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 101 MainSyllabus Terms [ Def 1 | 2 | 3 ] Optional Exercises Exam Grades Weather Links Associated Lab [ Intoduction | Syllabus | Objectives ] | Geography | | Arts and Sciences | U of Cincinnati |
Physical Geography Lab: Weather and Climate Lab 111: Course Objectives and General Education Components The Physical Geography Laboratory 111 consists of weekly meetings for 3 hours. The lab student must concurrently enroll (or have been enrolled) in the Introductory Physical Geography lecture (101) since the labs are designed to elucidate the concepts presented in lecture. Students registering for the lab course will earn 2 credit hours that can be applied toward the General Education requirement. The Gen Ed component seeks to emphasize critical thinking in the classroom. In this course, this is achieved primarily through analysis of graphs and maps. These data analysis tools promote visual literacy, which is effective communication through graphics. Lab assignments concentrate on improving visual skills since most meteorological data is presented in graphical or mapped form. The resulting patterns can be explained by applying fundamental concepts. Both Meteorology and Climatology are examples of applied science disciplines. The lecture and lab emphasize basic physical and chemical processes, since it is important to master these fundamentals before attempting to apply them. In geography, we also examine the spatial variability of meteorological parameters (temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, climate, etc.) and study the impact of human activity on the atmospheric, chemical and hydrologic cycles. The interrelations between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and human processes produce weather (short-term atmospheric variation) and climate (long-term general patterns). Students learn, for example, that daily air temperature is largely forced by ground surface temperature since absorption of solar radiation occurs preferentially at the ground surface. However, this general pattern is moderated by the influence of invading air masses. These concepts are presented in lecture and illustrated through lab exercises. Similarly, students must master and be able to apply basic concepts to understand cloud and precipitation formation, development of pressure cells and global patterns of winds, and how the earth's axial tilt causes seasons. All of these processes are components of the atmosphere and are therefore interrelated. The long-term interaction of these processes produce the climate which, in turn, strongly influence the natural vegetation, landforms, soil development, agriculture and a host of other human activities. The Lab section emphasizes critical thinking through the use of 10 lab exercises that are temporally correlated to the materials covered in lecture. Specifically, data is presented and the student analyzes the information. As a first step, the data is graphed or mapped. The student searches for a temporal or spatial pattern, and then applies synthesized concepts from the lecture and lab to explain the observed pattern. Problem solving is also emphasized. In some labs, appropriate measurements are made or derived, models developed, and hypotheses tested using the scientific method. In other labs, the appropriate mathematical formula must be applied to determine, for example, the height of the tropopause, the base of a rain cloud, the relative humidity, or the dew point temperature. Finally, some labs utilize statistics to illustrate differences between, for example, the annual pattern of precipitation over the year at various locations. The Introductory Physical Geography sequence of courses (101, 102 and 103), and associated labs (111, 112 and 113) all utilize this same learning model. The key to your success is to understand the physical, chemical, terrestrial and biological processes presented in lecture. By applying these principles to the lab exercises, you will achieve a deeper level of understanding. This is more than simply adding to your knowledge base; instead, you will develop analytical skills that will allow you to appreciate the interactions of complex systems.
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