Week 15: 5 May
Tuesday:
Chapter 5: Circulation, Vorticity, and Divergence.
Kelvin's circulation theorem.
Rossby wave speed and group velocity.
UNR research scholarship starting in Fall 2025; applications due on Monday June 2nd.
The emphasis is on how wild fires and smoke from them impact ecosystems, climate, and weather,
though other research topics will be considered. We've had students write successful proposals.
One example is Chris who along with another student developed an instrument to measure surface spectral albedo.
He used it in the Andes Mountains of Peru to measure glacier albedo in tropical regions where glaciers are melting.
Week 14: 28 April
Tuesday and Thursday:
Gradient wind: Natural coordinates and balanced flow.
Gradient wind: The general case and implications for surface lows and highs.
Ageostrophic flow in natural coordinates.
Hurricane problem example.Start Chapter 5: Circulation, Vorticity, and Divergence.
Inertial flow observation and theory article.
Rossby wave primer and vorticity discussion.
University of Utah's Weather Center.
Week 13: 21 April
Tuesday and Thursday:
Gradient wind: Natural coordinates and balanced flow.
Gradient wind: Equation of motion.
Gradient wind examples: Rossby # -> 0, Inertial flow, cyclostrophic flow, general case; normal low, normal high and restrictions, model examples of surface pressure maps.
Ageostrophic flow in natural coordinates.
Hurricane problem example.
Week 12: 14 April
Thursday:
Look again at vertical velocity model output at the 700 mb level. 1 dPa/s units = 0.1 Pa/s ≅ 1 cm/s for air density around 1 kg/m3. Interpret the model output.
Obtain the relationship for the horizontal gradient of the mean virtual temperature and examples.
Practical aspects: Getting U and V winds from wind barbs, wind speed and direction.
Thermal wind summary.
Thermal wind and jet streams.
Gradient wind: Natural coordinates and balanced flow.
Gradient wind: Equation of motion.
Gradient wind examples: Rossby # -> 0, Inertial flow, cyclostrophic flow, general case; normal low, normal high and restrictions, model examples of surface pressure maps.
Ageostrophic flow in natural coordinates.
Hurricane problem example.
Tuesday:
Review pressure and temperature gradients, signs and magnitudes, from last time.
Look again at vertical velocity model output at the 700 mb level. 1 dPa/s units = 0.1 Pa/s ≅ 1 cm/s for air density around 1 kg/m3. Interpret the model output.
Obtain the differential and discreet layer forms of the thermal wind equation relating geostrophic vertical wind sheer. Interpret.
Obtain the relationship for the horizontal gradient of the mean virtual temperature and examples.
Practical aspects: Getting U and V winds from wind barbs, wind speed and direction.
Thermal wind summary.
Thermal wind and jet streams.
Gradient wind: Natural coordinates and balanced flow.
Gradient wind: Equation of motion.
Gradient wind examples: Rossby # -> 0, Inertial flow, cyclostrophic flow, general case; normal low, normal high and restrictions, model examples of surface pressure maps.
Ageostrophic flow in natural coordinates.
Hurricane problem example.
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Week 11: 7 April
Thursday:
Continue with the equation of motion for constant pressure surfaces.
Use of w = dP/dt for representing the vertical motion for use on constant pressure surfaces.
Example of vertical wind for the 700 mb surface for the continental US from the Pivotal weather site.
Obtained the pressure gradient force in terms of the gradient of geopotential.
Thermal wind:
Continuity equation for constant pressure surfaces and example using Dines compensation.
Energy equation for constant pressure surfaces and potential energy change with time related to temperature advection.
Looked at a sounding and introduced CVW and CCBC.
Tuesday:
Interpretation of problem 3.2, divergence of the geostrophic wind.
Discussion of waves in the atmosphere.
Start chapter 4.
Week 10: 31 March
Thursday:
Divergence of the geostrophic wind derivation and interpretation, problem 3.2.
Start chapter 4.Tuesday:
Potential temperature and stability review. Gravity waves.
Started divergence of the geostrophic wind derivation and interpretation, problem 3.2.
Example of waves colliding: The lee wave case 20231010 presented by Jonathan: Zoomed in view: Zoomed out view.
Long wave animation with short waves moving through them. (From here).
Animations, forecast, climate, and cloud radiation sites 10-day weather forecast from the GFS (Univ. of Maine).
Climate Reanalyzer (weather, climate, and research, (University of Maine).
Animations library for "The Atmospheric General Circulation, Wallace et al (2023).
Examples of cyclonic vortices created by shear in the atmosphere.
Pacific cyclone.
Atlantic cyclone with interesting cloud patterns on the cold side.
Cyclone deepens visualized with water vapor imagery (dramatic contrast of cold dry).
Two cyclones off the California coast identified by water vapor imagery.
The second cyclone in detail, off the California coast, true color day, IR night.
*Cyclone, Gulf of Alaska, with water vapor imagery (blue is more) and IR. Mesocale banding apparent.
*Squall line across the southeast, with lightning.
*Dramatic water vapor imagery as California gets precip.
*Cloud band with vertically propagating gravity waves downwind of the Cascades and Rockies.Cloud radiative forcing calculator online (with link to article describing the model).
Week 9: 17 March
Thursday:
Finished the energy equation examples from Tuesday with the problem of flow over a hill.
Then students solved a weather map example problem on the whiteboard.Tuesday:
Deanna will give a weather briefing based on Assignment 4.
The energy equation in several forms and examples.
Potential temperature and gravity waves.
Then a weather map example.
Week 8: 10 March
Thursday:
Finish discussion of the jet streak problem and ageostrophic flow,
Then the continuity equation and examples,
and the energy equation in several forms.
