GGY 230 INTRODUCTION TO WEATHER & CLIMATE – Spring 2008

 

Instructor: Mr. Roger D. Shew

Office: Deloach Hall 121

E-mail: shewr@uncw.edu

Phone: 962-7676

Lecture: 11:00 – 11:50 MWF Morton Hall 100             

Office Hours: W 10 – 11, 12 – 1 or by appointment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Course Description: Examination of the controls and

consequences of weather phenomena and climatic variations from the local

to the global scale.

 

COURSE GOALS:

 

1.       Instill an understanding of the fundamental principles of climatology and meteorology.  As a result, a student that completes this class will understand daily weather forecasts, components of the global climate system, and basic human interactions with the atmosphere.

2.       Illustrate the importance of weather phenomena and potential climate change to the local and global economy and social health (droughts, floods, storms, temperature change, etc.)

3.       Apply scientific principles to better understand our physical environment.  Accordingly, exercises and tests will not focus solely upon memorization of facts but also include questions/problems in which students must apply concepts learned in lecture in order to reach a correct solution. Exercises will also involve quantitative and graphical analysis skills.

 

Books/Materials:

 

·         Lutgens and Tarbuck, 2006.  The Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, pp. 544 (10th Edition).

·         Gamble, D., 2007.  Exercises in Weather and Climate: A Lecture Supplement.  Des Moines, IA: Kendall Hunt, pp. 89 (Revised Printing).  YOU SHOULD NOT BUY THIS BOOK USED.  You will be tearing pages out and handing them in throughout the semester. The lecture supplement you purchase should have all pages and no writing from a previous owner. 

 

 

Tentative Agenda (changes often occur but we will try to maintain the Test Schedule)

 

Week

Topic

Readings

Jan 9, 11

Introduction: Course and The Atmosphere

Chapter 1

Jan 14, 16, 18

Heating Earth’s Surface and Atmosphere

Chapter 2

Jan 21

Martin Luther King Holiday

 

Jan. 28, 30

Temperature

Chapter 3

Feb 1, 4, 6

Moisture and Atmospheric Stability

Chapter 4

Feb 8

Exam

Chapters 1 – 4

Feb 11, 13, 15

Forms of Condensation and Precipitation

Chapter 5

Feb 18, 20, 22

Air Pressure and Winds

Chapter 6

Feb 25, 27

Circulation of the Atmosphere

Chapter 7

Feb 29

Exam

Chapters 5 - 7

March 1 – 9

Spring Break

Relax

March 10, 12, 14

Air Masses and Weather Patterns

Chapters 8 – 9

March 17, 19

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Chapter 10

March 21

Easter Holiday – Good Friday

 

March 24, 26, 28, 31

Storms and Hurricanes

Chapter 11

April 2

Storms and Hurricane Issues

Chapter 11

April 4

Exam

 

April 7, 9, 11

Weather Forecasting

Chapter 12

April 14, 16, 18

Forecasting, Air Pollution, Climate Change

Chapter 12, 13

April 21, 23, 25

Climate Change, World Climates

Chapter 14, 15

April 28

Special Topics: Optics and Review

Chapter 16

April 29

Reading Day

 

April 30

Final Exam 11:30 – 2:30

All

 

Final Grade Weight/Proportions: 

Three exams will be given during the semester. You will be allowed to drop the lowest of the three test grades. The two exams account for 60% (30% each) of your class grade. Everyone must take the final; it is worth 30% of the class grade but includes ~20 – 25% cumulative materials from the previous tests. There will also be exercises from the lab/exercise book that accounts for 10% of the class grade.

 

Semester Exams     = 60%

Final Exam               = 30%

Individual Exercises = 10%

 

Grading Scale: A >92, A- 90 - 91, B+ 88-89, B 82 - 87, B- 80 - 81, C+ 78 - 79, C 72 - 77, C- 70 - 71, D+ 68 - 69, D 62 - 67, D- 60 - 61, F <60.

 

CLASS FORMAT AND ASSESSMENT

This class meets 3 times each week for 50 minutes.  Lectures are designed to guide the student through the class and textbook material.  Outlines of the lecture material will be posted on the course web page – SEAPORT. Students are encouraged to print out these outlines and bring them to class; this should facilitate note taking and better understanding of the lecture materials. They should also serve as summaries of the main chapter materials.

