Meteorology Online GSCA 112 SPRING 2008

Transcription

1 Meteorology Online GSCA 112 SPRING 2008 Professor: Dr. Michael McCorcle x A Academic Building (or via Angel) REQUIRED MATERIALS: Textbook: Meteorology Today (8th Ed.) by C. Donald Ahrens (Thomson, 2007) Additional Optional Text: Workbook and Study Guide for Meteorology Today (8 th Ed) (Thomson, 2007) Daily access to ANGEL Account A fully-functioning Evangel account Additional Resources (These resources are in the Current Weather Links section of your Angel account.) Univ. of Illinois Online Weather Guide ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(gh)/guides/mtr/home.rxml USA Today Weather Basics: USA Today Guide to the Atmosphere; Stormeyes Weather Data: IPS MeteoStar Weather Data: Weather Underground: Plymouth State University Weather Site: Course Objectives: This introductory level course explores our earth's atmospheric environment. Emphasis will be placed upon providing you with a deeper appreciation of the various atmospheric phenomena that you may witness. You will become acquainted with some of the more important economic and social aspects of weather and climate. You will see how meteorology has evolved as a science with the development of various tools and concepts that permit rational description of various weather and climatic phenomena. Since meteorology is a visual science, slides, films and current weather discussions will be routinely used. The materials covered in class will be stressed on the examinations, with the text serving as a background resource. The following are a few of the objectives in this introductory course on the science of the atmosphere. Introduce the basic physical processes that govern atmospheric phenomena including temperature, pressure, wind, atmospheric moisture, clouds, condensation, and precipitation.

2 Provide a basic understanding of weather analysis and forecasting concepts with topics including circulation systems, air masses and fronts, atmospheric stability, severe weather, weather map analysis, and forecasting techniques. Examine severe weather phenomena including tornadoes and hurricanes. Provide a day-to-day exposure to current weather events and the tools used for their analysis including satellite imagery, weather maps, and radar imagery. Give each student an initial exposure to meteorological resources on the internet. As in any scientific study, it is necessary to become acquainted with the conditions that we hope to explain. Although weather is certainly common-place to everyday experience, tools do exist that allow us to greatly expand our powers of observation in order to see more than what appears outside our window. So often the weather conditions that exist in our immediate vicinity are only a small part of a much larger atmospheric motion. To help us better view this bigger picture we will be introducing weather images and weather maps via the internet. These maps are the tools that will allow you to see that weather forecasting is not a simple procedure... and you might not be as nasty to your weatherman the next time he makes a mistake. Course Policies and Requirements: The online meteorology course will consist of the study of the textbook and course notes, weekly activities (in the form of quizzes, homework assignments, and discussion forum postings., and collaborative exercises), and teacher resources. - All assignments are due on the date and time specified on the Course Calendar and in the various course modules/activities. - All students are expected to communicate with the teacher any concerns, technical difficulties, and or questions they may have via chat, discussion board, , phone call, or face-to-face appointment. - Students are expected to follow the layout of the on-line course. - Students are expected to have procured the required texts. - Students are expected to have access to: Daily computer access Daily internet access Evangel Microsoft Word 2003 or 2007 (available in the Evangel computer labs). All students will submit homework as directed via Angel assignment dropboxes, Angel quizzes, Angel discussion boards Angel:

3 This course will be conducted exclusively through the Angel learning management system. All information needed to access and interact with the course can be found on the Evangel University s euniversity Homepage ( Communications: The online format of this class puts a premium on communications. The prime responsibility for timely communications rests with you - the student. We will use the following methods: Student (what to do and know): - Students should daily check their Evangel University account for announcements, course communications, reminders, and for submitting specific course questions. (If an account is needed or there are technical questions, students may contact Evangel s Information Technology HelpDesk: s to the professor should contain the following: The subject line of any should contain the course code, the student s name, and a brief reason for the . The body of any should contain proper grammar, punctuation, and be in complete sentences. Please be descriptive as to the reason for the . should be used for personal items that are not appropriate to share with the entire class. Use discussion boards rather than for questions and comments that will benefit the entire class.

