21PHY334 PHYSICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE-

UNIT I-

Earth – Atmosphere system – Introduction, Composition and structure, Radiative equilibrium, Energy budget, General circulation, Historical perspectives, Weather & Climate

UNIT II-

Atmospheric thermodynamics – Ideal gas law, First law of thermodynamics, Atmospheric composition, Hydrostatic balance, Entropy & potential temperature, Parcel concepts, Available potential energy, Moisture in the atmosphere, Saturated adiabatic lapse rate, Tephigram, Cloud formation
Atmospheric radiation – Basic physical concepts, Radiative transfer equation, basic spectroscopy of molecules, Transmittance, Absorption by atmospheric gases, Heating rates, Greenhouse effect revisited, Simple scattering model.

UNIT III-

Basic fluid dynamics – Mass conservation, material derivative, alternative form of continuity equation, equation of state for the atmosphere, Navier-Stokes equation, Rotating frames of reference, equations of motion in coordinate form, geostrophic and hydrostatic approximation, Pressure coordinates and geopotential, Thermodynamic energy equation; Atmospheric fluid dynamics – vorticity and potential vorticity, Boussinesq approximation, Quasi-geostrophic motion, Gravity waves, Rossby waves, Boundary layers, Instability.

UNIT IV-

Stratospheric chemistry – Thermodynamics and chemical reactions, Chemical kinetics, Bimolecular reactions, Photo-dissociation, Stratospheric ozone, Transport of chemicals, Antarctic ozone hole, Atmospheric remote sounding – Observations, remote sounding from space and ground; Atmospheric modeling – Hierarchy of models, Numerical methods, Uses of complex numerical models, Lab models.

UNIT V-

Climate change – Introduction, energy balance model, some solutions of the linearised energy balance model, Climatic feedbacks, Radiative forcing due to increase in Carbon dioxide, Projects based on Modules 4 and 5 (Reading a journal paper & reproducing calculations, Numerical modeling and / or data analyses)

TEXTBOOKS/REFERENCES:

  1. Andrews DG: An introduction to atmospheric physics, 2E, CUP, 2010
  2. Salby ML: Physics of the Atmosphere and Climate, CUP, 2012
  3. Holton JR: An introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, 4E, AP, 2004
  4. Wallace JM & Hobbs PV: Atmospheric Science-An introductory Survey, 2E, AP, 2006
  5. Chandrasekar A: Basics of Atmospheric Science, PHI, 2010