Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
EA12210
Module Title
THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE WATER CYCLE
Academic Year
2010/2011
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
---|---|
Lecture | 20 x 1 hr |
Assessment
Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
---|---|---|
Semester Exam | 1.5 Hours Multiple-choice written paper, computer marked | 100% |
Supplementary Exam | 1.5 Hours Same format | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On succesful completion of this module, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of :-
- the fundamental processes of exchange within the earth-atmosphere system
- issues of global warming and changing water resource patterns
- the role of the oceans in the earth-atmosphere system
- an historical perspective on changes in climate and use this knowledge to assess future global change
Aims
The module aims to impart an understanding of the processes that generate and control weather and climate, and of the water cycle through ocean, atmosphere and land phases.
Brief description
The Atmosphere and the Water Cycle provides the basic framework for understanding and investigating the earth-atmosphere system, the dynamics of global change and its implications for life on earth. This module aims to provide an integrated introductory knowledge of the physical interactions between terrestrial, marine and atmospheric systems.
LECTURE THEMES
LECTURE THEMES
- The climate system and global warming (2)
- Radiation and atmospheric structure
- The global heat budget
- The global hydrological cycle
- Evaporation procdesses and oceanic patterns
- Clouds and precipitation processes (2)
- The cryosphere
- Global patterns of runoff
- The General Circulation of the Atmosphere (2)
- Mid-latitude circulation and weather processes
- Tropical circulation, weather and climate
- Historical climate change
- Factors in historical climate change
- Storms, floods and droughts (2)
- Human modification of the water balance (including case studies from representative climates) (2)
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4