4 - Discussions: I have created several discussion forums within the ANGEL online classroom to organize the messages by category. Most questions about class policies and subject matter should be posted here to allow the entire class to benefit from the question and the answer. Feel free to answer questions posed by other students. I have taken online classes and this give and take between students makes it feel more like a traditional class and results in a better exchange of information. Your class participation grade will be determined by your participation in the discussion forums. There will often be important information published to the class via the Discussion Forums, such as changes in due dates, exam information, etc. You are responsible for all information published here. Before you post a question, look through the Discussion Board. That same question may have already been asked and answered. - Phone and Face-to-face Meetings: Phone conversations and face-to-face meetings may be pre-arranged by appointment. Please contact the course professor for available times. - Course Announcements: Daily and weekly course announcements will be posted on the course Angel homepage. Please check them daily! Professor (what the student can expect): - s: All student s will be answered within 24 hours of receipt. - Discussions: The professor will interact with student postings and will respond within 24 hours of initial posts. - Chat and Online Office Hours: The professor will be available during the prescribed online office hours. If not, a message will be posted as to rescheduled office hours via the Course Announcements in Angel. - Phone and Face-to-face Meetings: Phone conversations will be through Evangel office phone lines. Face-to-face meetings can be conducted on campus or within a 15 mile radius of campus. Please call or for arrangements. - Course Announcements: Any change in the course schedule, or assignments, will be posted in the announcements section of the Angel course homepage at least 12 hours in advance. I normally log in to ANGEL and check for messages at least once per day, including weekends and holidays. If you have an urgent message for me, do not post the same message both on a Discussion Forum and in an . Doing both will waste your time and will not result in my getting the message any faster. If I expect to be out of contact for more than a couple of days, I will inform the class via the Discussion Board. Course Content: Lecture Notes: I have put together a set of lecture notes that attempt to give an overview of the most important elements of each chapter. Since this is the

5 first time I have used these notes in an online manner, I have tried to intersperse more text explanations to make the notes meaningful without a narrator. But please remember that these lecture notes are not a replacement for reading and studying the textbook. They are simply an additional tool for your study that helps you recognize the points that I deem as most important to give the maximum understanding of the current and future material. I recommend printing out the notes and having them with you as you read and study the text. The notes have been placed in.pdf format. You will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader for your computer if you are unable to view these files. I have included w forms of these notes a handout form for printing and a full color form for online viewing. Homework: At the end of each chapter there are three sets of questions: Questions for Review (QR), Questions for Thought (QT), and Problems and Exercises (PE), I will assign a set of 10 of these questions for each chapter. Your answers to these questions will be submitted on Angel by the weekly due date. The Questions for Review have answers that usually can be found mostly word-forword in the text. The Questions for Thought and the Problems require a more full understanding of the chapter concepts. Be sure and read the chapter before attempting these questions. Also, remember to post questions any time you have trouble with these questions. The lowest two chapter homework grades will be dropped. Quizzes: Quizzes will be based on your text preparation, homework, the lecture notes and the chapter reviews. Most of the questions will be multiple choice questions. To help your preparation, I have included a practice quiz that will give you a gauge of your progress. The lowest two quiz grades will be dropped. Final Exam: Students will have the choice to take a final exam if they would like to attempt to improve their grade. The final will be worth approximately 30% of the total grade. If taken, the final cannot reduce your grade. The format for the final questions will be identical to the quizzes. Course Schedule Of Assignments The Course Schedule lists all of the assignments required by this course along with their due dates. I strongly recommend you print this out and refer to it often. Online classes require a large amount of motivation and discipline from the students to follow the schedule on their own. Students are responsible for following the class schedule. Consult your schedule before you start a new chapter or section. If you ever have a question that begins with When is, the answer is probably already published in the Schedule of Assignments. Looking here first will probably get you a quick answer to your question.

