UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
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ATMOS 100 Climate, Justice, and Energy Solutions (5) SSc/NSc, DIV
Presents visions of the future when the climate crisis is solved. Describes paths towards reaching these goals. Solutions include building a resilient society with clean energy, sustainable agriculture, climate justice, and a just transition for workers.
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ATMOS 101 Understanding and Predicting the Weather (5) NSc
Students learn the essentials about weather, including basic concepts on how to read the sky, and how to interpret weather information and forecasts from a variety of sources. Covers origin and structure of the atmosphere, wind, rain, and snow storms, and other major weather features, as well as how weather forecasts are made and evaluated. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 103 Hurricanes and Thunderstorms: Their Science and Impact (3) NSc/SSc
Explores the science, history, and impacts of thunderstorms and hurricanes. Includes basic processes responsible for thunderstorms and hurricanes and for the lightning, hail, high winds, and storm surges that accompany them. Presents significant historical examples, along with the impact on human activities, strategies for personal safety, and societal adaptation. Offered: SpS.
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ATMOS 111 Global Warming: Understanding the Issues (5) SSc/NSc
Presents a broad overview of the science of global warming. Includes the causes, evidence, and societal and environmental impacts from the last century. Recounts future climate projections and societal decisions that influence greenhouse gas emission scenarios and our ability to adapt to climate change. Presents ways to identify disinformation versus correct science. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 211 Climate and Climate Change (5) NSc/SSc
Explores the nature, stability, and sensitivity of the global climate system. Examines factors influencing climate, including interactions among the atmosphere, oceans, solid earth, and biosphere. Investigates global warming, ozone depletion, and other human influences. Intended for non-majors. Course overlaps with: ESS 201. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 212 Air Pollution: Societal Impacts and Solutions (3) SSc/NSc
Explores the causes, impacts, and solutions for air pollution on local, regional, and global scales. Topics include urban smog, wildfires, acid rain, the ozone hole, and contrasts between indoor and outdoor air pollution. Health and environmental effects of air pollutants, technological solutions, environmental justice, and international policy regulations. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 220 Exploring Atmospheric and Climate Science (1, max. 2) NSc
Focuses on current research in atmospheric and climate science and the related implications for public health, business, and environmental policy. Credit/no-credit only.
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ATMOS 290 The Weather Challenge (1, max. 8) NSc
Includes participation in a national weather forecast contest; weekly discussion on forecast models, forecasting methods, and unique considerations for specific forecast locations. Prerequisite: either ATMOS 101 or ATMOS 301. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AW.
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ATMOS 301 Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences (5) NSc
Composition and structure of the atmosphere. Clouds and weather phenomena. Thermodynamic processes. Solar and terrestrial radiation. Air motions. Daily weather discussions and forecasts. For majors and nonmajors. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 124; a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 125; a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 126; a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 121; a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 122; and a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 123. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 310 Programming for Atmospheric Data Analysis (3) NSc
Introduces students to data analysis in the atmospheric sciences using modern programming languages and techniques. Provides hands-on experience through the exploration of atmospheric datasets. Course overlaps with: CSE 163. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 321 The Science of Climate (3) NSc
Evolution and present state of earth's climate. Emphasis on physical processes determining the climate of the earth's atmosphere and surface: radiative transfer, energy balance, hydrologic cycle, and atmospheric and oceanic energy transport. Factors controlling climate change. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 124; a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 125; a minimum grade of 2.0 in MATH 126; a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 121; a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 122; and a minimum grade of 2.0 in PHYS 123. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 340 Introduction to Thermodynamics and Cloud Processes (3) NSc
Examines thermodynamics and hydrostatics. Studies cloud and precipitation processes with emphasis on the microphysics. Prerequisite: ATMOS 301. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 341 Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (3)
Comprehensive introduction to atmospheric radiation, including solar and infrared radiation, the earth's radiation budget, and remote sensing. Prerequisite: ATMOS 301. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 350 Ecological Climatology (3) NSc
Focuses on the connections between ecosystems and climate including physical, chemical and biological interactions. Investigates global scale implications and the expected response of a coupled earth system under past and future climate change. Recommended: MATH 120 or equivalent; and either PHYS 114; PHYS 115; PHYS 116, or PHYS 121; PHYS 122; PHYS 123. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 358 Fundamentals of Atmospheric Chemistry (3) NSc
Review of basic principles of physical chemistry; evolution and chemical composition of earth's atmosphere; half-life, residence and renewal time; sources, transformation, transport and sinks of gases in the troposphere; atmospheric aerosols; chemical cycles; air pollution; stratospheric chemistry. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 361 Meteorology and the Media: Broadcast and Online Weather Communication (3, max. 6) SSc
Students practice presenting with a green chroma-key screen and camera, and write a daily weather blog for publication. Discusses the history and future of media-driven meteorology. Invited speakers present, and students take field trips to a local television station and the National Weather Service. Prerequisite: ATMOS 101 or ATMOS 301.
