OGI751 - CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT (Syllabus) 2017-regulation - Open Elective | Anna University

OGI751 - CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT (Syllabus) 2017-regulation - Open Elective | Anna University

OGI751	CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT	LPTC

3003

OBJECTIVES:

• To understand the basics of weather and climate
• To have an insight on Atmospheric dynamics and transport of heat
• To develop simple climate models and evaluate climate changes using models

UNIT I	BASICS OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE:	9

Shallow film of Air– stratified & disturbed atmosphere – law – atmosphere Engine. Observation of parameters: Temperature – Humidity – Wind - Pressure – precipitation-surface – networks. Constitution of atmosphere: well stirred atmosphere – process around turbopause – in dry air – ozone – carbon Dioxide – Sulphur Dioxide– Aerosol - water. Evolution of Atmosphere. State of atmosphere: Air temperature – pressure – hydrostatic – Chemistry – Distribution – circulation

UNIT II	ATMOSPHERIC DYNAMICS:	9

Atmosphere dynamics: law – isobaric heating and cooling – adiabatic lapse rates – equation of motion - solving and forecasting. Forces – Relative and absolute acceleration – Earth‟s rotation coriolis on sphere – full equation of motion – Geostrophy;- Thermal winds –departures – small- scale motion. Radiation, convection and advections: sun & solar radiation – energy balance – terrestrial radiation and the atmosphere – Green house effect- Global warming - Global budget – radiative fluxes - heat transport. Atmosphere and ocean systems convecting & advecting heat. Surface and boundary layer – smaller scale weather system – larger scale weather system.

UNIT III	GLOBAL CLIMATE	9

Components and phenomena in the climate system: Time and space scales – interaction and parameterization problem. Gradients of Radiative forcing and energy transports by atmosphere and ocean – atmospheric circulation – latitude structure of the circulation - latitude – longitude dependence of climate features. Ocean circulation: latitude – longitude dependence of climate features – ocean vertical structure – ocean thermohaline circulation – land surface processes – carbon cycle.

UNIT IV	CLIMATE SYSTEM PROCESSES	9

Conservation of motion: Force – coriolis - pressure gradient- velocity equations – Application – geotropic wind – pressure co-ordinates. Equation of State – atmosphere – ocean. Application: thermal circulation – sea level rise. Temperature equation: Ocean – air – Application – decay of sea surface temperature. Continuity equation: ocean – atmosphere. Application: coastal upwelling – equatorial upwelling – conservation of warm water mass. Moisture and salinity equation: conservation of mass – moisture. Source & sinks – latent heat. Moist processes – saturation – convection – Wave processes in atmosphere and ocean.

UNIT V	CLIMATE CHANGE MODELS	9

Constructing a climate model – climate system modeling – climate simulation and drift – Evaluation of climate model simulation – regional (RCM) – global (GCM) – Global average response to warming – climate change observed to date.

TOTAL : 45 PERIODS

OUTCOMES: At the end of the course the student will be able to understand

• The concepts of weather and climate
• The principles of Atmospheric dynamics and transport of heat and air mass
• The develop simple climate models and to predict climate change

TEXT BOOKS:

1. Fundamentals of weather and climate (2nd Edition) Robin Moilveen (2010), Oxford University Press
2. Climate change and climate modeling, J. David Neelin (2011) Cambridge University press.