Atmospheric Sciences Program Courses

Course requirements are designed to ensure that all students have a firm understanding of the fundamentals of atmospheric science, including the principles underlying atmospheric structure, atmospheric dynamics, and atmospheric chemistry.  These principles will be covered in three core courses:

• ATM5515 Atmospheric Chemistry
• ATM5640 Atmospheric Physics
• ATM5680 Atmospheric Fluid Dynamics

In addition, each student will take at least six credits of elective courses to obtain additional depth and/or breadth. Each Spring Semester all students in the program will enroll in ATM5100 Atmospheric Sciences Research Discussion. A grade of B or higher is required for all required.

The set of core courses may be taken in any order and will be offered at least biannually. This ensures that students will be able to complete the core courses and be prepared to take the Comprehensive Examination by the end of their second year.

 

Required (Core) Courses
The core curriculum for the Atmospheric Sciences doctoral program will consist of three courses covering fundamentals of atmospheric sciences, a research discussion course, a special topics course offered on demand, and doctoral research credits.

ATM5515/CE5515/CH5515 Atmospheric Chemistry
Study of the photochemical processes governing the composition of the troposphere and stratosphere, with application to air pollution and climate change. Covers radical chain reaction cycles, heterogeneous chemistry, atmospheric radiative transfer, and measurement techniques for atmospheric gases.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0).
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and CE4501 or CH3520 (or equivalent courses).
Semesters Offered: Spring.

ATM5640/PH5640 Atmospheric Physics
Thermodynamics of the atmosphere: adiabatic processes (including lapse rate and potential temperature), phase transformations, relative humidity, stratification; radiation in the atmosphere: Blackbody radiation, Beer's law, Radiative transfer equations with and without scattering;  and cloud microphysics: homogeneous nucleation, Köhler theory, growth by condensation, growth by collection.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0).
Prerequisites: MA3530 and PH2300 (or equivalent courses).
Semesters Offered: Fall (even-numbered years).

ATM5680/PH5680 Atmospheric Fluid Dynamics
Fundamental forces and conservation laws that govern fluid flow; applications to the atmosphere, including balanced flow (pressure gradient and Coriolis force), vorticity dynamics, turbulence, waves, and boundary layers.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0).
Prerequisites: MA3530 and PH2300 (or equivalent courses).
Semesters Offered: Fall (odd-numbered years).

ATM5100 Atmospheric Sciences Research Discussion
A weekly discussion of recent literature in the atmospheric sciences. Often coordinated with atmosphere-related seminars in the Remote Sensing seminar series. All Atmospheric Sciences doctoral students are required to register each year.
Credits: 1.0.
Prerequisites: ATM5515 or ATM5640 or ATM5680.
Semesters Offered: Spring.

ATM5200 Special Topics in Atmospheric Sciences
Advanced study of topics in the atmospheric sciences. The subject matter may vary from term to term depending on the needs of students.
Credits: variable to 3.0. May be repeated.
Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate.
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.

ATM6999 Doctoral Research
Independent research conducted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree. Scheduled by arrangement.
Credits: variable to 12.0. May be repeated; Graded Pass/Fail Only
Restrictions: Permission of instructor and department required; Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s): Graduate.
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.

 

Additional Courses
Students should select at least two of the following courses, to be approved by the doctoral Advisory Committee.

CE4501 Environmental Engineering Chemical Processes
Application of chemistry, conservation principles, and mathematics to the analysis of chemical processes occurring in natural and engineered environments. Topics include acid-base phenomena, the carbonate system, precipitation/dissolution, redox chemistry, diffusion, mass transfer, and applications to engineering design. Laboratory experiences illustrate principles and modern measurement.
Credits: 4.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-3)

CE4504 Air Quality Engineering and Science
Overview of air quality regulation in the U.S. and world: basic concepts of atmospheric chemistry and transport: fugitive, point, and area emissions: principles and tradeoffs of operation and design of air pollution control systems: and, application of air quality models.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)

CE5512: Applied Boundary Layer Meteorology
Study of how forcing phenomena affect transport of water and chemicals in the atmospheric boundary layer and how this transport is measured in the field, including relevant aspects of fluid dynamics, boundary layer structure, surface energy balance, and flux measurement.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-1-0)

CE5560: Advanced Topics in Air Quality Engineering
Advanced study of topics related to atmospheric chemistry and/or modeling the transformation and transport of atmospheric pollutants.
Credits: variable to 4.0; Repeatable to a Max of 8 Semesters

EE5540: Statistical Optics
Study of the effects of randomness in optical systems. Covers coherence theory, photon statistics, wave propagation, and imaging through random media. Presents analytic and computational approaches.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)

GE4250 Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
This course focuses on the basic physics behind above-surface remote sensing and remote sensing systems.  Topics covered include: properties of the atmosphere, absorption and scattering of electromagnetic radiation, instrument design, data acquisition and processing, validation, and basic applications.
Credits 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-1-0).

GE5140 Paleoclimatology
This course will investigate the geologic evidence of global climate and the mechanisms that are interpreted to produce climate change.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)

GE5270  Volcanic Clouds
Synthesis of recent advancements in volcanic cloud research along with theoretical background and practical experience in the study, understanding and remote sensing of volcanic clouds. Techniques covered are also applicable to other atmospheric phenomena although volcanic ash, gas and aerosol remote sensing is the main focus.
Credits: 4.0, Repeatable to a max of 8; Graded Pass/Fail only Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-6)

GE5800 Mathematical Modeling of Earth Systems
Introduction to numerical techniques for mathematical modeling of various earth-system phenomena, including groundwater flow, heat transfer, and atmospheric transport. Numerical techniques covered include finite-difference, finite-element, collocation, and characteristic methods. Students write their own mathematical models. Prerequisite: experience in programming computer languages such as FORTRAN.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)

MEEM5990: Special Topics (Plasma Dynamics)
Introduction to the dynamics of plasma (an electrically conducting gas). Covers simultaneous solution of the Navier-Stokes fluid equations along with the laws of electromagnetics. The course reviews basic electromagnetics and the motion of charged particles in fields. The conservation laws for plasmas are developed both from a fluid standpoint and a kinetic description. Wave motion, diffusion, and resistivity are presented for plasma systems. Both laboratory and astrophysical manifestations of plasma behavior are discussed.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)

PH5320: Mathematical Physics
Partial differential equations of physics, separation of variables, boundary value problems, Sturm-Liouville theory, Legendre and Bessel functions, inhomogeneous partial differential equations, Green's functions. Fourier series, Fourier and Laplace transforms, complex variables, evaluation of integrals by contour integration, linear algebra, matrix methods with emphasis on numerical applications.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)

PH5090: Selected Topics in Physics
The subject matter may vary from term to term and year to year depending on the needs of advanced students.
Credits: 3.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (2-0-0)