Weather, Climate and Landscapes Geography 040: Fall 2010

Weather, Climate and Landscapes
Geography 040: Fall 2010
Instructor
Teaching Assistants
Professor Shelly A. Rayback. Ph.D.
Office: #213 Old Mill
Phone: 802.656.3019
Email:[email protected]
Office Hours: Wed, 1:30-4:30 pm; by appt.
David (Hank) Ainley
Owen Ozanich
Office: #220 Old Mill
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
Weather, Climate and Landscapes is an introduction to physical geography, the study of the
earth’s atmosphere, weather and climate, water resources, landforms and ecosystems. In this
course, we will explore how the atmosphere works, gain skills for interpreting the weather and
understanding controls on climate, and examine how weather and climate influence processes
that shape the surface of the earth and influence ecosystems. We will also seek to understand
how these processes affect and are affected by human activity. There are no prerequisites for
this course. This course fulfills a three credit science distribution requirement (no lab) in the
College of Arts and Sciences.
Goals of Course
1. Based on an understanding of weather factors (temperature, precipitation, pressure, etc.),
students will be able to analyze and interpret observational meteorological data to predict a
region’s weather.
2. Students will be able to synthesize weather data and other physical geographical phenomena
to interpret a region’s climate.
3. Students will be able to develop models showing the flow of energy and mass within and
between the atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere and predict outcomes based on different
starting points and disturbances within and between systems.
4. Students will be able to interpret an unfamiliar image/map/landscape and assess what
physical or biological processes might have created, modified or maintained it.
5. Students will be able to evaluate information pertaining to environmental and global climate
change and distinguish whether natural processes or anthropogenic ones are the cause of change.
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Course Format
We will meet twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30-12:45 pm in Williams 301.
To prepare for class, you should review the assigned readings prior to each class session.
Lectures will be used to introduce and reinforce fundamental concepts. In-class exercises will be
used to develop data interpretation skills and to evaluate conceptual understanding. Weekly online quizzes and periodic homework exercises provide an opportunity for you to test your
understanding. Exams will be drawn from lectures, readings, quizzes, in-class and homework
exercises.
Course Resources
Text, reading, and electronics
Alan F. Arbogast. 2007. Discovering Physical Geography. (1st edition), John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. Text is available at the UVM Bookstore (new ~$140, used ~$100) or electronically
($89) via the textbook publisher at www.wiley.com. Note that purchasing an online copy of
the text will require a credit card.
If you do purchase either an electronic version or a new textbook, you will be given a
WileyPlus registration code. This code provides you with access to additional features on the
WileyPlus website.
Please note that this additional WileyPlus access is NOT required for the course. In fact, the
publisher of our textbook maintains a companion website for the textbook at no cost to you.
This site contains many of the online resources available to students who purchase an
electronic or new copy of the text (except for the text itself). I will occasionally ask you to
use resources at the companion website and will encourage you to use the study guides
posted there. You can access the site by going to http://www.wiley.com/college/arbogast
(click on the link for Discovering Physical Geography, 1st edition/Visit the Companion
Sites/Student Companion Site).
Supplemental readings are listed on the syllabus and will be posted on Blackboard (Bb) in
pdf format.
Blackboard
Weather, Climate and Landscapes 040 will have its own course webpage on Blackboard
(https://bb.uvm.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp). Here you will find the syllabus, weekly
quizzes, copies of homework assignments, additional readings, and a grade book to track
your score in the class.
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Email
I will occasionally send you email messages via Blackboard with reminders or
announcements. If you use another email account (gmail, yahoo, etc.), please use the tool at
https://webmail.uvm.edu to forward your UVM mail to that account. You can do this at
webmail by using the tool on the left-hand frame titled “Forward Your Email to Another
Account”. If you are having trouble with this, get help at the UVM Computer Depot in the
Davis Center. At the very least, I expect you to check your Blackboard account once a week
as this is the main avenue of communication that I have with the class outside of lecture.
Please type Geography 040 in the subject line of any email correspondence with me. Please
DO NOT send messages letting me know that you were ill/won’t be in class. I do not take
attendance. If you miss a class with an in-class exercise, you cannot receive credit for it,
regardless of the reason.
