Atmospheric Sciences 460: Physics of Water in the Environment

Instructor: M. Baker
326 ATG
tel 685-3799
baker@ess.washington.edu

  1. Course Description: In this course we will examine the unique physical and chemical properties of water and the important geophysical roles water plays.
  2. Course Prerequisites: Physics 121-123 or equivalent or permission of instructor
  3. Reference Materials:
    1. Textbook: Hartmann, D. Global Physical Climatology. Academic Press.
    2. Materials on electronic reserve at OUGL. These can be accessed at www.lib.washington.edu -> Course Reserves. Search by course and then click on 'online'. A list of these materials is attached. More may be added as the course proceeds.
    3. Lecture Notes. These can be accessed at www.ess.washington.edu/People/Faculty/marcia/G460autumn01 and will be updated as the class proceeds.
    4. Figures accompanying lecture notes. These will be available to anyone who wants to copy them.
  4. Grading Policy: The course grade will be based on in-class participation, homework sets (including some home laboratory experiments), one midterm examination, one research paper and a brief presentation based on the paper. The format of the papers follows below.

References on Electronic Reserve for
Geophysics/Atmospheric Sciences/Physics 460:
Water in the Environment

  1. Dingman, S. L. (1993). Physical Hydrology, Appendix B: Water as a Substance. pp 478-490
  2. Israelachvili, J. (1995) Intermolecular and Surface Forces. Chapter 8, pp 122-127.
  3. Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs (1978). Atmospheric Science, an Introductory Survey. Chapter 2, Sections 2.1-2.7, pp 47-86
  4. Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs (1978). Atmospheric Science, an Introductory Survey. Chapter 2, Sections 2.8-end of Chapter, pp 86-107
  5. Kump, L., J. Kasting and R. Crane. (1999). The Earth System. Chapter 3: Global Energy Balance: The Greenhouse Effect.
  6. Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs (1978). Atmospheric Science, an Introductory Survey. Chapter 4, Section 4.1 pp 143-158: Atmospheric Aerosol
  7. Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs (1978). Atmospheric Science, an Introductory Survey. Chapter 4, Sections 4.2-4.4, pp 158-181: Warm Clouds
  8. Wallace, J. M. and P. V. Hobbs (1978). Atmospheric Science, an Introductory Survey. Chapter 4, Section 4.5, pp 181-199: Cold Clouds
  9. Dingman, S. L. (1993). Physical Hydrology, Chapter 6: Water in Soils: Infiltration and Redistribution.
  10. Denny, M. W. (1993). Air and Water, Chapter 12: Surface Tension: The Energy of the Interface.
  11. Paterson, W. S. B. (1994): The Physics of Glaciers. Chapter 3. Glaciers.
  12. Martini, I., et al. (2001): Principles of Glacial Geomorphology and Geology. Chapter 7. Glacier Sliding.

  1. Research Paper Each student will write and present a 5 - 7 page paper in the form of a research proposal. Each student will choose a topic and discuss it with me by the middle of November. A one page abstract, summarizing your proposal and listing your reference materials, is due from each student 11/20. Students can work together on these proposals, but each student must turn in an independently written paper.
    The paper must consist of the following:
    • Summary of the proposed project.
      This must be stated in the form of a very specific question.
      Examples might be: 'How has the annual water budget of the State of Washington changed over the past century?' or 'How do fish survive in water below 0 C?' or 'Will contaminated water from Hanford reach the Columbia River?'
    • Justification of the choice of topic.
      Why is the answer to this question important? Include at least two references to previous work on this question and explain why there is still a need for further research.
    • Proposed research methods
      Will you make measurements in the field? Of what variables, for how long? What data will you collect? Will you need laboratory experiments? Will you develop a new computer program or use an existing program? Your methods must be clear and realistic. For example: 'I will obtain records from the National Weather Service on daily rainfall over the State of Washington over the 20th century.' is appropriate, while 'I will measure rainfall in a few places.' is too vague. It should be clear that (as in the case of many proposals) you won't actually do this work; the point here is to be able to formulate a realizable proposal.
    • Form of your results
      Will you produce graphs showing one variable against another? Will you calculate some quantity and compare it to a measurement? Will you develop a new instrument?
      (Again, you will not actually be expected to obtain these results, but you should think about what would be possible and desirable.)

The papers will be due the last day of class, and each student or group will give a brief presentation on the proposal during the last week of class.

  1. Approximate Course Schedule

Week, Date Unit Topics Reading Assignment
I, 10/2 Introduction Geophysical Roles of Water: The Hydrological Cycle II H pp 1-15, and 115-124
II, 10/9     The Water Molecule and Hydrogen Bonds Dingman, Appendix B and Israelachvili, 122-128
III, 10/16     Thermodynamics of Water WH pp 47-51 and 61-67; WH pp 87-104
IV, 10/23 The Atmosphere Water Vapor and the Greenhouse Effect Kump pp 35-55 and H Chapter 2
V, 10/30     Clouds and Precipitation WH 4.2-4.4, pp 158-181
WH 4.5, pp 181-199
VI, 11/6 Midterm
The Oceans		 Composition of Ocean Water H 7.1-7.6, pp 171-197
VII, 11/13     Oceans, Ice and Climate H Ch 8, pp 204-228
VIII, 11/20 Abstracts for Papers Due
The Lithosphere		 Water in Soils, Geysers and Volcanoes Dingman, Ch. 6 pp 210-224
IX, 11/27 The Cryosphere Glaciers and Glacier Movement Paterson, Chapter 3 and
Martini, Chapter 7
X, 12/4 Presentation of research papers