Course description

Aim – to study properties of the atmosphere, as a part of the geographical envelope, its physical processes and phenomena that emerge and develop in the Earth’s atmosphere and their role in shaping climate types, their distribution and dynamics. Special emphasis is put on climate modeling, forecasting climate change and its impact on national and economic sphere of human activity.

Tasks:

– to reveal the physical life of the atmosphere, the analysis of the transformation of solar radiation in the atmosphere and on the Earth’s surface;

– to study patterns of conversion of radiant energy of the sun into other forms of energy: thermal and kinetic energy of movement;

– to consider optical, acoustic and electrical phenomena in the atmosphere;

– to explore the thermal regime of the atmosphere and the soil surface;

– research of the phase transitions of water in the atmosphere and geography of cycles of transitions;

– study the pressure field and wind regime;

– study the thermodynamic processes in the atmosphere, the formation of global and local atmospheric circulation;

– produce basic data about patterns of formation and weather prediction (synoptic meteorology), conditions of formation and classification of types of Earth’s climate, climate variability in the geological and historical aspects;

– study the analysis of human influence on the climate, its geography and its modeling types.

Upon the course completion students should

know: concepts and terminology, the processes occurring in the atmosphere and their role in the formation of weather conditions, the relation between meteorological variables and phenomena, spatial ND temporal interpretation of meteorological values, correlation between factors and processes in the formationof climate types.

be able to: explain geological and current dynamics of climate formation and geography of climates; carry out meteorological observations according to meteorological station methodology (one-day workshop on RLHS), conduct mathematical and statistical processing of the Climatological series of meteorological values, conductsemi stationary and expeditional researches of topoclimate (Section micro-climatic practices at CHHS, town Vorohta), adapt climate information to the applied aspects, use meteorological knowledge in related sciences and in production sphere.