Dynamics of large-scale atmospheric flow

Please follow this link for the course information retrieved from the ETH semester programme.

Date & Location

Lecturer

• Heini Wernli (heini.wernli [at] env.ethz.ch)
• Mischa Croci-Maspoli (mischa.croci-maspoli [at] meteoswiss.ch)

Tutors

• Sebastian Schemm (sebastian.schemm [at] env.ethz.ch)
• Bojan Skerlak (bojan.skerlak [at] env.ethz.ch)

Objective

Understanding of the dynamic processes in the atmosphere and their mathematic-physical formulation.

Content

Atmospheric Dynamics is concerned with the dynamical processes of the earth's atmosphere. The fundamental equations of motion in the atmosphere will be discussed along with the dynamics and interactions of synoptic system - i.e. the low and high pressure systems that determine our weather. The motion of such systems can be understood in terms of quasi-geostrophic theory. The lecture course provides a derivation of the mathematical basis along with some interpretations and applications of the concept.

Selected literature

• Holton J.R., An introduction to Dynamic Meteorogy. Academic Press, fourth edition 2004
• Pichler H., Dynamik der Atmosphäre, Bibliographisches Institut, 456 pp. 1997
• Persson, A., How do we understand the coriolis force?, BAMS
• Philipps, N.A., An Explication of the Coriolis Effect, BAMS

Basis

Physics I, II, Environmental Fluid Dynamics

Programme

Lecture notes

Here you can download the script.

Problem Sheets

Please hand-in your solved problem sheets on Mondays (till 2 p.m.) at the mailbox of Sebastian Schemm on the O-Floor (O12).

Here you can download a png file of an example of a Frontal Q Vector Analysis.

Vector Notation and Vector Formulae

Vector Notation and Vector Formulae