Climate Dynamics and Predictability

Academic year
2018/2019 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
Climate Dynamics and Predictability
Course code
PHD038 (AF:294861 AR:162578)
Modality
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Corso di Dottorato (D.M.45)
Educational sector code
GEO/12
Period
2nd Semester
Course year
1
Where
VENEZIA
The course will investigate the basics of climate dynamics, from the feedbacks that maintain the mean climate to phenomenology and mechanisms of the main modes of climate variability.
Furthermore, the predictability of the processes driving tropical and extra-tropical climate fluctuations will be explored and the main climate prediction tools discussed.
Basic knowledge of atmospheric and oceanic dynamics
Lesson plan
no. 1 The Climate Problem: Structure of the Atmosphere and of the Ocean
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the instructor
Peixoto Oort Chap 7 and 8; Philander Chap1 and 2

no. 2 The Climate Problem: the radiative Equilibrium, Convection and Atmospheric Moist Processes
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the lecturer; Salby Chap. 3 & 5

no. 3 Equivalent Potential Temperature, CAPE and Convective-Radiative Equilibrium
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the instructor; Salby Chap. 5

no. 4 Atmospheric Instability, Wave and Wave-CISK
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the lecturer; Salby Chap. 7

no. 5 The Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean system: air sea interactions
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the lecturer; Peixoto Oort; Philander

no. 6 The Coupled Atmosphere-Ocean system: the main modes of Climate Variability and analysis tools (e.g. EOF)
Readings Slides and notes delivered by the lecturer; Peixoto Oort

no. 7 Variability of the coupled system - the Indo-Pacific region: atmospheric and oceanic waves
Readings Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer; Philander

no. 8 Variability of the coupled system - sub-seasonal to intraseasonal time scales: the Madden-Julian Oscillation
Readings Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer.

no. 9 Variability of the coupled system – the Indo-Pacific region: The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the ENSO models
Readings Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer; Philander.

no. 10 Variability of the coupled system – the Indo-Pacific region: The Indian Ocean Dipole Mode
Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer.

no. 11 Climate Predictability and Climate Predictions
Readings Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer.

no. 12 Methodology and Tools for Climate Predictions: Seasonal Predictions and Decadal Predictions
Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer.
Required readings
S.G. Philander, El Niño, La Niña and the Southern Oscillation, Academic Press Inc., San Diego,
1990.
M.L. Salby, Fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics, Academic Press, San Diego, 1996.
Peixoto J.P, A.H Oort, Physics of Climate, American Institute of Physics, New York, 1992.
Slides, notes and papers delivered by the lecturer.
English
The course is composed of 24 teaching units of 1 hours each and grouped in 12 major topical
lectures. Attendance and daily preparation are required. The assignments are set out during the lectures.

The course may be enriched by the participation of some external lecturers (to be confirmed).
Attendance is required. Daily preparation is also required. The assignments are set out in the course syllabus. Academic honesty is an important part of university training. While students may discuss assignments with their classmates and others, they are expected to make sure any written material they submit is their own work. Students are expected to know how to cite the work of others and present a bibliography of the research texts that were used.
Participation 20%
Students are expected to play an active role in seminars and prepare the required readings in advance
Final exam 80%
Oral exam
Definitive programme.