MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY   SPRING 2008

Office Hours: MWF: 8:30-9 AM, TTH: 9:30 - 10 AM or just stop by!

About this course: This course provides a comprehensive study of the structure, evolution, and dynamics of atmospheric phenomena having spatial scales between 2 and 2,000 km.  Topics include thermal circulations, the dryline, fronts and frontogenesis, coastal fronts, gust fronts, air-mass thunderstorms, multicell thunderstorms, supercells, mesoscale convective systems, bow echoes, derechoes, tornadoes, gravity waves, mountain waves, barrier jets, mesoscale modeling and more.  You will study the phenomena through examination of data from a variety of observing platforms, mesoscale models, case studies, and multi-media instructional modules.

Goals of the course:

1.     To understand the structure, evolution, and dynamics of commonly observed mesoscale phenomena

2.         Develop necessary knowledge to detect and forecast their occurrence in a forecast office.

3.         Further develop data analysis skills 

Course Prerequisites: Physical, Dynamics I and A&F I:  You need to have earned at least a C- in each of these courses before taking Mesoscale Met. 

Required text: None: I will provide many references for each topic. The power point files are extensive literature reviews on the respective course topics.  Feel free to print them out before covering the content in class.  Please review the content before we cover it in class.  We have a lot of material to cover in a short period of time.  Thus, being somewhat familiar with the material before discussing it in class will facilitate discussion and help to keep it moving during class.

Makeups and late assignments: There will be no makeup assignments. All labs MUST be turned in on time, no credit will be given to late labs.

Grading: The grading breakdown for your course grade is as follows:

Lab Assignments: 100%

The lab assignments will largely consist of data sets that you will analyze for the phenomena of interest.

In class participation is highly encouraged and can have an effect on your grade. If you have been actively involved with in-class discussion and are on the borderline between two grades, I will likely give you the higher grade.

Grading Scale for all labs

100-90% A

89-80% B

79-70% C

69-60% D

59-50% F

Attendance and Academic Honesty: As per Lyndon State College Catalog. If you miss class more than 4 times without prior notification of your absence, you will fail the class.

Reasonable Accommodation statement:   Students with disabilities who request accommodations are asked to provide a certification letter within the first two weeks of class. Students should contact Mary Etter, Learning Specialist, in the Academic Support office (Vail 325) to arrange for the appropriate letter to be sent.

Course Outline

INTRODUCTION TO MESOSCALE METEOROLOGY

• Definition of scales
• Resolvable scale in NWP models

 THERMALLY DRIVEN CIRCULATIONS

• sea/land/lake breezes
• valley winds and drainage flows
• heat island effect

 FRONTS

• near-surface frontal models and frontogenesis
• sea-breeze fronts
• dryline
• coastal fronts
• topographically induced fronts - DCZ
• density currents
• gust fronts

 CONVECTION

• airmass thunderstorms
• multi-cell thunderstorms
• supercells
• squall lines - 2D and 3D
• MCC's/MCS's
• boundary layer convection
• updrafts and downdrafts
• mesohighs
• convection initiation

 SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS

• bow echoes
• derechoes
• downbursts/microbursts - wet and dry
• tornadoes - supercell and nonsupercell
• hail

 WAVES

• gravity waves
• bores/solitary waves
• mountain waves
• CAT

 INSTABILITIES

• CSI
• K-H instability
• buoyant instability

 MESOSCALE MODELING

• commonly used models 
• overview of model parameters and model physics
• comparison with large-scale operational models
• simulation of a thunderstorm

FLOW INTERACTION WITH TOPOGRAPHY

• Mountain Waves
• Barrier Jets
• Down Slope Winds

last updated: 12/18/07