Module Details
The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title CLIMATE, ATMOSPHERE AND OCEANS
Code ENVS111
Coordinator Prof RG Williams
Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences
Ric@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2014-15 Level One First Semester 15

Aims

Introduce the climate system, the atmosphere and ocean:

  • Address how the climate system varies and how climate is controlled by radiative forcing;
  • How the structure of the atmosphere is determined and how the atmosphere circulates;
  • How the structure of the ocean is determined and how the ocean circulates;
  • How the atmosphere and ocean vary together.

Learning Outcomes
1. Knowledge and Understanding
 

a. Understand how physical processes operate within the climate system, the atmosphere and the ocean.

b. Appreciate the complexity of the climate system, the effect of radiative forcing, the concept of feedbacks, how rotation affects the circulation; the differences between currents and waves.

c. Gain awareness of the similarities and differences between the atmosphere an d ocean.

  2. Intellectual Abilities
 

a. To be able to evaluate the relative importance of different physical processes in the climate system

b. To develop critical skills in transferring insight gained from one problem to another problem, such as how the atmosphere circulates from one planet to another planet.

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  3. Subject Based Practical Skills
 

a. Perform simple order of magnitude calculations and make inferences from the results.

b. Understand the use of dimensions.

  4. General Transferable Skills
 

a. Application of numbers, involving order of magnitudes and dimensions.

b. Time management.

c. Problem solving.

30. Teaching and Learning Strategies
 

Lectures and Coursework. Lectures address issues in the climate system from a process point of view. The coursework reinforces the lecture material: 6 coursework exercises require the students to simply explain how processes operate, make speculations as to the relative importance of different processes, and perform simple calculations and make inferences. The coursework is marked and returned in the following week that the work is handed in.

31. Syllabus
  1-24

Lectures 1-6. Block 1: Climate System (6 lectures)

Climate system of  the Earth, atmosphere and ocean.

Climate records. Possible causes of climate variability.

Heat transfer and radiation models.

Radiation balance for other planets.  

Feedbacks in the climate system.

Lectures 7-13. Block 2. Atmosphere (7 lectures) 

 Composition and structure of the atmosphere.

Clouds and water vapour.

Understand motion on the rotating Earth.

General circulation in the tropics and mid-lati tudes.

Weather systems, fronts and clouds.

Atmospheric circulation for other planets.

Seasonal cycle in the atmosphere.

Lectures 14-21. Block 3. Oceans (8 lectures) 

Properties of water and seawater.

Observing the ocean   and inferring the circulation using water masses, time-dependent tracers,geostrophy and satellite measurements.

Vertical structure of the ocean

Seasonal cycle in the ocean.

Formation of water masses.

Deep circulation over the globe.

Upper circulation over the globe:gyres, eddies and fronts.

Waves and tides.

Lectures 22-24. Bl ock 4. Climate variability (3 lectures) 

El Nino and Southern Oscillation

North Atlantic Oscillation

Climate states and past role of the ocean.

Conclusions

  


Syllabus
1-24 

Lectures 1-6. Block 1: Climate System (6 lectures)

Climate system of  the Earth, atmosphere and ocean.

Climate records. Possible causes of climate variability.

Heat transfer and radiation models.

Radiation balance for other planets.  

Feedbacks in the climate system.

Lectures 7-13. Block 2. Atmosphere (7 lectures) 

 Composition and structure of the atmosphere.

Clouds and water vapour.

Understand motion on the rotating Earth.

General circulation in the tropics and mid-latitudes.

Weather systems, fronts and clouds.

Atmospheric circulation for other planets.

Seasonal cycle in the atmosphere.

Lectures 14-21. Block 3. Oceans (8 lectures) 

Properties of water and seawater.

Observing th e ocean   and inferring the circulation using water masses, time-dependent tracers,geostrophy and satellite measurements.

Vertical structure of the ocean

Seasonal cycle in the ocean.

Formation of water masses.

Deep circulation over the globe.

