Undergraduate Course: Atmospheric Physics (METE10002)

Course Outline
School	School of Geosciences	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	Atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics are initially reviewed, then the spatial and temporal structure of the atmospheric boundary layer is studied, beginning with a dry convective layer and then considering a cloud-topped layer. The second half of the course considers the physics of atmospheric aerosols, in particular how aerosols are involved in the formation of clouds, how aerosols and clouds interact with radiation, how aerosols affect climate, and how aerosols act as air pollutants.
Course description	Weeks 1-5: The atmospheric boundary layer: turbulence and weather Weeks 6-10: Cloud and aerosol physics: micro-scales to global climate

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Mathematics for Physics 4 (PHYS08038) OR Dynamics and Vector Calculus (PHYS08043) OR Mathematical Methods for Geophysicists (EASC09021)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	In addition to passing Mathematics for Physics 4 (or other equivalents) a further 30 credits at level 9/10 from schedule Q or N is also required

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
High Demand Course?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 16, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 3, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 73 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	80% Exam and 20% Coursework 20% coursework (two tutorial assignments, worth 10% each). There are a further two tutorial assignments that are not summative, just for practice/feedback. Examination at the end of First Semester - December The two summative tutorial question sheets are worth 5% each. The exam involves choosing two questions from three.
Feedback	Students submit four sets of tutorial questions: (1) and (3) are formative; (2) and (4) are summative. Written feedback is provided for all. There is the opportunity to ask questions during or after lectures and tutorials. After the exam (usually early the following semester), students can read marked exam scripts and question the markers on any comments or the marks achieved.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Atmospheric Physics		2:00

Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 76 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	80% Exam and 20% Coursework 20% coursework (two tutorial assignments, worth 10% each). There are a further two tutorial assignments that are not summative, just for practice/feedback. Examination at the end of First Semester - December The two summative tutorial question sheets are worth 5% each. The exam involves choosing two questions from three.
Feedback	Students submit four sets of tutorial questions: (1) and (3) are formative; (2) and (4) are summative. Written feedback is provided for all. There is the opportunity to ask questions during or after lectures and tutorials. After the exam (usually early the following semester), students can read marked exam scripts and question the markers on any comments or the marks achieved.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)	Atmospheric Physics		2:00

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have a detailed, integrated knowledge and understanding of atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics and it is intended that a student will be able to: - describe in detail the spatial and temporal variation of typical convective and stable boundary layers in terms of temperature, moisture content and winds - explain the physical processes that give rise to these structures - critically understand the nature of turbulent fluxes of heat and moisture and derive their variation with height, given temporal changes of structure in simple situations - determine the static and dynamic stability of atmospheric layers - discuss the sources and sinks of turbulent kinetic energy - describe the various sources of atmospheric aerosols - have a critical understanding of the processes (formation, growth, removal) that lead to observed aerosol size distributions in different environments - describe the physics of homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation - understand the physics described by Kohler curves, and how aerosols can become cloud condensation nuclei - describe the physics of how cloud droplets grow by condensation and collision - understand how aerosols interact with solar and terrestrial radiation - understand how aerosols can modify clouds - understand the concept of radiative forcing, in the context of how aerosols affect climate, and be able to compare the anthropogenic climate forcing from aerosols with that from greenhouse gases - understand how aerosols act as air pollutants, and how air pollution can be modelled. - make decisions where information is limited or comes from a range of sources. Students will also be expected to offer professional level insights and critically identify and analyse complex problems as part of the degree exam.

Reading List
Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey (2nd Ed), J.M. Wallace and P.V. Hobbs An Introduction to Boundary Layer Meteorology, R.B. Stull Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry, D.J. Jacob Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change, J.H. Seinfeld and S.N. Pandis

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills	Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information	2 one-hour lectures per week
Keywords	MYAP4

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr David Stevenson Tel: (0131 6)50 6750 Email: Jenni.Brown@ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Mr Matthew Hathaway Tel: (0131 6)51 7274 Email: