Syllabus
Climate, climate system, feedback processes in the climate system, climate predictability. Observed mean state of the atmosphere, of the oceans, of the cryosphere and of the land surface. Solar radiation, solar constant, physical radiation laws, scattering and absorption of solar radiation, Beer-Bouger-Lambert Law, optical depth, optical mass of the atmosphere, surface albedo, albedo of the earth-atmosphere system. Distribution of insolation. Terrestrial radiation, long-wave radiation of the atmosphere, counter radiation, effective outgoing radiation, net long-wave radiation. Greenhouse effect. Radiation and energy balance at the earth' surface, of the atmosphere and of the earth-atmosphere system. Heat transfer in soil, surface temperature, air temperature. The hydrologic cycle, the water balance of the earth´s surface, water balance of the atmosphere, evaporation and evapotranspiration. Boundary layer climates, radiation and energy balance of the major surface types.
Urban climate.
Atmospheric circulation. General atmospheric circulation, general circulation of the tropics, the subtropical highs, the trade winds, monsoons, intertropical convergence zone, the Walker circulation.
Extratropical circulation.
Internal climate variability, ENSO, NAO, modes of variability.
Local circulation systems, sea and land breezes, mountain and valley winds, foehn, bora.
Tropical cyclones.
Stratosphere, the quasi-biennial oscillation.
Annotation
Components of climate system, climate, feedback mechanisms. Observed mean state of the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, land surfaces, the ocean-atmosphere exchange processes.
Atmospheric radiative transfer, the radiation balance, the energy balance. The hydrological cycle and water balance, moisture in atmosphere. Atmospheric general circulation, zonal and meridional mean circulation, vertical structure of the circulation, QBO, ENSO, tropical cyclones, local circulations systems.
Variability modes. The urban climate.