University of Cincinnati

Department of Geography

INTRO TO PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (15-Geog-101-101)           Dr. Kenneth M. Hinkel

Weather and Climate                                                                                 400-F Braunstein Hall

Summer I, 2005                                                                                                   556-3430

Daily, 7:30-9:20 a.m., 201 Braunstein Hall                                                    Office Hrs: 9:30-10:00

BLACKBOARD:  PowerPoint presentations, additional course materials, and practice exams are on Blackboard.  All communiqués will be sent through the Blackboard e-mail system.  Thus, be certain to register properly.  You should download the PowerPoint presentations before class, keeping in mind that these are not designed to replace detailed note-taking or class attendance.

TEXTBOOK:      Required: Christopherson, Geosystems (6th Edition)

                                                Course Packet available from University Bookstore

Optional: Paperback study guide is also available

ATTENDANCE and EXPECTATIONS:  Students are responsible for all material presented in lecture, including additional and current information, and are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to class.   It is assumed that students are proficient in the use of the Internet, that they have an active e-mail account, are registered on Blackboard, and that they are able to use a word processing package.   Cell phones and pagers should be turned off while in the classroom.

EXAMS:   Three exams will be given—two "mid-terms" and one final.  The exams are not comprehensive.  Your final grade will be calculated using the score from Exam 3, plus the highest score from Exams 1 and 2 (the lowest will be dropped).  NO MAKEUP exams will be given.

CLASS CANCELLED:         Monday, 4 July 2005

Lecture Date Topics Assigned Readings

          20 June                Introduction, The Solar System                                                                      1-24,  39-50

                                       Planet Earth: shape, relief, motion.  Rotation, geographic grid,                

          21 June                time zones. Physical effects of rotation.   Revolution, seasons.                50-57

                                       Solar inclination; RULE #1; formula and examples.                                                                                                                 

Optional Exercise (OE) #1

          22 June                Climate change and astronomical forcing factors                               558-563

                                       Atmosphere: Composition and trace gases.                                        64-67,  306-315

          23 June                RULE #2. Thermal structure, normal lapse rate, OE #2                     46-50, 67-84, 

                                       Atmospheric pressure                                                                                      115-117,  141-145

                                       Global patterns of insolation.  Radiant energy, electromagnetic                

                                       spectrum, wavelength

          24 June                RULE #3. Three Rules of Radiation, examples.                                            as above

END PART I

Interaction of radiant energy with materials, albedo.                                   89-96

          27 June                EXAM 1 (Chapts 1, 2, 3 and portions of 5, 6, 10 & 17)

                                       Examples, energy losses in the atmosphere.                                       96-100

Lecture Date Topics Assigned Readings

          28 June                Diurnal temperature variation; air vs. surface temperature,              74-84, 101-102,

                                       surface temperature inversion,  RULES #4, 5.                                              117-136

                                       Maritime vs. continental locations. RULE #6.  Global patterns of  

                                       annual temperature and range.  OE #3.

          29 June                Surface energy balance; radiative heating and cooling, sensible              100-110, 181-185

heat transfer, latent energy transfer                        

                                       soil heat transfer.  Energy balance examples.                                               

          30 June                Atmospheric moisture and precipitation. RULE #7.  Specific                    177-195

                                       humidity, relative humidity, dew point temperature, sling

                                       psychrometer and use of tables.  OE#4.

                                       Cloud formation, adiabatic processes and lapse rates.  RULES #8, 9

Uplift mechanisms.  Air over the mountain problem.

1 July                   Cloud forms; forms and causes of precipitation.                                          195-202, 210-218

END PART II

Winds and global circulation, pressure gradient force, RULE #10.          141-153

                                       High pressure cells,

4 July                  NO CLASSES: UNIVERSITY CLOSED

5 July                   EXAM 2  (Chapts 4, 5, 7 and portions of 3, 7 & 8)

                                       low pressure cells.  Global pressure belts and surface winds.                   153-171, 278-280

                                       Upper air patterns. 

          6 July                   Ocean currents, El Nino. Air masses.  Warm and cold air masses   207-210, 216-221

and fronts,          occluded fronts.  Cyclogenesis and wave cyclones.             

          7  July                  Tropical cyclones, local atmospheric disturbances.                                    221-239

                                       Overview of world climates, classification                                                    275-283, map 284-85                      

          8  July                  A (tropical) climates                                                                                          164-168, 283-288

                                       C (subtropical and marine west coast)                                                          

          11 July                 D (continental) and E (polar) climates                                                  295-306

                                       B (air and semi-arid) climates.  Summary.                                                                                                     

FINAL EXAM:  Tuesday, 12 July,  7:30 - 9:20 a.m.   (Chapts 6, 8, & 10)

NOTE:  This syllabus is subject to change without notice.