Practical Meteorology and Oceanography
Undergraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 10
- Teaching semesters Spring
- Course code
- GEOF232
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
- Reading list
Course description
Objectives and Content
The course provides a practical introduction to measuring physical properties of the atmosphere and ocean, such as winds, currents, temperatures, precipitation, density and salinity. The purpose is to become familiar with current instrumentation, error sources, data handling, quality control, interpretation, and with ongoing developments in observation methods and operational observing systems. The students work individually or in small groups, which focus on a specific set of instrumentation or data. All students focus on data acquisition during a common observation period. Data are obtained from deploying instrumentation in the field, during a cruise, or from existing networks or remote-sensing instrumentation, depending on the interest of the students. In a mini-conference, equivalent to the internal mini-conference organized by the faculty for students, the students present their work to their peers and discuss the interrelation of processes in the ocean atmosphere system, and place the measurements in a wider context, including the societal relevance of such research.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
The student
- knows the measurement principles of standard atmospheric instrumentation for pressure, air temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation
- knows the measurement principles of standard oceanographic instrumentation for temperature, salinity and ocean currents
- can discuss the impact of different error sources on measurements from a given location
- can identify the main error sources and typical accuracies of atmospheric and oceanographic instrumentation
- knows the current state and properties of present operational observing systems
Skills
The studen
- can evaluate the representativeness of a weather station site for different atmospheric variables
- can acquire own measurement data, including data processing and calibration
- can interpret and discuss measurement data, relating their findings to those in the literature
- can display measurement data correctly and informatively for scientific interpretation
- can synthesize data from various sensors and locations
- can document measurement procedures and results in a jointly written report
General competence
The student
- is able to develop hypotheses and measurement strategies for field work in meteorology and oceanography
- is able to work individually and collaboratively in a group on a self-defined problem
- is able to present and discuss own measurement results in relation to processes in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system, both written and orally
ECTS Credits
10
Level of Study
Bachelor/master
Semester of Instruction
Spring, the course will only be taught if enough students enrol.
This course has a limited capacity, enrolment is based on application. For application deadline, please see this page for more information: www.uib.no/en/nt/53431/admission-courses-limited-capacity
The time of the first lecture/orientation meeting can be found in the schedule on the course website or on the Mitt UiB learning platform. It is mandatory to attend the first lecture.
Please notice that it is not possible to follow both courses GEOF232 and GEOF337 in parallel.
Required Previous Knowledge
GEOF105 or equivalent, that is basic background in Meteorology or Oceanography.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
GEOF210 or equivalent
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
None
Access to the Course
Access to the course requires admission to a programme of study at The Faculty of Science and Technology.
Teaching and learning methods
Introductory lectures (4 hours per week for 4 weeks)
Python preparation and training (2 hours per week for 4 weeks)
Planning and group meetings (2 hours per week)
Writing and presentation skills training (2 hours per week for 4 weeks)
Meteorology fieldwork (calibration, setup, maintenance, dismounting) and/or cruise
Independent group work with one group meeting per week
Final mini-conference with individual presentations
Completion of report for evaluation
Python preparation and training (2 hours per week for 4 weeks)
Planning and group meetings (2 hours per week)
Writing and presentation skills training (2 hours per week for 4 weeks)
Meteorology fieldwork (calibration, setup, maintenance, dismounting) and/or cruise
Independent group work with one group meeting per week
Final mini-conference with individual presentations
Completion of report for evaluation
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
- At least 80 % attendance at teaching sessions (lectures, python training, academic writing, training, group meetings)
- Participation in field work/cruise
Apprived mandatory activities are valid in the semester they are approved and in the following three semesters.
Forms of Assessment
Approved project report, including mini-conference presentation.
Grading Scale
Pass/ fail
Assessment Semester
Spring, only in semesters when the course is taught.
Reading List
The reading list will be available within July 1st for the autumn semester and December 1st for the spring semester.
Course Evaluation
The course will be evaluated by the students in accordance with the quality assurance system at UiB and the department.
Examination Support Material
None
Programme Committee
The Programme Committee is responsible for the content, structure and quality of the study programme and courses.