Overview
Climates over different surfaces, micro and local climates; urban climates; laboratories as required.
GEOG286 is all about understanding how the landscape around us influences the weather and climate we experience. For instance, have you ever wondered why winters are so cold in inland regions compared to the coast, or why the west coast of the South Island is so rainy? These issues have important real-world implications for sustainable environmental management and life in general – from hydro-electricity generation to ski-tourism, farming, and on to extreme hot and cold events in our towns and cities.
By introducing and applying some basic climatological principles we will explore how the presence of vegetation, mountains, water and urban development influence climate in general, but also extreme weather events, and how these are changing under climate change. We’ll look at case studies from both New Zealand and the wider world, and also get out into the field to experience first-hand how the landscape and climate interact.
About this paper
| Paper title | Climatology |
|---|---|
| Subject | Geography |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,318.20 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- GEOG 101
- Restriction
- GEOG 392
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Science
- Contact
- More information link
- Teaching staff
Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Daniel Kingston
- Paper Structure
The paper is structured hierarchically so that basic principles are introduced first, followed by application of these principles to investigate (1) how land-sea contrasts, vegetation and topography influence climate, and then (2) how human land-use management influences climate, through both urban development and agriculture.
The paper concludes with a global-scale perspective on how landscape influences combine to produce some of the major features of global weather and climate.
- Teaching Arrangements
Two lectures per week, and six lab/field-based practicals scheduled over the course of the semester.
- Textbooks
No single textbook is required, but we will make use of the following:
Oke, T.R. (1987) Boundary Layer Climates (2nd edition).
Sturman, A. & Tapper, N. (2006) The Weather and Climate of Australia and New Zealand (2nd edition).
Barry, R. & Chorley, R. (2010) Atmosphere, weather and climate (9th edition).
Sturman, A. & Quénol, H. (2024) Climate change: impacts and adaptation and regional and local scales.
All are available via the university library.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Communication, Critical thinking, Environmental literacy, Research, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
By the end of this paper you should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of micro- and meso-scale climatology. Specifically, you will:
- Understand how variation in 'natural' land surface types influences climate at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.
- Understand how human modification of the land surface influences climate at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.
- Understand how human modification of the land surface influences air quality and human health.
- Be able to integrate field and laboratory data to understand climate processes at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.
Overview
Climates over different surfaces, micro and local climates; urban climates; laboratories as required.
GEOG 286 is all about understanding how the landscape around us influences the weather and climate we experience. For instance, have you ever wondered why winters are so cold in inland regions compared to the coast or why the west coast of the South Island is so rainy? These issues have important real-world implications for sustainable environmental management and life in general: from hydro-electricity generation to ski-tourism, farming and on to extreme hot and cold events in our towns and cities.
By introducing and applying some basic climatological principles, we will explore how the presence of vegetation, mountains, water and urban development influences climate in general, but also extreme weather events, and how these are changing under climate change. We’ll look at case studies from both New Zealand and the wider world, and also get out into the field to experience first-hand how the landscape and climate interact.
About this paper
| Paper title | Climatology |
|---|---|
| Subject | Geography |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027, expected to be offered in 2028 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- GEOG 101
- Restriction
- GEOG 392
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Science
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Daniel Kingston
- Paper Structure
The paper is structured hierarchically so that basic principles are introduced first, followed by application of these principles to investigate: (1) how land-sea contrasts, vegetation and topography influence climate, and then; (2) how human land-use management influences climate, through both urban development and agriculture.
The paper concludes with a global-scale perspective on how landscape influences combine to produce some of the major features of global weather and climate.
- Teaching Arrangements
Two lectures per week, and six lab/field-based practicals scheduled over the course of the semester.
- Textbooks
No single textbook is required, but two are highly recommended:
Oke, T.R. (1987). Boundary Layer Climates (2nd ed.).
Sturman, A. & Tapper, N. (2006). The Weather and Climate of Australia and New Zealand (2nd ed.).
Both are available on close reserve in the Science Library.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Communication, Critical thinking, Environmental literacy, Research, Teamwork.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
By the end of this paper you should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of micro- and meso-scale climatology. Specifically, you will:
- Understand how variation in "natural" land surface types influences climate at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.
- Understand how human modification of the land surface influences climate at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.
- Understand how human modification of the land surface influences air quality and human health.
- Be able to integrate field and laboratory data to understand climate processes at scales from metres to hundreds of kilometres.