This course investigates the聽main processes that control weather and climate in the western United States and other mountain ranges around the world. You are provided with an advanced survey of synoptic, mesoscale, and microscale meteorology in complex terrain including orographically modified cyclone evolution, front-mountain interactions, terrain and thermally driven flows, mountain waves, downslope winds, and orographic precipitation.

Learning Objectives

  • Recognize and define the major terms that apply to meteorology, and in particular, mountain meteorology;聽
  • Acquire a scientific understanding of atmospheric processes related to mountain meteorology and聽identify the processes by observing the atmosphere or analyzing observational and numerical modeling data;
  • Explain the characteristics in temperature of a stable and unstable atmosphere and how these characteristics affect cloud and precipitation formation; use operational profiles and cloud/smoke observations to determine the stability of the atmosphere; and synthesize the knowledge of atmospheric stability to make a prediction of cloud and precipitation development and smoke dispersion;
  • Describe major wind systems in mountains and how they evolve; differentiate wind systems depending on topography and larger-scale weather; and create a conceptual model of wind systems for a given location;聽
  • Explain the physical processes that form rain, snow, hail, and freezing rain; identify precipitation types on weather radar data;聽and link dynamical and thermodynamic processes to construct cloud and precipitation patterns;
  • Formulate a conceptual model of how atmospheric processes in mountains might change with a changing climate and compare your own conceptual models with climate predictions;
  • Acquire knowledge of state-of-the-art research questions, observational techniques, and challenges related to multi-scale numerical modeling.

In this course, you will

  • Be given a聽broad overview of mountain weather and climate;聽
  • Investigate how mountains help to control the weather and climate throughout the western United States and other places around the world;聽
  • Answer the following questions:
    • What causes the snow in the Rocky Mountains to be "the greatest snow on earth"?
    • How can the best places for paragliding and windsurfing be determined?
    • Can clouds be used to estimate winds and stability over nearby mountain peaks?
    • How do the Great Salt Lake and the Great Lakes interact with the local terrain to develop lake-effect snowstorms?聽