Upper circulation over the globe:gyres, eddies and fronts.

Waves and tides.

Lectures 22-24. Block 4. Climate variability (3 lectures) 

El Nino and Southern Oscillation

North Atlantic Oscillation

Climate states and past role of the ocean.

Conclusions

  

 


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Lectures and Coursework. Lectures address issues in the climate system from a process point of view. The coursework reinforces the lecture material: 6 coursework exercises require the students to simply explain how processes operate, make speculations as to the relative importance of different processes, and perform simple calculations and make inferences. The coursework is marked and returned in the following week that the work is handed in.


Teaching Schedule
  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours 24

     6
Completing coursework exercises and providing feedback
    30
Timetable (if known) Two 1 hour lectures a week
  		    1 hour examples class every 2 weeks (to provide exercises and feedback)
  		     
Private Study 120
TOTAL HOURS 150

Assessment
EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)		 % of
final
mark		 Resit/resubmission
opportunity		 Penalty for late
submission		 Notes
80% of final mark  2 hours  end of semester 1  80  yes    Assessing knowedge and understanding of how the climate system, atmosphere and ocean operate; speculating on how physical processes might operate for artificial states of the climate system; apply order of magnitude calculations; transfer insight gained from problems discussed in the Lectures to new problems (Learning outcomes 1a,b,c; 2a,b; 3a,b and 4a,c)  
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)		 % of
final
mark		 Resit/resubmission
opportunity		 Penalty for late
submission		 Notes
6 courseworks    during 1st semester  20  Yes, able to submit any coursework previously not submitted.  Section 6 of the University Code of Practice on Assessment applies  Regular coursework tasks assess ability to manage own time, to perform simple order of magnitude calculations to solve problems; describe how physical processes operate in the climate system and to develop critical skills in identifying the relative importance of different processes (Learning outcomes 1a,b,c; 3a,b; 4a-c)  

Recommended Texts

1. General

Wells   `The atmosphere and ocean' a physical introduction (2nd edition) (ISBN 0-471-96216-3) Wiley, 1997.£22. A good overview.

Bigg    `The oceans and climate' (ISBN 0 521 582687) Cambridge University Press, 1996.  Relevant to parts of the course, although some material is at a higher level.

2. Higher level ocean books (recommended in Honours year)

(1) Williams and Follows (2011) Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle. Cambridge University Press, £40. ISBN-13 9780521843690

(2) Simpson and Sharples (2011) Introduction to the Physical and biological oceanography of the shelf seas. Cambridge Unviersity Press. £40. ISBN-13 9780521701488

 3. Meteorology only

McIlveen`Fundamentals of weather and climate' Chapman & Hall, 1992. £20. (ISBN 0 412 41160 1) Comprehensive text on Meteorology.

4. Oceanography only

Open University`Sea water: its composition, properties and behaviour' B utterworth, 1989. (ISBN0-7506-3715-3).  £20.   Discusses properties of seawater  and carbon cycle. Also recommended for EOSC172.

Pickard and Emery`Descriptive Physical Oceanography' Butterworth, 1990. (ISBN7506-2759-X). £20. Describes observational oceanography & the ocean circulation in different basins.

Open University `Waves, tides and shallow water processes' Butterworth, 1989. £20.     (ISBN 7506-2827-8) First part of this textis useful for waves and tides.

Advanced Reference texts in the library:

Andrews, An Introduction to Atmospheric Physics, 2000 Cambridge University Press. A good book for the atmospheric part of the course, although contains high-level material.

Broecker and Peng`Tracers in the Sea', 1982. A chemical view of tracers and the ocean circula tion.

Cushman-Roisin`Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics', Prentice-Hall, 1994. ISBN 0-13-353301-8.  An advanced, but readable description of dynamics.

 Ocean Circulationand Climate: Observing and Modelling the Global Ocean, G. Siedler, J. Churchand J. Gould (Eds), 2001. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-641351-7 A comprehensivereview of the ocean circulation based on the World Ocean Experiment.