Graded Work
Grades in the course will be based on on-line weekly quizzes, in-class activities, homework
exercises, and exams as follows:
Weekly on-line quizzes (10%) will be posted on Blackboard to facilitate your understanding of
the assigned readings and provide you with a regular study guide. During the first two weeks of
class, I will post one practice quiz that does not count towards your final grade. Beginning in
Week 3 (after the Add/Drop period, 9/13/10), on-line quizzes will be posted once per week in
association with the assigned readings. You must complete the on-line quiz by Tuesday morning
of each week by 8:00 am. I will drop the two lowest scores. No make-up on-line quizzes will be
given.
In-class exercises (15%) will be given regularly (roughly once per week) throughout the
semester. These are opportunities to review class material and practice concepts that will be on
homework and exams. In-class exercises should be completed entirely and turned in at the end
of class to the TAs. Students who miss class on the day of an in-class activity will not be given a
chance to make up the activity. However, your lowest two scores will be dropped, effectively
giving you one week of “sick leave” for the semester. If you miss additional exercises, you
cannot receive credit, regardless of the reason. You will not fail the class if you miss more than
two, but attending regularly and earning full-credit on the exercises is a good way to ensure a
solid grade in the course.
Homework exercises (25%) are designed to keep you current with lecture material, draw upon
material from the text and engage you in class discussions. Five homework exercises will help
you to build your skills in making basic calculations, interpreting graphs and maps and
synthesizing lecture and reading concepts. Due dates will be posted on each assignment and will
be strictly adhered to. All homework exercises will be turned into the TAs on the day they are
due IN CLASS. If you turn in your homework after class has ended, it is considered late. There
is a 10% deduction per week day that the homework is late.
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Midterm (25%) and Final (25%) exams will cover material in lecture, exercises, and readings.
Review questions will be distributed prior to each exam. The mid-term exam will be given inclass during the regularly scheduled lecture time on Thursday, October 21, 2010. The final
exam will be given on Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 1:30-4:15 pm in Williams 301. The
final exam will be comprehensive, covering material from the entire semester.
Grading Scale:
A+ (97-100) B+ (87-89)
A (94-96)
B (84-86)
A- (90-93)
B- (80-83)
C+ ( 77-79)
C (74-76)
C- (70-73)
D+ (67-69)
D (64-66)
D- (60-63)
F (below 60)
Positive Learning Environment: Our Responsibilities
1. Class attendance and participation are critical to your success in the course. You are
expected to attend all class sessions, take notes, and ask questions when material is not clear. If
you are absent, it is your responsibility to take whatever steps are necessary to acquire the
material that you have missed from a classmate. I recommend that you identify another student
in class from whom you can borrow lecture notes and visit me during office hours if you have
questions about missed material.
2. If you are a student who will miss class due to athletics or another university-sponsored
activity, please let me know by the second week of classes so that I can make a note of it.
Because material missed during absences would otherwise affect your participation and
attendance score, I encourage you to visit with me during office hours to discuss arrangements
for this component of your course grade. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to make
arrangements for missed work.
3. Please be prompt to class and plan to stay in the classroom for the entire session. I ask that
you not leave the classroom for visits to the restroom, water fountain, etc. during the lecture, as it
is distracting to the professor and other students. If you will need to leave class early, I ask that
you sit near the door and exit quietly.
4. Please refrain from conversations during lecture. If you have a question, please ask as
another student most likely has the same question.
5. Please turn off all cell phones, blackberries, iPods, iPhones, etc. Put away newspapers,
magazines, work from other classes, etc.
6. Due dates for homework exercises will be strictly adhered to. A deduction of 10% will be
assessed for each week day that an exercise is handed in late.
7. No make-up exams will be given. Exceptions to this will only be made for prearranged
absence for a university-sponsored event (see #2 above) or a documented illness or emergency
(this must be documented through your Dean’s office). No exceptions.
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8. I encourage you to take advantage of office hours if you have questions or concerns about the
lectures, readings, exercises or exams. You may drop in during office hours or schedule an
appointment.
