GEOGRAPHY 103: WEATHER AND CLIMATE Fall 2014. MWF 10 am to 10:50 am in COM 205. (Schedule #21574) Credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; Credit: NOAA GOES-12 visible imagery of Hurricane OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) Katrina; 8-29-2008 COURSE DESCRIPTION Why do U.S. winds and storms typically come from the west, yet hurricanes often arrive from the east across the Atlantic Ocean? Why is it that in the summer, we have relatively few thunderstorms in southern California, while they are almost an everyday occurrence during along the coast of Florida, and for that matter in Denver too? Why do we breathe harder and get bad sunburns when we head up to the mountains to hike or ski? Why does air pollution make our blue skies gray, but make sunsets far more colorful and gorgeous? Weather and Climate introduces students to basic principles of the atmosphere such as air pressure, winds and moisture that are responsible for our blue skies, gorgeous sunsets, thunderstorms, gentle trade winds, and thin mountain air. We move on to discuss severe weather, including the phenomenon of lightning, and the unpredictable and potentially devastating hurricanes and tornadoes. We examine how our planet and its population are affected by these weather systems and how we might be influencing our global weather and climate. This class offers General Education credit under “Natural Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning: Physical Sciences.” See SDSU General Catalog for more information. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Dr. Molly Costello Office: Storm Hall 311B (3rd floor) Phone: 619-594-8560 Email:
[email protected] Office Hrs: MW 1-2:30 pm by apt.