GEOG657: Climate Dynamics [Fall 2025]

This class explores the modern interdisciplinary study of Earth’s climate system, integrating the atmosphere, ocean, ice, and land surface. Students will gain an understanding of the physical processes that interact to shape our climate. Key topics include radiative transfer, dynamic meteorology, physical oceanography, hydrology, paleoclimatology. Through this course, students will learn about past climate variations, analyze observations for past and present climates, and develop/use computer models to simulate the climate system. The course emphasizes a global perspective on the physical interactions within the climate system. GEOG657 is graduate level, so the course will incorporate advanced practice of the material through coding simple climate models, critical reading and discussion of journal articles, and derivation of math equations.

GEOG453-653: Meteorological Analysis I [Fall 2025]

This class is about the forecasting and analysis of weather, mostly kept conceptual and to expose you to many different tools, mathematical equations, event types, etc. We will learn how to analyze current weather from a variety of observations, and we will learn how to best predict future weather from numerical models. This is a required course for Meteorology and Climate Science folks, and it will prepare you for Atmospheric Dynamics and Meteorological Analysis II.

GEOG452-652: Seminar in Climatology [Spring 2025]

GEOG452-652 is discussion-based course, focusing on the general theoretical and practical considerations of climatology research. Specifically, the course examines the key principles behind dominant modes of climate variability and forecasting on timescales beyond weather (greater than 10-day lead). Students are expected to read materials before class and participate in in-class discussions. Assignments will include writing short reports reflecting on journal article and science blog readings, making climate forecasts, and a final literature review presentation on a topic of their choice.