Advanced Weather Forecasting (EAS 4700 – Spring ’24): Applied course focusing on weather forecasting and analysis techniques for various regions around the world. Lectures emphasize the application of student’s knowledge of atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, and computer-data analysis to forecast the development and movement of multiscale weather systems. Students participate in weekly forecast discussions; write daily forecasts that include a synoptic discussion, quantitative precipitation forecasts, and severe weather outlook for the forecast region; and lead class discussion on assigned readings.
Numerical Techniques for Weather and Climate Modeling (EAS 5555 – Spring ’24): Numerical weather predictions supply information used by the national weather service and commercial weather apps, while global climate models are being used to assess how human activity might cause, and is causing, irreversible changes to the climate system. Despite their fundamental importance to the lives and livelihoods of the billions of humans alive today, very few individuals understand how they work in sufficient detail to use them for research or operationally. This course demystifies climate and weather modeling tools and is be accessible to upper level (Junior and Senior) undergraduates as well as early-career graduate students.
Climate and Energy (EAS 1101 – Fall ’24): Most people alive today will face unprecedented challenges and opportunities at the intersection of climate change and global energy demand. These two issues are inexorably linked to each other, and to virtually all global health and development “grand challenges.” Fundamentally, this course asks how we humans, as a species, found our way into the current bottleneck of climate and energy challenges, and how we, as a society, might find solutions that guarantee future generations can enjoy a stable climate, a secure and nutritious food supply, and access to clean energy. Students learn the fundamental background that they will need to be an informed citizen on these timely and extremely important issues.
Tropical Meteorology & Climate (EAS 4860/6860 – Spring ’23): This course examines the atmospheric processes responsible for inducing variations in tropical weather and climate on daily to interannual timescales. Computer lab visualization and numerical modeling exercises will deepen student understanding of tropical meteorology, develop programming proficiency, and enhance scientific writing skills.
Prerequisites: EAS 3050 or permission of the instructor, multivariate calculus, and one semester of university physics. Atmospheric thermodynamics (EAS 3410) and atmospheric dynamics (EAS 3420) are recommended, although the latter may be taken concurrently.
Drought Research in Changing Climate (MISU Drought Seminar Series – Spring ’22): This is ECRL’s first fully online, open-access course. It is designed for early career climate scientists wishing to orient themselves in the basic concepts of drought research in a changing climate. The lectures have been edited and condensed from a PhD-level drought seminar that Dr. Toby Ault gave at Stockholm University in the spring semester of 2022. The YouTube playlist of all lectures is linked below.