Instructor: Adam Clark
Office: 3014 Agronomy
Office Hours: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MWF
Phone: 294-4758
Email: clar0614@iastate.edu
Class meetings
MWF, 1:10-2:00 pm, 3128 Agronomy
Required Basic Background for the Course
• Fundamentals of classical physics (Phys 221 and Phys 222)
• Elementary Calculus (Math 165, 166, 265, and 266)
• Vector Analysis (see handout: Review of Vector Notation)
Course Objectives
• To learn the fundamentals of fluid mechanics necessary for understanding large-scale
atmospheric motions.
• To develop the quasi-geostrophic theory which is used to depict and explain large-scale
extratropical motions.
• Use Matlab to visualize and experiment with various aspects of dynamics not readily
available through analytic problem solving.
Texts
Required: An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, Fourth Edition, Holton.
Supplemental: Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey, Wallace and Hobbs
Additional supplemental material may be provided on the course webpage and/or distributed in
class when appropriate.