Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Meteorology (EASC08037)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | An introduction to the physical processes occurring in the Earth's atmosphere applied to weather forecasting. |
| Course description |
20 lectures and six different practical classes over eight weeks, those with hands-on use of instruments (numbers 2 and 4) repeated over two weeks to allow smaller group sizes.
An example syllabus is below, this may vary.
Week 1: Weather observations
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Direct observations of the atmosphere
No practical class
Week 2: Weather observations
Lecture 3: Solar and terrestrial radiation
Lecture 4: Satellite observations of the atmosphere and surface
Practical 1: Radiation
Week 3: Atmospheric thermodynamics
Lecture 5: Air pressure, temperature and density
Lecture 6: Energy and phase changes
Practical 2: Observations
Week 4: Clouds
Lecture 7: Condensation of cloud droplets
Lecture 8: Cloud and fog formation
Practical 2: Observations
Week 5: Precipitation
Lecture 9: Frontal precipitation
Lecture 10: Stability and convective precipitation
Practical 3: Thermodynamic diagrams
Week 6: Atmospheric dynamics
Lecture 11: Equations of motion
Lecture 12: Pressure gradient, Coriolis and drag forces
No practical class
Week 7: Atmospheric dynamics
Lecture 13: Geostrophic and gradient wind
Lecture 14: Jet streams and synoptic-scale motion
Practical 4: Balloon tracking
Week 8: Synoptic meteorology
Lecture 15: Air masses
Lecture 16: Fronts
Practical 4: Balloon tracking
Week 9: Weather systems
Lecture 17: Cyclones and anticyclones
Lecture 18: Hurricanes and tornados
Practical 5: Isobars
Week 10: Forecasting
Lecture 19: Forecasting timescales and skill
Lecture 20: Numerical weather prediction models
Practical 6: Forecasting
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
164 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
70% exam«br /»
30% coursework«br /»
«br /»
Formative exercise: report on the radiation exercise (Learning Outcome 2)«br /»
Summative exercise 15%: report on the balloon experiment (Learning Outcomes 1 and 2)«br /»
Summative exercise 15%: weather forecast (Learning Outcomes 3 ¿ 5)«br /»
Written exam 70%: 20 MCQs and three written answers chosen from six questions in three sections (Learning Outcomes 1 ¿ 5)«br /»
|
| Feedback |
Written and in-class feedback on the coursework exercises. Online multiple-choice quizzes for self-testing of understanding. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe the vertical structure of the atmosphere, the dynamics of weather systems, and the processes of cloud and precipitation formation.
- Explain the basic physics of atmospheric processes and remote sensing.
- Interpret weather maps, satellite images and atmospheric soundings in terms of current local weather.
- Synthesize diverse numerical and graphical data to prepare weather forecasts for a range of audiences.
- Evaluate the quality of weather forecasts in comparison with observations.
|
Reading List
| Fundamentals of Weather and Climate (second edition), R. McIlveen |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
University of Edinburgh Graduate Attributes provided:
creative problem solvers and researchers
critical and reflective thinkers
skilled communicators
RMetS Professional Skills provided:
Explain the structure and composition of the atmosphere
Use a thermodynamic diagram to assess the properties and stability of the atmosphere
Compare, contrast and explain the physical principles used in conventional instruments to make surface and upper-air measurements of atmospheric parameters
Describe the range of meteorological data obtained from remote-sensing systems
Use physical and dynamical reasoning to describe and explain the formation, evolution and characteristics (including extreme or hazardous weather conditions) of convective and mesoscale phenomena
Monitor and observe the weather situation, and use real-time or historic data, including satellite and radar data, to prepare analyses and basic forecasts |
| Keywords | meteorology,weather forecasting,atmospheric science |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Richard Essery
Tel:
Email: Richard.Essery@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rebecca Steele
Tel:
Email: Rebecca.Steele@ed.ac.uk |
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