ENSC 330 - Weather and the Atmosphere

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UDB; Sustainability
Application of physical science principles in the study of the structure and circulation of the atmosphere; weather and weather forecasting. Emphasis on current issues and topics of local and global interest.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Areas B1-B3.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Credit Restrictions: Not for Geology or Envioronmental Sciences major or minor credit.

Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground, or Hybrid, or Online-Asynchronous.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UDB- Upper Division Science Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning, Overlay - Sustainability
Cross-listed: GEOL 330
Course Typically Offered: Fall & Spring

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Explain the physical laws governing the structure and evolution of atmospheric phenomena spanning a broad range of spatial and temporal scales.
Explain the principles behind, and use of, meteorological instrumentation.
Describe, analyze and create graphical depictions of meteorological information.
Demonstrate critical and analytical skills to interpret and predict weather systems using weather products (model results, maps, satellite imagery, etc.).
Present and communicate weather analyses and forecasts in a team or individually.

UD-B. Upper-division Science Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning Learning Outcomes

demonstrate advanced and/or focused science or quantitative content knowledge in a specific scientific field, using appropriate vocabulary and referencing appropriate concepts (such as models, uncertainties, hypotheses, theories, and technologies);
apply advanced quantitative skills (such as statistics, algebraic solutions, interpretation of graphical data) to scientific problems and evaluate scientific claims;
demonstrate understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry and the experimental and empirical methodologies used in science to investigate a scientific question or issue; and
apply science content knowledge to contemporary scientific issues (e.g., global warming) and technologies (e.g., cloning), where appropriate.

Sustainability Overlay Learning Outcomes

identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, either in general or in relation to a specific problem;
analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems;
describe key threats to environmental sustainability;
explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global levels.