6 Generally, each week you will required to perform the following tasks: o Complete and submit the homework assignment for each chapter. o Take the chapter quiz for each of chapter assigned that week. o Participate in the asking and answering questions on the Content Forum o Post and comment on the weekly assignment on the Current Weather Forum On occasion, I will assign additional work via the discussion forums. Pay attention! I strongly recommend you work ahead of the schedule. Students who have fallen behind usually have a great deal of trouble catching up. Chapter Homework (8 th Ed) (See correlation table on Angel for 7 th Ed) Discussion Postings 1. THE EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE. Ch 1 QR:1,6,10,14,21,23,24,26,28; QT:1 Week 1 April ENERGY: WARMING THE EARTH AND THE ATMOSPHERE. Ch 2 QR:2,4,6,7,9,11,18; QT:1,3,12 3. SEASONAL AND DAILY TEMPERATURES Ch 3 QR:1,3,9,13,15,26; QT:1,2,6,8 Chapters 1,2,3 Quizzes and Homework Due By 11:59 PM, April 14 Week 2 April ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE 5. CONDENSATION: DEW, FOG, AND CLOUDS 6. STABILITY AND CLOUD DEVELOPMENT Ch 4 QR:2,7,10,11,12,15,18; QT:2,6; PE:1 Ch 5 QR:1,5,11,15,17,18,19; QT:3,11,13 Ch 6 QR:1,2,5,7,8,9,11,17 QT:2,5 Current Wx Discussion Post #1 Due by April 17, 11:59 PM Chapters 4,5,6 Quizzes and Homework Due By 11:59 PM, April 21 Week 3 April PRECIPITATION Ch 7 QR:1,4,8,10,15,17,18,19 QT:2,11 8. THE ATMOSPHERE IN Ch 8 Current Wx Discussion

7 MOTION: AIR PRESSURE, FORCES, AND WINDS 9. WIND: SMALL-SCALE AND LOCAL SYSTEMS. QR:4,6,8,9,11,13,15,16,18,21 Board #2 Ch 9 QR:1,2,7,8,14,18,20,21; QT:1,8 Due by April 24, 11:59 PM Chapters 7,8,9 Quizzes and Homework Due By 11:59 PM, April 28 Week 4 April 29 May WIND: GLOBAL SYSTEMS. 11. AIR MASSES AND FRONTS 12. MIDDLE LATITUDE CYCLONES. Ch 10 QR:1,2,3,4,12,13,14,15 QR:3; PE:1 Ch 11 QR: 2,3,5,7,11,14,15,16,17 QT:9 Ch 12 QR:2,3,5,6,7,9,14,15,17 Current Wx Discussion Board #3 Due by May 1, 11:59 PM Chapters 10,11,12 Quizzes and Homework Due By 11:59 PM, May 5 Week 5 May WEATHER FORECASTING 14. THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES Ch 13 QR:2,4,6,7,9,10,19; QT:3,4; PE:2 Ch 14 QR:2,4,9,15,17,22,23,25,27; QT:1 15. HURRICANES Ch 15 QR:2,3,5,8,10,11,14; QT:1 Current Wx Discussion Board #4 Due by May 8, 11:59 PM Chapters 13,14,15 Quizzes and Homework Due By 11:59 PM, May 12 Optional Final Exam - Due By 11:59 PM, Wednesday, May 14 Here is How it All Works When you login to Angel you will see the front page that will hold announcements, links to forums etc. The main area where you will live is under Course Content. When you click on Course Content you will be taken to a page with 5 folders. The main folder is the Content by Chapter folder. This page also has links to each of the discussion forums and also a link to current weather links. Many of you will find your own best method for accomplishing the work. The process outlined below can be repeated for each chapter. Remember that we will be covering 3 chapters per week. You will need to budget your time to cover approximately 1 chapter every 2 days.

8 1. In this course, the reading of the text book will be your first and most important task. While you read, you may want to have a copy of the handout form of the course notes alongside. Or you may want to open your laptop to the full color version of the slides. I do not exactly follow the text for every slide of notes. 2. Next open the Chapter Review file. See how many of the topics you remember from your reading. 3. If there are content areas that you do feel were explained adequately in the text or my notes or you require an alternate explanation, checkout a few of the other resource links that are listed for each chapter. 4. Next, get involved on the Content Discussion Board -- Ask Questions!...Answer Questions! If you will use this resource and become a resource for others you will be maximize your learning capabilities. 5. Now do the homework. Again, if you get stuck, use the Discussion Board. When finished, submit the homework via the homework folder. You may either cut and paste your answers into the space provided or link a Word document. 6. Now its time to get ready for the quiz. Take the practice quiz. If it is obvious that you still have some studying to do, review the text and chapter summaries. Finally take the quiz before the Monday evening deadline. 7. On four Thursdays, April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8, a posting and at least one response is required related to a current weather assignment. 8. Each week the assignments for 3 chapters will be due on the following Monday. For instance, the homework and quizzes for Chapters 1, 2, and 3 will be due on Monday, April 14. Grades Grade Access: All course grades will be recorded and shown through Angel. In our Angel course, go to the Report tab to see your grades (Category dropbox, choose Grades, click Run). Submitted assignment grades will be submitted to the Angel gradebook (and graded copies as needed - returned to students) within 48 hours of the assignment due date. Approximate Point Breakdown Homework 130 points Quizzes 195 points Current Weather Discussion Board Assignments 80 points Class Participation 50 points Final (Optional) 130 points Evaluation: Grades will be based on number of points accumulated by completing assignments and quizzes. Points