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ATMOS 370 Atmospheric Structure and Analysis (5) NSc
Structure and evolution of extratropical cyclones, fronts, and convective systems. Surface and upper air analysis techniques. Radar and satellite data. Real-world applications of basic dynamical principles. Introduction to operational products and forecasting. Prerequisite: ATMOS 301. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 380 Weather and Climate Prediction (3) NSc
Applies weather and climate models to solve problems in atmospheric sciences. Includes visualization of atmospheric phenomena and Earth's energy and hydrologic cycles; and basics in numerical modeling and high-performance computing. Prerequisite: MATH 126; PHYS 122; and either ATMOS 101, ATMOS 111, ATMOS 211, ATMOS 301, ASTR 150, ASTR 321, or ESS 201. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 390 Honors Tutorial in Atmospheric and Climate Science (*, max. 6)
Review and discussion of selected problems in atmospheric and climate science. Introduction to research methods. Presentation of a research paper. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 431 Boundary-Layer Meteorology (3) NSc
Introduction to boundary-layer meteorology. Surface energy budgets, structure and evolution of boundary layers, and basic ideas of turbulence theory. Prerequisite: either ATMOS 340 or PHYS 224. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 441 Atmospheric Motions I (3) NSc
Basic equations governing atmospheric motions and their elementary applications; circulation and vorticity; dynamics of midlatitude disturbances. Prerequisite: either AMATH 353 or MATH 209; and MATH 224. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 442 Atmospheric Motions II (5) NSc
Wave dynamics, numerical prediction, development of midlatitude synoptic systems, and general circulation. Includes laboratory exercises. Prerequisite: ATMOS 441. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 444 Design and Application of Ensemble Prediction Systems (4) NSc
Covers the fundamental of chaos theory to help compare and contrast traditional, deterministic forecasting versus ensemble forecasting. Explores the various components of an ensemble prediction system. Introduces decision science to show how to apply probabilistic weather information in optimal decision making. Prerequisite: ATMOS 370; either STAT 390 or Q SCI 381; and AMATH 301. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 451 Instruments and Observations (4) NSc
Principles of operating instruments for measuring important atmospheric parameters (e.g., temperature, humidity, aerosol concentration). Concepts of sensitivity, accuracy, representativeness, time response. Manipulation of output data including signal processing and statistical analysis. Includes experimental design and implementation of the design in actual field experiments. Prerequisite: ATMOS 370; and either STAT 390 or Q SCI 381. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 452 Weather Forecasting and Advanced Synoptic Meteorology (5) NSc
Basic forecasting techniques. Application of numerical modeling and statistical approaches. Structure, evolution, and forecasting of convective systems. Radar applications. Diurnal and topographically-forced circulations. Aviation meteorology. Laboratories include extensive practice in forecasting and surface map analysis. Prerequisite: ATMOS 370; ATMOS 442; and either STAT 390 or Q SCI 381. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 458 Air Pollution Chemistry (4) NSc
Global atmosphere as a chemical system emphasizing physical factors and chemical processes that give rise to elevated surface ozone, particulate matter, and air toxics; international issues of air pollution transport and changing tropospheric background composition; and regulatory control strategies and challenges. Aimed at science and engineering majors. Course overlaps with: B CHEM 350. Offered: jointly with CHEM 458; A.
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ATMOS 461 Weather Communication: Media and Meteorology (1, max. 11)
Students learn to create comprehensive forecasts for the Seattle area, design graphics to communicate the forecasts, post forecasts on social media accounts, and become comfortable with public speaking and communicating complex scientific ideas to a wide audience. For students participating in the DawgCast Club. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 475 Current Research in Climate Science Seminar (3, max. 6)
Weekly lectures focusing on a particular aspect of climate from invited speakers, complemented by class discussion, readings, and final paper. Promotes interdisciplinary understanding of climate concepts. Prerequisite: either ESS 201, ATMOS 211, or ATMOS 321. Offered: jointly with ESS 475/OCEAN 475; A.