9. No electronic devices, aside from a calculator, are permitted during exams.
10. I also have high expectations of myself as a faculty member. I will come to class on time and
prepared with interesting and informative slides, videos, exercises and discussion topics. I will
aim to have homework exercises and exams graded within a week and turned back to you. I will
be available during regularly scheduled office hours. I will treat every student with respect and
will do my best to maintain a fair and balanced learning environment.
Learning and Physical Disabilities
Students with learning and physical disabilities must let me know and provide a letter from
ACCESS if you need special exam situations or other appropriate accommodations. For your
privacy and my clarity, I ask that you talk with me during my office hours about any
accommodations requested. If you know or suspect you may have a learning disability you
should contact ACCESS for screening and advice. Contact ACCESS at 802-656-7753. They are
located at A170 Living/Learning Center on the University of Vermont Campus.
Learning Skills
UVM is fortunate to have the Learning Co-Op (www.uvm.edu/~learnco) on campus; a center
devoted to helping UVM students learn effective study and writing skills. Please take advantage
of the programs and services the Learning Co-Op has to offer. The Learning Co-Op and Writing
Center is located at 244 Commons Living/Learning Center.
Academic Integrity
Statement by the University of Vermont
The principal objective of The University of Vermont policy on academic honesty is to promote
an intellectual climate in which the procedures and sanctions that follow will be superfluous.
Academic dishonesty or an offense against academic honesty includes acts which may subvert or
compromise the integrity of the educational process at The University of Vermont. Such acts are
serious offenses, which insult the integrity of the entire academic community of the University.
Offenses Against Academic Honesty
Offenses against academic honesty are any acts which would have the effect of unfairly
promoting or enhancing one's academic standing within the entire community of learners which
includes, but is not limited to, the faculty and students of The University of Vermont. The
following is a list of some, but not all, offenses of academic dishonesty: plagiarism (submitting
someone else’s work as your own), cheating, copying another’s work, and fabricating
information or citations (Adapted from the Academic Honesty Code of Ethics, UVM, 2006). I
take academic honesty very seriously. Suspected dishonesty will be handled by the Center for
Student Ethics and Standards. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic
dishonesty, please ask.
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Schedule of topics and readings
Wk Date
Topic
1
Aug 31, 2
Introduction to course: Exploring spatial patterns across the globe
A Geographer’s Tools: Maps
2
Sept 7, 9
Earth-Sun relationships & seasons
Structure & composition of atmosphere
3
Sept 14, 16 Radiation and heat transport
Earth’s energy balance; spatial and temporal patterns in air temperature
4
Sept 21, 23 Atmospheric pressure and winds
Global circulation patterns
5
Sept 28, 30 Atmospheric moisture and global water cycle
Atmospheric stability, clouds and precipitation
6
Oct 5, 7
Air masses and cyclonic weather systems
Thunderstorms and tornadoes
7
Oct 12, 14 Tropical storms
Ocean circulation, teleconnections and climate variability
8
Oct 19, 21 Teleconnections/Exam Review
Mid-term Exam
9
Oct 26, 28 Global climates and climate variability
Changes in the atmosphere and climate
10
Nov 2, 4
Climate conundrum: pollution vs. global warming
Alpine and continental glaciation: how ice shapes the landscape
11
Nov 9, 11
Glacial types and landforms
The role of running water in shaping the landscape
12
Nov 16, 18 Evolution of valleys and floodplains
Biogeography: the spatial distribution of life on earth
13
Nov 23, 25 Thanksgiving Break
14
Nov 30, 2
Global climates and biomes
Disturbance and plant succession
15
Dec 7, 9
Biogeography and global climate change
Course Summary
16
Dec 16
Final Exam
Readings
Ch 1
Ch 2
Ch 3
Ch 4: 71-79, Ch 5: 96-99
Ch 4: 68-71, 79-91
Ch 5: 101-114
Ch 6: 120-132
Ch 6: 132-145
Ch 7: 154-171
Ch 7: 171-186
Ch 8: 190-201
Ch. 8: 201-209
Ch 8: 209-216
Ch 6: 145-149, Supplemental reading
Ch 9: 220-249
Ch 9: 249-259
Ch 17: 516-527, 496-500
Ch 17: 501-516
Ch 16: 456-474
Ch 16: 474-491
Ch 10: 264-284
Ch 9: 220-249
Ch 10: 284-285
Supplemental reading
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