Dynamics of Weather and Climate - ZPEM3501

 
Faculty: UNSW@ADFA (Australian Defence Force Academy)
 
 
School:  School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences @ ADFA
 
 
Course Outline: https://gateway.unsw.adfa.edu.au/isas/current_students/outlines/index.html
 
 
Campus: University College Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
 
 
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 5
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Prerequisite: ZPEM2401 or ZPEM2502, ZPEM2506
 
 
CSS Contribution Charge:Band 5 (more info)
 
 
Tuition Fee:See Tuition Fee Schedule
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 

Description


This course discusses the physical and biogeophysical processes that govern climate and climate change. It covers the behaviour of the atmosphere, ocean (hydrosphere) and land surface (particularly the cryosphere) over a wide range of timescales. The Navier-Stokes and Vorticity approaches are introduced in the context of atmospheric dynamics, with an emphasis on geostrophic and ageostrophic flows, the diagnosis of vertical motion, and synoptic-scale weather systems in the Australian region.
Regional climate variability is discussed in terms of the EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Southern Annular Mode (SAM) phenomena, global budgets of radiation, heat flux, and the role of carbon dioxide. Other topics may include a treatment of atmospheric and oceanic convection cells, the thermohaline circulation, glacial flows, climate change, and the science behind climate prediction.