Then a weather map example.Tuesday:
Jack gives weather briefing.
Discuss the jet streak problem and ageostrophic flow,
Then the continuity equation,
and the energy equation in several forms.
Week 7: 3 March
Thursday:
Lauren gives weather briefing.
Continue the thermal wind problem,
the jet streak problem and ageostrophic flow,
then the continuity equation,
and the energy equation in several forms.Tuesday:
Luke gives weather briefing.
Continue Rossby number discussion. Then
discuss the thermal wind problem,
the jet streak problem and ageostrophic flow,
then the continuity equation,
and the energy equation in several forms.
Week 6: 24 February
Thursday:
Continue with chapter 2 and homework 3 discussion.
Discuss assignments 4 and 5.
Begin chapter 3.
10 mb temperature and geopotential height forecast looks interesting on March 15, 0z. Look at 250 mb, 500 mb anomaly, and 2 meter temperature anomaly.
Midlevel water vapor GOES satellite imagery.
Tuesday:
Review the centrifugal and Coriolis accelerations due to the rotating coordinate system.
Example problems.
Atmospheric Rivers. Description. News article with great graphics.
Short Videos For Chapter 2 Sudden stratospheric warming.
Rossby waves and extreme weather.
Tropical cyclones: A satellite perspective.
Week 5: 17 February
Tuesday and Thursday:
Start chapter 2 and homework 3 discussion.
Review isobars near the surface and winds that cross them.
Finish the example problem on this subject.
Centrifugal and Coriolis accelerations in a rotating coordinate system.
Mean sea level pressure and winds forecast for 202502200200 and surface fronts. 2 meter temperature anomaly for North America.
500 mb height and anomaly.Lenticular and rotor clouds observed between Reno and Carson City on the 16th (Sunday). Sounding. Schematic. Model winds at various levels.
Test. chapter 1 TEST .one
Week 4: 10 February
Thursday:
Continue with chapter 1 and homework 2 discussion.
Generalized fluid flow patterns.
Hysplit model and discussion.Start chapter 2
Tuesday:
Continue with chapter 1
Another look vorticity in cylindrical coordinates (solid body rotation).
Lagrange and Eularian fluid perspectives.
Eularian example.
Convective derivative.
Example of temperature advection. Recent example (and backup) at the 700 mb level, CVWarm sounding (and backup) CCBCold sounding (and backup).
Model output example with caa in SD and waa in IA.
Generalized fluid flow patterns.
Hysplit model and discussion.
Vertical motion in the atmosphere and relationship with vorticity and temperature advection. Local backup.
Derivation of the vorticity equation and local backup.
Interpretation of vorticity.
Training module on cyclogenesis.
Week 3: 3 February
Thursday:
Chloe gives a weather discussion. Continue with chapter 1, vector sum, difference, dot product, cross product, gradient, curl and examples.
Tuesday:
Jack gives a weather discussion. Chapter 1, fluid discussion, coordinate systems, scalar and vector fields, hypsometric equation and example.
Atmospheric river weather briefing by the NWS on Thursday 30 January 2025.
Atmospheric river follow up weather briefing by the NWS on Friday 31 January 2025.
Tropopause 2PVU pressure and surface lows and highsPatterns of jetstream flow
Week 2: 27 January
Thursday:
Deanna gives a weather discussion. Atmospheric river weather briefing by the NWS on Thursday 27 January 2025.
Presentation for fronts and air masses in preparation for assignment 1.
Surface pressure anomaly and highs and lows 06z 4 Feb
Tropopause 2PVU pressure and surface lows and highs
Tuesday:
Lauren gives a weather discussion. McAffee's Breezy Insights - Weather discussion
Presentation for fronts and air masses in preparation for assignment 1.
Satellite false color air mass imagery
Quick guide for interpreting air mass imagery.
Example image from the quick guide.
MetEd training on RGB satellite products.Water vapor imagery, look at the color table overlay for "Data". (Example from the Reno snow storm around 20250126_00z.)
Intrepretation of water vapor imagery downwind of mountain ranges (like the Sierras). (Animation from it).
Week 1: 20 January
Thursday:
Luke gives a weather discussion using his weather blog.
Presentation for fronts and air masses in preparation for assignment 1.
Santa Ana winds description.
500 mb level in the atmosphere and its uses.
Tuesday:
Places to learn about what is going on in this class:
Daily Notes (here)
A homework assignment has been posted
Discussion/how-to on forecasts (see Related information for examples)
Webcampus
Introductions: Name and major, and goals for this class.
Syllabus.Opportunity:
NASA EPSCOR UNR undergrad research scholarship opportunity.
Discussion:
Presentation for fronts and air masses in preparation for assignment 1.
Weather forecast for Reno example.
What are polar vortices? NOAA Climate site discussion. General discussion video. Discussion on the weather influence in Britian.
Has the polar vortex weakened enough to cause the cold air outbreak in the Eastern US of January 2025?
Cold air outbreak in the midwest. Temperature anomaly. (example: Run Time: 18Z Jan 19; valid at 18Z Sun, Jan 19 2025).
Earth school example. Start with surface temperature, temperature, then mean sea level pressure, then wind at the surface, 500 mb, 250 mb, and 10 mb, in relation to the polar vortex.
Long waves and short waves in the atmosphere.
Infrared imagery: Atmosphere in motion.
Combined IR and visible satellite imagery for our neighborhood.Jetstream: The National Weather Service online weather school.
Matrix of topics.Fire tornado in 2020.
A lee wave example, stationary and propagating gravity waves, 20231010: Zoomed view: Zoomed out view.