9 accumulated will be divided by the total points available in the class. The grading will be based on the following: Percent Grade Percent Grade % A % C % A % C % B % D % B % D % B % D % C+ Below 60.0% F Technical Support Angel questions? Your professor is your first level of support. Please contact them via , chat, or phone. Please see the euniversity homepage for Angel login information, computer requirements, and other helpful information ( Technical questions? Please contact the Evangel University Information Technology HelpDesk: or at x8368. Help desk hours are 7:30 a.m p.m. Monday-Friday, CST. All calls outside of our hours will be reviewed the next shift. Student s Responsibility and Conduct As should be expected in a college class, the student assumes responsibility for keeping up with his/her standing in the class. The instructor will not routinely issue grade warnings. Furthermore, it is not up to the instructor to follow up on missed exams or assignments - it is your grade, and thus your responsibility. It is also expected that students will conduct themselves in an academically honest and ethical manner. Cheating, plagiarism, and disruptive, disrespectful or inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated. These activities will result in penalties including, but not limited to, your expulsion from the class and/or the college. Please take time to reread this syllabus. It is your guide to the way class is conducted. The syllabus and the course calendar are very important. Take care not to lose them. For matters not covered in this syllabus, please consult the professor or refer to the Evangel University catalog/student handbook. It is not intended that this syllabus be all inclusive of classroom or college policies and procedures. Updates to the syllabus will be posted on the course Angel site. Introductions: During the semester, I hope to get to know more about many of you. Here is a bit of my story. I guess you could say I was practically born and raised here at Evangel. As a kid I ran the halls of Evangel College s old barracks as my mom and dad attended meetings of auxiliaries and councils. I was even a dropout of Evangel College kindergarten.

10 My two older brothers both attended and graduated from Evangel s SciTech dept. I attended Central Assembly as a teenager and fell in love with the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Karyn and I both attended Evangel and were married after our sophomore years. I came to Evangel intent on being a chemist not really knowing what a chemist s job was all about. After a few frustrating years in the chemistry lab, I got this crazy idea to be a meteorologist. Pursuit of this degree took Karyn and I away from Evangel in 1978, first to the University of California at Davis and then to the University of Utah. I shortly became enthralled with all aspects of atmospheric physics, especially those related to the forecast of near surface weather phenomena. Karyn began making jewelry and used her talents to support us during this period. Seven years, two kids, and three degrees later I started my professional career at 25 as a professor and researcher at Iowa State University. My research interests ranged from atmospheric chemistry, severe weather formation, and global climate change. In 1990, I took a position in Washington, DC, as a senior research meteorologist with a defense contractor, Science Application International Corporation. There, I had the opportunity to work on many exciting projects. I was a civilian weather forecaster for the 1991 Gulf War in Kuwait and I helped build forecast models for NASA space shuttle operations. My biggest undertaking was involved with the Department of Defense in the development of atmospheric forecast models to predict the dispersal of biological and chemical weapon material. This part of my career was exciting but exhausting with very long hours and lots of travel. In 1995, I jumped at the opportunity to come back to teaching - this time, here at Evangel. I now have the best job in the world! Teaching science classes at Evangel is by far the most fulfilling and joyful adventure of my life. My family all love Springfield. Karyn has now been making polymer jewelry for 27 years and has had her work displayed at fine art shows throughout the country. She is now taking classes here at Evangel. Our boys are grown and are now Evangel graduates. Karyn and I certainly had no idea that God would fashion such an amazing path for our lives, but we feel so blessed by God that this journey has brought us home to Evangel.