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ATMOS 480 Air-Quality Modeling (4) NSc
Evaluation of air-quality models relating air pollution emissions to environmental concentrations. Emphasis on models used for air pollution permits. Emphasizes current problems. Prerequisite: MATH 125. Offered: jointly with CEE 480; W.
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ATMOS 487 Fundamentals of Climate Change (3)
Examines Earth's climate system; distribution of temperature, precipitation, wind ice, salinity, and ocean currents; fundamental processes determining Earth's climate; energy and constituent transport mechanisms; climate sensitivity; natural climate variability on interannual to decadal time scales; global climate models; predicting future climate. Prerequisite: ATMOS 321.
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ATMOS 490 Current Weather Analysis (1, max. 6) NSc
Reviews and analyzes current weather situations and forecasts. Promotes active discussion between the leader and attendees, and provides exposure to practical aspects of forecasting, the structure of synoptic and local weather phenomena, and applications of basic meteorological concepts. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 492 Readings in Meteorology or Climatology (*, max. 15)
Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 495 EarthGames Studio (2-6, max. 15)
Students work in teams to create their own video games or interactive digital experience relating to climate change or other pressing environmental issues. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 497 Undergraduate Internship (1-5, max. 30)
Internship experience with a public agency or private company, supervised and approved by a faculty member. Requires preparation of a professional report reflecting on the experience. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 498 Honors Synthesis and Communication (1-5, max. 6)
Students synthesize prior knowledge and experience gained through hands-on, applied work with academic research or off campus internship experience under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students refine their writing skills and practice their presentation skills by conveying information orally and visually by making a formal presentation. Prerequisite: ATMOS 497 or ATMOS 499; recommended: internship or research experience. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 499 Undergraduate Independent Research (1-5, max. 30)
Individual research supervised by a faculty member. May involve laboratory work, fieldwork, or surveys. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 501 Fundamentals of Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere (5)
Fundamentals of hydrostatics, thermodynamics, radiation, cloud physics, and atmospheric chemistry. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 502 Introduction to Synoptic Meteorology (3)
Overview of weather systems; atmospheric observations and data assimilation. Elementary manual and computer-aided synoptic analysis techniques. Interpretation of satellite and ground-based observations. Kinematics. Fronts and frontogenesis; life cycles of extratropical cyclones; related mesoscale phenomena. Numerical weather prediction; interpretation of forecast products. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 503 Atmospheric Motions I (3)
Basic equations governing atmospheric motions and their elementary applications; circulation and vorticity; dynamics of midlatitude disturbances. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 504 Atmospheric Motions II (5)
Wave dynamics, numerical prediction, development of midlatitude synoptic systems, and general circulation. Prerequisite: ATMOS 441 or ATMOS 503. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 505 Introduction to Fluid Dynamics (4)
Eulerian equations for mass-motion; Navier-Stokes equation for viscous fluids, stress-strain relations; Kelvin's theorem, vortex dynamics; potential flows, flows with high-low Reynolds numbers; boundary layers, surface gravity waves; sound waves, and linear instability theory. Prerequisite: either a course in partial differential equations or permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with AMATH 505/OCEAN 511; A.
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ATMOS 508 Geochemical Cycles (4)
Descriptive, quantitative aspects of earth as biogeochemical system. Study of equilibria, transport processes, chemical kinetics, biological processes; their application to carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, phosphorus, other elemental cycles. Stability of biogeochemical systems; nature of human perturbations of their dynamics. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with CHEM 523/OCEAN 523.
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ATMOS 509 Geophysical Fluid Dynamics I (4)
Dynamics of rotating stratified fluid flow in the atmosphere/ocean and laboratory analogues. Equations of state, compressibility, Boussinesq approximation. Geostrophic balance, Rossby number. Poincare, Kelvin, Rossby waves, geostrophic adjustment. Ekman layers. Continuously stratified dynamics: Inertia-gravity waves, potential vorticity, quasigeostrophy. Prerequisite: ATMOS 505/OCEAN 511/AMATH 505. Offered: jointly with OCEAN 512; W.
