EAS 5420

Atmospheric Dynamics

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2024-2025 Catalog. Courses of Study 2024-2025 is scheduled to publish mid-June.

Introduction to the basic equations and techniques used to understand motion in the atmosphere, with an emphasis on the space and time scales typical of storm systems (the "synoptic" scale). Derives the governing equations of atmospheric flow from first principles and applies them to mid-latitude meteorology. Topics include balanced flow, atmospheric waves, vorticity, and baroclinic instability. Students taking this course at the graduate level (EAS 5420) will have to complete additional questions on the biweekly problem sets and on the prelim and final exams.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: familiarity with multivariate calculus is expected, (e.g. , , or equivalent), and one semester of university physics.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP, 2022SP

Outcomes

• Fluently use concepts of advection, balance, buoyancy, vorticity, and others to describe atmospheric phenomena.
• Demonstrate and derive equations describing atmospheric flows from physical conservation principals (momentum, mass, entropy) and scale analysis.
• Apply and interpret these equations in relevant atmospheric conditions.

When Offered Spring.

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