- Equations of Motion. Balanced motions.
- Hydrostatic equation. Thermal Wind.
- Continuity equation. Divergence. Vorticity.
- Air mass classification. Weather fronts.
- Cyclones and anticyclones.
- Surface and upper air weather charts.
- Extreme weather phenomena.
- Introduction. Mathematical introduction to physics. Measurements and units.
- Statics. Forces.
- Kinematics.
- Relative motion.
- Rigid body dynamics.
- Work. Energy.
- Many-body dynamics.
- Dynamics of solids.
- Oscillations.
- Fluid dynamics.
- Geometric optics.
- Storm physics.
- Single and multi-cell storms.
- Structure and characteristics of the storm front.
- Basic thermodynamic and dynamic atmospheric parameters for storms’ prediction.
- Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS): Definition. Conditions for development. Types and characteristics. Development stages.
- Precipitation estimation in MCS.
- Multispectral satellite-based indices for the recognition and tracking of MCSs.
- Extreme weather events: Definition, causes and frequency for development, relation to climate change.
- Overview of numerical models.
- Advances in numerical modeling.
- Coordinate systems.
- Numerical solution of the primitive equations.
- Basic methods of numerical solutions.
- Equation transformation to coordinate systems.
- Process parameterization (solar/terrestrial radiation, surface energy budget, cloud microphysics).
- Regional/mesoscale modeling.
- Initial and boundary conditions.
- Global scale modeling.
- Climate modeling.
- Model evaluation.
- General atmospheric circulation.
- Planetary energy budget. Water balance. Hydrological cycle. Carbon cycle.
- Climate categorization.
- The greenhouse gases and air particles: Sources and their role.
- The atmosphere and the climate system. Chemical and physical processes related with the balance of the four cycles (radiation balance, water vapour balance, energy balance, atmospheric motion).
- Natural variability of the atmosphere and oceans. Anthropogenic changes.
- Basic concepts. Forces. Equations of motion, energy, mass conservation and simplified forms: Incompressible, anelastic, Boussinesq approximation. Equation of state.
- Reference systems, coordinate systems. The pressure and potential temperature as vertical coordinate. Pressure gradient.
- Characteristic scales of atmospheric motions. Scale analysis. Simplified forms of the basic equations. Thermal wind. Ekman spiral.
- Vorticity, conservation of vorticity (absolute and relative). Vorticity advection.
- Long- and short-wavelength radiation.
- Air temperature and humidity.
- Surface wind.
- Vertical thermal and moisture profile of the atmosphere and static stability.
- Thermodynamic diagrams.
- Meterological charts analysis.
- Applications of satellite remote sensing in environmental studies.
- Satellite data associated with the analysis of weather charts.
- Thermodynamic structure of atmosphere. Tephigrams.
- Combined analysis of weather charts (case studies).
- Geophysical fluid scaling and approximations.
- Quasi-geostrophic dynamics.
- Vorticity conservation in geophysical flows.
- Rossby waves - Barotropic and baroclinic instability.
- Turbulence in geophysical flows.
- Boundary layers.