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ATMOS 510 Physics of Ice (3)
Structure of the water molecule. Crystallographic structures of ice. Electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties of ice. Growth of ice from vapor and liquid phases. Offered: jointly with ESS 531.
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ATMOS 511 Snow and Ice on the Earth's Surface (3)
Snow and ice climatology. Formation of the ice crystals in clouds. Snow metamorphism. Transfer of radiative, sensible, and latent heat at snow and ice surfaces. Remote sensing of snow and ice. Growth and melt of sea ice. Climatic records from ice. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with ESS 532.
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ATMOS 512 Dynamics of Snow and Ice Masses (3)
Rheology of snow and ice. Sliding and processes at glacier beds. Thermal regime and motion of seasonal snow, glaciers, and ice sheets. Avalanches and glacier surges. Deformation and drift of sea ice. Response of natural ice masses to change in climate. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with ESS 533.
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ATMOS 514 Ice and Climate (3)
Examines the role of ice and snow in climate. Polar climate dynamics. Polar-global interactions. Modeling snow cover, sea ice, and ice-sheet balance, and flow in the climate system. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with ESS 535.
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ATMOS 519 Scientific Writing and Graphics (2)
Covers principles of scientific writing; methods of ensuring clarity in writing for scientific journals and research proposals; principles of graph construction; and authorship, peer review, and citations. For graduate students in Earth-science related fields. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: jointly with ESS 519/OCEAN 518.
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ATMOS 520 Atmospheric Sciences Colloquium (1, max. 24)
Seminars on current research in advanced topics related to atmospheric sciences, conducted by faculty and visiting professors/scientists. Includes presentation of doctoral dissertations by department graduate students. For Atmospheric Sciences graduate students only. Prerequisite: permission of department. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 521 Seminar in Atmospheric and Climate Dynamics (*, max. 24)
Directed at current research in the subject. For advanced students. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSp.
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ATMOS 523 Seminar in Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry (*, max. 24)
Directed at current research in the subject. For advanced students. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AW.
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ATMOS 524 Seminar in Climate Dynamics and Energy Transfer (*, max. 24)
Directed at current research in the subject. For advanced students. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 532 Atmospheric Radiation: Introductory (3)
Fundamentals of radiative transfer; absorption and scattering by atmospheric gases; elementary applications to constraints on the thermal structure, photochemistry, and remote sensing. Prerequisite: PHYS 225 or permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 533 Atmospheric Radiation: Advanced (3)
Optical properties and particle absorption and scattering; solutions of radiative transfer equation in multiple scattering atmospheres; applications to atmospheric and surface energy balance and remote sensing. Prerequisite: ATMOS 532 or permission of instructor.
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ATMOS 534 Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere and Climate System (3)
Satellite systems for sensing the atmosphere and climate system. Recovery of atmospheric and surface information from satellite radiance measurements. Applications to research. Prerequisite: ATMOS 532 or ATMOS 533.
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ATMOS 535 Cloud Microphysics and Dynamics (3)
Basic concepts of cloud microphysics, water continuity in clouds, cloud dynamics, and cloud models. Prerequisite: ATMOS 501 or permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with ESS 573; Sp.
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ATMOS 536 Mesoscale Storm Structure and Dynamics (3)
Techniques of observing storm structure and dynamics by radar and aircraft, observed structures of precipitating cloud systems, comparison of observed structures with cloud models. Prerequisite: either ATMOS 535/ESS 573, ATMOS 504, OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509, or permission of instructor.
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ATMOS 542 Synoptic and Mesoscale Dynamics (3)
Quasi-geostrophic theory, baroclinic instability, symmetric instability, tropical disturbances, frontogenesis, orographic disturbances, convective storms. Prerequisite: OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509 and AMATH 402 (or equivalents). Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 544 Design and Application of Ensemble Prediction Systems (4)
Covers the fundamental of chaos theory to help compare and contrast traditional, deterministic forecasting versus ensemble forecasting. Explores the various components of an ensemble prediction system. Introduces decision science to show how to apply probabilistic weather information in optimal decision making. Prerequisite: either ATMOS 501; ATMOS 502; and ATMOS 552, or permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 545 General Circulation of Atmosphere (3)
Requirements of the global angular momentum, heat, mass, and energy budgets upon atmospheric motions as deduced from observations. Study of the physical processes through which these budgets are satisfied. Prerequisite: OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509 or permission of instructor. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 547 Boundary Layer Meteorology (3)
Turbulence, turbulent fluxes, averaging. Convection and shear instability. Monin-Obukhov similarity theory, surface roughness. Wind profiles. Organized large eddies. Energy fluxes at ocean and land surfaces, diurnal cycle. Convective and stably stratified boundary layers. Cloud-topped boundary layers. Remote sensing. Boundary layer modeling and parameterization. Prerequisite: ATMOS 505/AMATH 505/OCEAN 511.
