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701-1258-00L 3 Credits MSC D-USYS

Global Atmospheric Circulation and Climate

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

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:54

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, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, tropical convection, cloud regimes, climate sensitivity, cloud and radiative feedbacks

Resources

Lecture Notes

Lecture slides and some additional material will be provided.

Literature

Course material will be drawn primarily from the following literature: - Holton, J.R. & Hakim, G.J., 2013. An Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, 5th Edition. Elsevier: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/C2009-0-63394-8 (available to real 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) - Vallis, G., 2019. Essentials of Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781107588431 (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 (2): Meant as practice for the exam in a lower stakes setting. Collaboration with peers encouraged.In-class presentation: Takes place on 23. or 30. April (during lecture or during additional course time). If there are 16 students or less, this will be an individual 10-minute presentation. If there are more than 16 students, this will be a 12-minute presentation in groups of 2 or more. In either case, presenting on a single research paper from a provided list.Final written exam (90 minute): Takes place in class on 28. May; no auxiliary material allowed.Grading: Final exam (50%), in-class presentation (30%), problem sets (20%)

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Global Atmospheric Circulation and Climate
Additional course time for student presentations: 23. April, 12:15-14:00
  • Thu 10:15-12:00 (HG D 5.2)
  • 13.03 Date 12:15-14:00 (CHN D 48)
  • 23.04 Date 12:15-14:00 (HG E 23)
  • 13.05 Date 09:15-10:00 (CHN D 44)
2 h weekly

Offered In