Geography - GEOG 203

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the earth’s atmospheric system. Topics include energy, temperatures, atmospheric moisture, cloud formation, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, weather systems, weather forecasting, severe weather and global climate patterns. Discussions include global climate change and air pollution.

Prerequisites

(A requirement that must be completed before taking this course.)

Course Competencies

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Analyze the major atmospheric processes, including energy, pressure, wind, precipitation, air masses, and weather systems.
• Explain how the major atmospheric processes are linked in the atmospheric system.
• Summarize the atmospheric conditions that result in severe weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
• Analyze the spatial patterns of weather systems.
• Predict local and regional weather using fundamental meteorological principles.
• Classify the major climate regions of the world.
• Explain the possible causes for climate change.
• Explain how humans have altered the composition of the atmosphere.
• Explain how atmospheric pollution affects both the environment and human health.
• Develop global climate change policy by using the fundamentals of atmospheric processes, the global distribution of climate, and evidence of paleoclimates.

Course Schedule

Currently no sections of this class are being offered.