 

On selected Fridays, exercises from the exercise book will be assigned to be completed in class. You will receive credit for each completed and handed in in-class assignment.  This credit will take the form of a 1 or 0.  If a student does not hand in the assignment at the end of the class period, they will receive a zero.  No late work will be accepted unless the student provides a legitimate excuse.  The lowest exercise credit will be dropped at the end of the semester.  The grade for exercises will be determined with the remaining exercise credits = 10% of grade.

 

Exams for this class are multiple -choice format though an occasional essay question may be added. Makeup tests will not be given to students that miss a test unless you have a formal excused absence. You use your one test that you can drop as this missed test. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy.

HOW TO DO WELL IN CLASS

1)       Attend class.  The instructor will not take daily attendance.  It is your decision as to whether or not to attend class.  It has been shown in studies and in my experience that poor attendance = poor grades.  In addition, if you ask me for help, I have less sympathy and I am less likely to extend assistance if chronic absence is obvious.

2)       Bring your textbook to class and highlight or write notes in the margins.  You spent good money on your textbook and it is yours, it is not on loan.  You may do anything you wish to it, including write in it.  Students that bring the text to class are better able to understand diagrams presented in class and do not waste time writing down definitions in their notes. Print out the outline of the chapter from SEAPORT and review it before coming to class. If you compare those with a scan of the chapter before the lecture on that chapter the material will make much more sense and it will stick with you better. You will also have an idea of the important points and you can make notes of those more efficiently.

3)       Listen before you take notes.  All too often students spend an entire lecture mindlessly copying everything the professor states.  The objective of taking notes is to jot down important information that will help you study at a latter date, not create an additional textbook.  Listen to what the professor has to say, decide what is important then write abbreviated notes and use the textbook or other materials to fill in details at a later date.  If lecture is moving at to quick of a pace, raise your hand and ask me to slow down. However, if you have the outline your note taking will be more efficient.

4)       Determine what the professor wants you to learn.  More often than not, the professor does not expect you to know everything on the subject or in a textbook.  Talk to the professor to decide what your study strategy should be and focus on important topics to increase your studying efficiency.

5)       Decide on the level of knowledge expected by the professor.  The type of knowledge that professors want you to acquire in their classes is not all the same.  In general, the higher the level of the class, the higher or more involved the level of knowledge the professor requires. 

6)       Study through active learning.  Different types of learning exist and students must decide their own most appropriate learning style.  One type of learning that has received much positive praise recently is active learning.  Active learning is when the student becomes actively involved in the course.  Examples of active learning are field activities, laboratory activities, videos, discussions, and group work.  However, given the rise in enrollment in universities and growth of classroom size, it can be difficult for the professor to manage such activities.  The result is a lecture-based course where the only activity for students is to listen and take notes.  If you are having difficulty with class material, seek active learning opportunities.  Ask professors for exercises, form a study group, or complete study questions in the textbook. 

 

Summary Process of Study:

1. Print the outline notes, scan the chapter, attend lecture and take down the important notes highlighting the important figures and cited materials, review the notes/chapter after the class to insure your comprehension and what was most important. Do this for each class and then review all of these materials throughout the days prior to the tests – not just for a couple of hours before the tests. There are good reviews at the ends of the chapters and I will occasionally indicate review materials as well – use the aids provided by the book publisher, too.

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

1) All students are responsible for announcements in class regarding changes or modifications of class schedule, test times, and/or grading policies.

2) Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and when discovered dealt with in accordance to University Policy as outlined in the Student Handbook.  

3) Unexcused absences for exercises or exams will result in a grade of zero.

4) Chronic absences will have a negative affect upon your grade for the reasons mentioned above.

5) Disruptive behavior, in particular talking during the lecture or when other students ask questions, will not be tolerated. If disruptive behavior occurs the instructor will ask the students involved to stop.  After such a request, continued and excessive disruptive behavior will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students.

6) Disruptive behavior includes cell phone ringing, continuous text messaging, use of laptops that are not course focused, and any other actions that interrupt the lecturer or students around you.

7) UNCW practices a zero-tolerance policy for violence and harassment of any kind.  For emergencies contact UNCW CARE at 962-2273, Campus Police at 962-3184, or Wilmington Police at 911.  For University or community resources visit http://uncw.edu/wrc/crisis.htm.