Course Description
Summary
Through weather, air pollution, and climate, the atmosphere impacts the health and safety of our daily lives. This ever-present influence prompts many of us to ask questions about the atmosphere from a very young age. Questions like: Why is the sky blue and a sunset red? How do clouds form? What drives the wind? We will explore all of these questions and more as we examine the fundamental chemistry and physics of our atmosphere though a scientific lens. Atmospheric data will be a central part of our investigation; both in-class discussions and assignments will involve the analysis of atmospheric data sets using discipline-appropriate techniques and the technical reporting of results. As such, students should be comfortable with mathematical and scientific notations and visuals (e.g., equations and graphs) as well as basic quantitative analyses (e.g., algebra). Students will also be expected to read and objectively summarize several articles on various atmosphere-related topics throughout the semester.
