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701-1258-00L 3 Credits MSC D-USYS , D-ERDW
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Global Atmospheric Circulation and Climate

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Robert Jnglin Wills
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:38:37

Abstract

This course covers the general circulation of the atmosphere and its role in climate. This includes the phenomenology and mechanistic underpinnings of the Hadley circulation, jet stream, storm tracks, monsoons, El Niño, teleconnections, and cloud feedbacks. Fundamental concepts are introduced and then applied to understand circulation changes due to climate variability and greenhouse gas forcing.

Objective

At the end of the course, students should be able to: - explain the reasons for the existence and extent of the global atmospheric circulation - identify and describe phenomena of the large-scale circulation in the troposphere and its coupling with the ocean, the stratosphere, and clouds - apply the dynamical mechanisms and theoretical concepts learned in the course to predict how the global circulation will respond to changes in greenhouse gasses and other perturbations

Content

Hadley circulation, trade winds, jet stream, storm tracks, Rossby wave propagation, monsoons, stratosphere-troposphere coupling, Eliassen-Palm flux, global ocean circulation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, tropical convection, cloud regimes, climate sensitivity, cloud and radiative feedbacks

Resources

Lecture Notes

Lecture notes, Powerpoint slides, and some additional material will be provided.

Literature

Course material will be drawn primarily from the following literature: - Vallis, G., 2019. Essentials of Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781107588431 (available to read online through ETH Library) - Wallace, J., Battisti, D., Thompson, D., & Hartmann, D., 2023. The Atmospheric General Circulation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108563857 (available to read online through ETH Library) - Held, I. M., and GFD/2000 Fellows, 2000. The General Circulation of the Atmosphere. Proceedings of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Program in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, https://gfd.whoi.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2018/03/lectures2000_21464.pdf . - Siebesma, A., Bony, S., Jakob, C., & Stevens, B. (Eds.), 2020. Clouds and Climate: Climate Science's Greatest Challenge. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781107447738 (available to read online through ETH Library)

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
Take-home problem sets (3): Graded primarily on completion.In-class presentation: Takes place on April 25th or May 2nd (12:15-14:00). If there are 20 students or less, this will be an individual 10-minute presentation. If there are more than 20 students, this will be a 15-minute presentation in groups of 2 or more.Final written exam (90 minute): Takes place in class on May 30th; no auxiliary material allowed.Grading: Final exam (50%), in-class presentation (20%), problem sets (30%)

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Global Atmospheric Circulation and Climate
Additional course times for student presentations: 25.04 12:15-14:00 and 02.05 12:15-14:00
  • Thu 10:15-12:00 (HG D 5.2)
  • 25.04 Date 12:15-14:00 (HG G 26.1)
  • 02.05 Date 12:15-14:00 (HG G 26.1)
2 h weekly

Offered In