| CODE | EMP5011 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Weather and Climate: Theory and Application | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Environmental Management and Planning | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides the scientific background for research and other careers across a broad spectrum of weather and climate-related science and its application. It focuses particularly on a quantitative description of the most important physical processes that produce weather, the ways weather systems combine to form climates and the techniques used to simulate and understand weather systems and climate on computers. It also prepares students for the subsequent study-unit dedicated to policy and planning in the weather and climate space as the key to enabling change and creating the requisite legal and regulatory environment to combat and adapt to climate change. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit is aimed at developing an understanding of earth's weather and climate. This includes examination of atmospheric processes, heat exchange; general, regional, and local circulation's; cyclonic and severe storms; climate regions, and evaluation of how humans relate to and alter their physical environment. These concepts provide the basis for understanding weather systems, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The understanding of the variability of the climate system and its inherent changes in time will be a major component to address societal questions on natural and anthropogenic-induced climate change. This unit will help students to become familiar with the underlying physical concepts as well as with its applications to attribute and detect anthropogenic climate change. The unit will also cover the basic physical laws, their application in the climate system, basics of the observed atmosphere and ocean general circulation, its three dimensional features, and will focus on main modes of large scale variability (e.g. NAO, PNA, ENSO, etc). The variability on different time scales will be addressed as well as anthropogenic climate change including an impact assessment and an introduction into actual political and social processes related to it. The unit will encompass all aspects of observing the atmosphere through direct and indirect measurements and observations of the weather. Study-unit components will concentrate upon conventional measurements and field observations by means a week-long internship at a meteorological station, followed by extensive reporting and data analysis. By completing this intensive, week-long internship, students will gain knowledge of meteorological instrumentation and observations, appreciation of observation accuracies and requirements, interpretation of meteorological data, understanding of the applications of meteorological services to the aviation, marine and civil community. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - evaluate weather systems, the interaction of atmospheric components and resultant weather dynamics and phenomena; - understand and explain the role of transport meteorology in the aviation and maritime sector; - explain the intricacies of the climate system and its sensitivity to the anthroposphere; - evaluate the important role of climate change models and their limitations; - comprehend how climate change models work and how to derive climate predictions for use in national, regional and global policies favouring climate action. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply his/her training in theoretical and applied aspects of atmospheric physics and dynamics, quantitative modelling techniques, climate prediction and observation of atmospheric processes; - apply skills of quantitative and statistical analysis with regard to atmospheric data processing and management; - apply theoretical concepts and analytical techniques to the resolution of environmental and socioeconomic problems that have an atmospheric origin; - carry out independent research; - conduct appropriate communication using traditional and IT-based media; - conduct daily weather summary on the basis of hourly weather observations; - Assimilate relevant information coming from satellites and global synoptic weather information to describe regional weather pattern across the Mediterranean basin; - Apply critical thinking and math skills to interpret weather data; - Apply methods and techniques for monitoring weather and measuring the properties of the atmosphere. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Fundamentals of Weather and Climate 2nd Edition, Robin McIlveen, ISBN-10: 0199215421. Understanding Weather and Climate - 7th edition, Edward Aguado and James E. Burt. ISBN13: 978-0321987303. Climate Change and Climate Modeling, David Neelin, Cambridge University Press. Additional reading material (journal papers) will be provided. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Co-requisite Study-unit: EMP5012 | ||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Fieldwork, Lectures and Practicum | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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