Syllabus
1. Thermodynamic system in atmosphere and ocean: composition and structure of atmosphere and ocean, dry and moist air; equation of state and state variables, ideal gas, kinetic theory of the ideal gas; equation of state for the atmosphere, gas-constant, virtual temperature; equation of state for ocean; vertical structure of the atmosphere and ocean, vertical gradient of state variables
2. Main laws of thermodynamics: 0th, Ist and IInd law of thermodynamics, aplication in the atmosphere; equilibrium state in thermodynamics; dry-adiabatic processes in the atmosphere; further consequences and application in atmospheric processes
3. Thermodynamics of moist air and cloud systems: moist characteristics of the air; saturation, phase transitions; Clausius-Clapeyron equation; pseudo-adiabatic process; saturation water vapor pressure above ice, above curved surface, above solution (Raoult law); further consequences and applications in atmospheric processes (water cloud, ice cloud, …)
4. Hydrostatic equilibrium, approximation of the Earth atmosphere: gravitational force, force of Earth's gravity, geopotential; force of pressure gradient, equation of hydrostatic balance, p-system; integration of the hydrostatic equation, barometric formula, hypsometric formula; Earth's atmosphere approximation, standard atmosphere
5. Static stability of the atmosphere and ocean: potential temperature, vertical temperature gradient (lapse rate) and vertical gradient of potential temperature; stratification and vertical stability of the atmosphere, parcel method, gravity (buoyancy) waves in the atmosphere, Brunt-Vaisala frequency; convection, convective available potential energy (CAPE); thermodynamic diagrams; height of convective clouds layer method, entrainment method; stratification and vertical stability of the ocean
6. Atmosphere motion description at rotating Earth: reference frames (rectangular Cartesian and curvilinear coordinates, absolute and relative reference frame, natural coordinates, vertical coordinates); force of horizontal pressure gradient, Coriolis force; divergence, vorticity, continuity equation; streamline, trajectory, Blaton's equation; Helmholtz theorem, streamfunction, velocity potential
7. The momentum equation in the atmosphere: in Cartesian coordinates; in geographic coordinates; in natural coordinates; scale analysis of individual contributions; generalized vertical coordinate, p-system, sigma-system, theta-system; equation of motion, continuity equation and hydrostatic balance equation in the individual systems of vertical coordinate
8. Types of flow: basic classification (cyclonic vs. anticyclonic, baric vs. antibaric, Rossby number); geostrophic flow; gradient flow; cyclostrofic flow; inercial flow; Eulerian flow; ageostrophic wind components; Lamb-Gromeka form of the momentum equation, pseudo-geostrophic wind
9. Vertical structure of flow and thermobaric field: boundary layer flow; wind shear, thermal wind; pressure systems of mid-latitudes, ridge of high pressure, trough of low pressure, anticyclone, cyclone; slant of pressure systems, slope of isothermic and isobaric surfaces; barotropic, baroclinic instability; cyclogenesis, anticyclogenesis; equation of pressure tendency; equation of relative topography tendency
10. Atmospheric fronts: concept and characteristics of atmospheric front; frontal vector, kinematic and dynamic condition of frontal zone; frontogenesis, frontolysis; pressure, thermal and flow field close to the frontal zone; selected types of fronts, Margules formula for slope of the front
11. Divergence, vorticity and circulation: integral definition of divergence; nondivergent flow, divergence of selected flow types; integral definition of vorticity, absolute and relative vorticity; vorticity of selected flow types; cirkulation of flow velocity vector; cirkulation theorems of absolute and relative circulation; potential vorticity
12. Temporal changes in the atmosphere: time-tendency of meteorological parameters; vorticity equation and its approximations; vorticity equation solution, Rossby waves; divergence theorem
13. Flow and thermobaric field of synoptic scale in the atmosphere: balance equation; quasi-geostrophic concept, flow description in the beta-plane; vertical velocity in the atmosphere, (kinematic, adiabatic methods, Richardson's equation); omega-equation; Q-vector
14. Full description of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics: closed system of equations for description of the atmosphere; application in numerical weather prediction and climate modelling; implications for general circulation of the atmosphere; tropical cirkulation, meso-synoptic cirkulation, tropical cyclone; circulation in stratosphere
Annotation
Introduction to atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamic meteorology