0 or 3 credits
Fall 2026 Lecture Distance Learning Lower DivisionScience
This course provides a quantitative introduction to how to use the laws of physics to understand the behavior of the Earth's atmosphere. Emphasizes key processes that govern the climate system and the weather phenomena that arise within it. Topics covered may include the Earth's energy balance, heat transfer, the greenhouse effect, atmospheric convection, precipitation, the general circulation, the Coriolis effect, atmospheric chemistry, weather systems, weather forecasting, and climate change.
Learning Outcomes1Solve simple quantitative problems by manipulating equations, plugging in numbers, and checking units.
2Visualize how our atmosphere varies in space and time by interpreting graphs and maps of atmospheric data as a function of latitude, longitude, and/or height/pressure.
3Use key physical laws to explain (mathematically and in words)...Physical properties (composition, density, temperature, pressure, specific humidity, relative humidity) of our atmosphere; How energy transfer between the Sun, Earth, and outer space affect the properties of our atmosphere; How horizontal variability in air properties gives rise to circulations, such as the jet stream.
Prerequisites
made by Purdue students.