-dimensional equation of motion in inertial frame with different forcing types.
• Notion of angular momentum.

Fundamental Atmospheric Forces

• Gravitational force.
• Notion of force per unit area.
• Pressure gradient force.
• Viscous (friction) force.
• Hydrostatic equation; geopotential and geopotential height.
• Pressure as vertical coordinate.
• Archimedes and buoyancy forces in the atmosphere; notion of the buoyancy.
• Apparent forces in a non-inertial reference frame.
• Centrifugal and gravity forces in a rotating reference frame.
• Coriolis force.

Motion in Non-inertial Rotating Frame

• Lagrangian and Eulerian frames; concept of total differentiation.
• Differentiation of a vector in a rotating frame.
• Equation of motion in a rotating frame: vector form of the equation.
• Equation of motion in a rotating frame: components in a spherical coordinate system.
• Relative importance of individual terms in the equation of motion.
• Geostrophic approximation and geostrophic wind.
• Hydrostatic approximation in the equations of motion.

Mass and Energy Conservation

• Conservation of mass; Lagrangian and Eulerian derivations of continuity equation; incompressible and anelastic forms of the continuity equation.
• Adiabatic process; potential temperature.
• Thermodynamic and mechanical energy equations.
• Scale analysis of mass and energy conservation equations.
• Mass and energy conservation equations in isobaric coordinates.

Balanced Flow in Natural Coordinates

• Natural coordinates.
• Gradient wind approximation; cases of geostrophic flow, inertial flow, and cyclostrophic flow.
• Solutions of gradient wind equation for northern and southern hemispheres.
• Notions of regular vs. anomalous, baric vs. antibaric, and cyclonic vs. anticyclonic gradient flows.

Note: Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent the full demonstration of his or her abilities should contact Dr. Fedorovich personally as soon as possible, so that accommodations can be made necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate student’s educational opportunities.

---

University Academic Policies and Student Support

Course Catalog 

Search the OU Course Catalogue.

Student Handbook

Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.

Online Library

Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook. 

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.

This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.

Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.

If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability.  Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.

Title IX Resources  

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates at 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident. 

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.