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ATMOS 551 Atmospheric Structure and Analysis I: Synoptic Scale Systems (4)
Extratropical cyclones and cyclogenesis. Jet streams. Upper waves in the westerlies. Diagnosis of vertical motions. Fronts and frontogenesis. Prerequisite: ATMOS 502 and OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509.
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ATMOS 552 Objective Analysis (3)
Review of objective analysis techniques commonly applied to atmospheric problems; examples from the meteorological literature and class projects. Superposed epoch analysis, cross-spectrum analysis, filtering, eigenvector analysis, and optimum interpolation techniques. Offered: W.
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ATMOS 554 Paleoclimate Proxies (3)
Provides a critical evaluation of the most commonly applied paleoclimate proxies from the ocean, land, and ice sheets. Offered: jointly with ESS 554/OCEAN 554.
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ATMOS 555 Planetary Atmospheres (3)
Problems of origin, evolution, and structure of planetary atmospheres, emphasizing elements common to all; roles of radiation, chemistry, and dynamical processes; new results on the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and other solar system objects in the context of comparative planetology. Offered: jointly with ASTR 555/ESS 581.
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ATMOS 556 Planetary-Scale Dynamics (3)
Zonally symmetric circulations, planetary waves, equatorial waves, dynamics of the middle atmosphere, trace constituent transport, nonlinear aspects of atmospheric flows. Prerequisite: ATMOS 542 or permission of instructor.
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ATMOS 558 Atmospheric Chemistry (3)
Photochemistry of urban, rural, and marine tropospheric air, and of the natural and perturbed ozone in the middle atmosphere. Unity of the chemistries in these apparently different regimes. Prerequisite: either ATMOS 458/CHEM 458, ATMOS 501, CHEM 457, or permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.
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ATMOS 559 Climate Modeling (3)
Principles of Earth system modeling. Emphasis on atmosphere, ocean sea ice, and land-surface components. Climate forcing. Appropriate use of models. Topics of current interest including carbon cycle, atmosphere chemistry, and biogeochemistry. Prerequisite: either ESS 587/ATMOS 587/OCEAN 587, ATMOS 504, or ATMOS 505/AMATH 505/OCEAN 511. Offered: jointly with ESS 559/OCEAN 558.
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ATMOS 560 Atmosphere/Ocean Interactions (3)
Observations and theory of phenomena of the coupled atmosphere-ocean system. El Nino/Southern Oscillation; decadal tropical variability; atmospheric teleconnections; midlatitude atmosphere-ocean variability. Overview of essential ocean and atmospheric dynamics, where appropriate. Prerequisite: OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509. Offered: jointly with OCEAN 560.
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ATMOS 564 Atmospheric Aerosol and Multiphase Atmospheric Chemistry (3)
Physics and chemistry of particles and droplets in the atmosphere. Statistics of size distributions, mechanics, optics, and physical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols. Brownian motion, sedimentation, impaction, condensation, and hydroscopic growth. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
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ATMOS 565 Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling (3)
Discusses the foundations of mathematical models for atmospheric chemistry. Focuses on three-dimensional numerical models that simulate transport, chemistry, emissions, and deposition of chemical species in the atmosphere. Prerequisite: ATMOS 558.
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ATMOS 571 Advanced Physical Climatology (3)
Physical processes that determine the climate of Earth and its past and future changes. Greenhouse effect. Climate modeling. Radiative and dynamical feedback processes. Orbital parameter theory. Critical analysis of climate change predictions. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: A.
