Current Courses
ESE 133: Large-Scale Atmosphere Dynamics
Spring 2012
Introduction to the global-scale fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, beginning with an analysis of classical models of instabilities in atmospheric flows and leading to currently unsolved problems. Topics include barotropic Rossby waves and barotropic instability; the quasigeostrophic two-layer model and baroclinic instability; conservation laws for wave quantities and wave-mean flow interaction theory; turbulent fluxes of heat and momentum; geostrophic turbulence; genesis of zonal jets. The course focuses on Earth’s atmosphere but treats the circulation of Earth’s atmosphere as part of a continuum of possible planetary circulations.
Past Courses
ESE 101: Earth's Atmosphere
Fall 2011
Composition of the atmosphere. Radiative transfer and the greenhouse effect. Scattering and absorption by gases, clouds, and aerosols. Feedbacks due to water vapor, clouds, ice, and vegetation. Transports of energy and momentum and their effects on the surface climate. Chemical reactions in the atmosphere affecting atmospheric ozone and air quality.
ESE/Ge 173: Topics in Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics: Cloud and Boundary Layer Dynamics
Spring 2011 (with João Teixeira)
Beginning with a phenomenological overview of classes of clouds and boundary layers, we will discuss the dominant balances and turbulent dynamics of them. We will focus on mathematical models that lend themselves to interpretation of fundamental dynamical mechanisms (e.g., growth of cloud-topped boundary layers) and to implementation in large-scale models, in which cloud and boundary layer dynamics cannot be explicitly resolved. Topics to be covered include dry boundary layers, stably stratified boundary layers, convective boundary layers, moist thermodynamics, stratocumulus boundary layers, shallow convection, deep convection.
The course is designed for students in environmental science or planetary science and for applied mathematicians or engineers seeking an introduction to the turbulent dynamics of clouds and boundary layers.
ACM/ESE 118: Methods in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis
Fall 2010
Introduction to fundamental ideas and techniques of statistical modeling, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and on the analysis of real data sets. Multiple regression: estimation, inference, model selection, model checking. Regularization of ill-posed and rank-deficient regression problems. Cross-validation. Principal component analysis. Discriminant analysis. Resampling methods and the bootstrap.
Ae 233: Hydrodynamic Stability
Laminar-stability theory as a guide to laminar-turbulent transition. Rayleigh equation, instability criteria, and response to small inviscid disturbances. Discussion of Kelvin-Helmholtz, Rayleigh-Taylor, Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities and instabilities in geophysical flows. The Orr-Sommerfeld equation, the dual role of viscosity, and boundary-layer stability. Modern concepts such as pseudomomentum conservation laws and nonlinear stability theorems for 2D and geophysical flows. Weakly nonlinear stability theory and phenomenological theories of turbulence.
ESE/Ge 153: Atmosphere and Climate Dynamics
Introduction to the basic physical balances governing atmospheric circulations and climate. Topics include the angular momentum balance of the atmosphere and how it is maintained; the energy balance, heat transport, and the nature of the atmospheric heat engine; and the hydrologic cycle. The course gives an overview of the dominant processes that govern the surface climate, with a focus on phenomenology and order-of-magnitude physics that is applicable to climates generally, including those of Earth’s distant past and of other planets.
ESE/Ge 173: Topics in Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics
A course on advanced topics in atmosphere and ocean dynamics, leading to current research problems. Topics covered vary from year to year and include geostrophic turbulence, cloud and boundary layer dynamics, principles of global planetary circulations, large-scale ocean dynamics, and tropical atmosphere dynamics.
Past Topics:
- Geophysical Turbulence (2003)
- Global Atmospheric Circulations (2004)
- Large-Scale Dynamics of the Atmosphere (2005)
- Principles of Global Planetary Circulations (2006)
- Tropical Atmosphere Dynamics (2007)
- Large-Scale Ocean Dynamics (2008)
- Principles of Planetary Circulations (2009)
ESE 200: Large-scale Dynamics of the Atmosphere
Introduction to the global-scale fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, beginning with an analysis of classical models of instabilities in atmospheric flows and leading to currently unsolved problems. We will analyze models of baroclinic instability (the instability mechanism responsible for weather variability in midlatitudes); discuss theories of large-scale waves in the atmosphere; and examine such currently unsolved problems as the modeling of the macro-turbulence of the atmosphere. The course is designed for students in environmental science and planetary science and for applied mathematicians and engineers seeking an introduction to current research topics in atmospheric dynamics.
Topics include: barotropic Rossby waves; the quasigeostrophic two-layer model (potential vorticity, baroclinic instability); wave-mean flow interaction theory (non-acceleration theorem); turbulent fluxes in the extratropical climate; geostrophic turbulence; global-scale tracer transport; Hadley cell dynamics.