AOS 801: Radiation and Energy in the Climate System

Instructor: 
Tristan L'Ecuyer
Office Hours: 
TBD
Course Overview: 

This course focuses on recent progress and current challenges in quantifying radiative and energetic processes in the climate system. Through a combination of overview lectures, reviews of seminal papers, and class projects, students will gain familiarity with foundational research into the key factors governing the principal flows of energy in the Earth-atmosphere system.  Topics include: energy balance and heat transport, radiative forcing, radiative-convective equilibrium, climate thermodynamics, climate sensitivity, and feedbacks.  Prior completion of ATM OCN 640 “Radiation in the Atmosphere and Ocean” is strongly recommended.