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ATMOS 575 Large Scale Dynamics of the Tropical Atmosphere (3)
Observations and underlying dynamics of large-scale tropical circulations. Factors that determine regions of large-scale persistent precipitation in the tropics, thermal forcing of atmospheric circulations by these regions, and temporal variability of the forcing and response. Prerequisite: OCEAN 512/ATMOS 509 and ATMOS 542.
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ATMOS 581 Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations (5)
Method of lines discretization. Initial and boundary value problems, including finite difference methods and spectral methods. Elliptic, parabolic, hyperbolic and dispersive equations. Stability, accuracy, and convergence theory. Prerequisite: either AMATH 352 (or equivalent), AMATH 481 (or equivalent), AMATH 569 (which may be taken concurrently), AMATH 581, AMATH 584/MATH 584, AMATH 585/MATH 585, or permission of instructor; recommended: AMATH 584/MATH 584 and AMATH 585/MATH 585. Offered: jointly with AMATH 586/MATH 586; Sp.
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ATMOS 582 Advanced Numerical Modeling of Geophysical Flows (3)
Topics of current interest including: efficient time differencing, semi-implicit and multiple time-step techniques. Semi-lagrangian schemes. Treatment of poorly resolved gradients. Flux-corrected transport. Positive definite advection schemes. Aliasing error and nonlinear instability. Wave permeable boundary conditions. Prerequisite: AMATH 586/ATMOS 581/MATH 586.
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ATMOS 585 Climate Impacts on the Pacific Northwest (4)
Knowledge of past/future patterns of climate to improve Pacific Northwest resource management. Topics include the predictability of natural/human-caused climate changes; past societal reactions to climate impacts on water, fish, forest, and coastal resources; how climate and public policies interact to affect ecosystems and society. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 585/ESS 585/SMEA 585; Sp.
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ATMOS 586 Current Research in Climate Change (2, max. 20)
Weekly lectures focusing on a particular aspect of climate (topic to change each year) from invited speakers (both UW and outside), plus one or two keynote speakers, followed by class discussion. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: jointly with ESS 586/OCEAN 586.
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ATMOS 587 Fundamentals of Climate Change (3)
Examines Earth's climate system; distribution of temperature, precipitation, wind ice, salinity, and ocean currents; fundamental processes determining Earth's climate; energy and constituent transport mechanisms; climate sensitivity; natural climate variability on interannual to decadal time scales; global climate models; predicting future climate. Offered: jointly with ESS 587/OCEAN 587.
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ATMOS 588 The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate (3)
Oceanic and terrestrial biogeochemical processes controlling atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Records of past changes in the earth's carbon cycle from geological, oceanographic, and terrestrial archives. Anthropogenic perturbations to cycles. Develop simple box models, discuss results of complex models. Offered: jointly with ESS 588/OCEAN 588; W.
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ATMOS 589 Paleoclimatology: Data, Modeling, and Theory (3)
Evidence for past changes in land and sea surface temperature, in precipitation and atmospheric dynamics, and in ocean circulation: both long and interannual timescales. Paleoclimate modeling and theory. Time series analysis and climate noise. Rapid climate change. Statistical reconstruction of interannual variability. Offered: jointly with ESS 589/OCEAN 589.
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ATMOS 591 Special Topics (1-4, max. 9)
Lecture series on topics of major importance in the atmospheric sciences. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
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ATMOS 593 Climate Science Seminar (1)
Focuses on how to communicate climate science to many different audiences through careful construction of figures and through written and oral communication. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: jointly with ESS 593/OCEAN 593; W.
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ATMOS 596 Climate Science Capstone Project ([1-5]-, max. 5)
Climate capstone directed by a mentor, may be a group effort, and may encompass curriculum development, internships, workshop organization, etc., capturing interdisciplinary aspects of climate science and effective communication of climate science. Offered: jointly with ESS 596/OCEAN 596; AWSpS.
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ATMOS 597 Directed Discussion and Presentation (1, max. 18)
Intensive discussion of reading material and short presentation of atmospheric science topics including climate, atmospheric chemistry, weather, clouds, and data science. Directed by graduate faculty research group leaders. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 600 Independent Study or Research (*-)
Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 601 Internship (1-5, max. 10)
Graduate internship under the supervision of a faculty member. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 700 Master's Thesis (*-)
Offered: AWSpS.
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ATMOS 800 Doctoral Dissertation (*-)
Offered: AWSpS.
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