Course Description
The purpose of this course is to provide you with an understanding and appreciation of weather phenomena, while providing a solid background for further study in meteorology. Although modern meteorological research is highly quantitative, the basics can be taught qualitatively, making frequent use of charts, graphs, tables, and simple equations. While there are no prerequisites for the course, each student is expected to be able to read and quickly interpret maps, diagrams, charts, graphs, etc. This course carries the General Education (N) designation.
Course Grading -- A >= 90%, B >= 80%, C >= 70%, D >= 60%, F < 60% of the 1000 total points available:
- Exam I (20%) -- Chapters 1 to 4 -- Second Monday
- Exam II (20%) -- Chapters 5 to 8 -- Third Monday
- Exam III (20%) -- Chapters 9 to 12 -- Fourth Monday
- Exam IV (20%) -- Chapters 13 to 16 -- Fourth Thursday
- Quizzes (20%) -- ten out-of-class asignments, equally weighted, tied to the textbook material, completed in Desire2Learn.
Course Schedule -- The course closely follows the textbook's organization, Meteorology Today, by C. Donald Ahrens, 10th edition (2013):
- Introduction: History of Meteorology
- Ch. 1: The Earth and Its Atmosphere
- Ch. 2: Energy: Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere
- Ch. 3: Seasonal and Daily Temperatures
- Ch. 4: Atmospheric Humidity
- Ch. 5: Condensation: Dew, Fog, and Clouds
- Ch. 6: Stability and Cloud Development
- Ch. 7: Precipitation
- Ch. 8: Air Pressure and Winds
- Ch. 9: Wind: Small Scale and Local Systems
- Ch. 10: Wind: Global Systems
- Ch. 11: Air Masses and Fronts
- Ch. 12: Middle-Latitude Cyclones
- Ch. 13: Weather Forecasting
- Ch. 14: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
- Ch. 15: Hurricanes
- Ch. 16: The Earth's Changing Climate
Some useful weather links:
The Weather Channel
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
National Weather Service -- Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN)
National Weather Service -- Southern Region Headquarters
NOAA Homepage
Oklahoma Weather Roundup
Regional radar
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Last Updated: 16 March 2013
Oklahoma State University
Department of Geography
Stillwater, OK 74078