GEOG460 Climatology

Climatic forcing of seasonal snow, glaciers and avalanches; evaporation; climate change.

The purpose of this paper is to give students an opportunity to advance their knowledge of field research methods in climatology and to establish a better understanding of numerical modelling techniques used to characterise atmospheric processes. Emphasis in this paper is placed on the methods and techniques used to investigate atmospheric processes. In particular, students will develop an understanding of how to deploy atmospheric instruments, develop skills to analyse and post-process data obtained from automatic weather stations and develop an understanding of the modelling techniques used to characterise surface-atmosphere exchanges at different spatial and temporal scales.

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Eligibility

The content of the paper assumes that students will have completed an undergraduate degree in Physical Geography or related degree.

Please contact Associate Professor Nicolas Cullen for the recommended background for this paper.

Contact

geography@otago.ac.nz

More information link

View further information about GEOG 460

Teaching staff

Course Instructor: Associate Professor Nicolas Cullen

Paper Structure

The objectives of this paper are to:

• Give students an opportunity to advance their knowledge of field research methods in climatology
• Establish a better understanding of numerical modelling techniques used to characterise atmospheric processes

Emphasis in this paper is placed on the methods and techniques used to investigate atmospheric processes. In particular, students will:

• Develop an understanding of how to deploy atmospheric instruments
• Develop skills to analyse and post-process data obtained from automatic weather stations
• Develop an understanding of the modelling techniques used to characterise surface-atmosphere exchanges at different spatial and temporal scales

The paper is divided into two primary units:

• Data-logger Programming and Field Preparation: The focus of the first part of the paper will be on data-logger programming, which will allow students to see how standard observational datasets from automatic weather stations are obtained. A field exercise associated with this effort will give students a broad understanding of the theory, processes and current knowledge associated with obtaining meteorological observations in the atmospheric boundary layer.
• Regional Atmospheric Modelling: The second part of the paper will allow students to shift from a focus on atmospheric processes at the micro to local scale to the regional scale using numerical modelling techniques. A regional atmospheric model will be used to develop a broader understanding of how larger-scale atmospheric processes control the surface observations collected during the field campaign.

This paper is 100% internally assessed

Textbooks

Recommended: Oke, T.R. (1987), Boundary Layer Climates, Second Edition, Methuen, London.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Environmental literacy, Information literacy.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this paper students should have:

• An advanced understanding of the theory, processes and current knowledge associated with obtaining meteorological observations in the atmospheric boundary layer
• The ability to set up and deploy instrumentation on automatic weather stations, including knowing how to programme data-loggers used to obtain and store meteorological data
• Developed an understanding of the numerical modelling techniques used to characterise surface-atmosphere exchanges at different spatial and temporal scales
• Developed new quantitative skills to process meteorological data and the ability to run a regional atmospheric model

Teaching Arrangements

One 1:50-minute lecture per week

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