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  Atmospheric and Climatic Studies (ACS)

Atmospheric and Climatic Studies in the Department of Geography has a history which dates back to the early 1920s. It was during this period that Professor Eugene Van Cleef, a climatologist, charter member of the American Meteorological Society, and faculty member until 1973, came to Ohio State.

Curriculum

Follow this link to view the undergraduate curriculum for Atmospheric and Climatic Studies (ACS)

Follow this link to view the graduate curriculum for Atmospheric and Climatic Studies (ACS)


Program Description

Atmospheric Sciences
The Atmospheric Sciences Program (ASP) was founded at Ohio State in 1971 and, in 1986, was incorporated into the Department of Geography with its own graduate degree programs. Our current ASP faculty specialize in the fields of polar meteorology, tropical meteorology, atmospheric dynamics, numerical modeling, synoptic meteorology, atmospheric radiation, boundary layer processes, and forecasting.

The curriculum seeks to qualify graduates for work in academia, governmental agencies, and in private sector institutions concerned with meteorological research, data analysis, and operational forecasting.

Our undergraduate program is strong and growing. Undergraduates organize and host the Ohio Severe Weather Symposium, an annual event bringing together researchers in severe weather. We also ingest and display weather data on OSU Weather, an internationally recognized source for weather data and imagery.



One of our research groups is working to diagnose the maximum possible intensity of tropical cyclones such as Hurricane Mitch, shown above.

 


Satellite images

Satellite images, such as the one above of the Quelccaya ice cap in the Andes of southern Peru, make it possible to study the advance or retreat of ice caps and glaciers, which are intricately tied to changes in the local climate.

Climatology
Eugene Van Cleef established a climatological program at Ohio State in 1921, and remained a faculty member until 1973. His emphasis on research and teaching continues to be a critical component of our climatology curriculum today.

Graduate programs emphasize quantitative skills and analytical approaches to the study of climate at a variety of time and space scales. Formal and informal studies are intended to introduce the physical basis of climatology, to provide an overall view of its various aspects, and to give more detailed knowledge of at least one of its major subfields.

Graduates of this sub-area of ACS are geographers by training and orientation and may find employment in academia within geography departments or are qualified to undertake positions in the private sector or in government departments working in areas that require a strong background in climates and climatic processes.



Curriculum

Follow this link to view the curriculum for Atmospheric and Climatic Studies (ACS)


Faculty

The following faculty members are associated with the Atmospheric and Climatic Studies area:

Regular Faculty:

Arnfield, John  (emeritus) (Boundary-layer climatology; surface radiation, energy and water budgets; urban climatology; numerical simulation of microclimatic systems)

Box, Jason (boundary layers of polar ice caps, polar climatology)

Bromwich, David H.  (Byrd Polar Research Center; polar boundary layer dynamics; polar precipitation studies)

Hobgood, Jay S. (Tropical cyclones; numerical modeling; dynamic meteorology)

Mark, Bryan (paleoclimatology, hydroclimatology, geomorphology)

Mosley-Thompson, Ellen (Paleoclimatology, with emphasis on high resolution proxy records from ice cores - including the history of volcani activity and ENSO events, and temporal changes in atmsopheric temperature, chemistry, and net accumulation)

Porinchu, David (Palaeoclimatology, climatology)

Rayner, John N. (emeritus) (Dynamic climatology, especially the large-scale numerical modeling of the atmospheric circulation; quantitative analysis of temporal and spatial series, especially by spectral techniques)

Rogers, Jeffrey C.  (Recent climatic change; climate of polar regions; synoptic climatology; mid-latitude cyclones and severe storms)

Van der Veen, Cornelis J. (Adjunct) (Byrd Polar Research Center: physical oceanography, meteorology, and numerical modeling)

Adjunct & Affiliated Faculty:

Bedford, Keith W.  (Civil Engineering)

Foster, Michael R.  (Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mechanics, and Aviation)

Gordon, Steven I.  (City and Regional Planningi Program)

Guldmann, Jean-Michel (City and Regional Planning Program)

Jezek, Kenneth C. (Geological Sciences & Byrd Polar Research Center)

Murphy, Earl F.  (Law)

Schwab, David J. (NOAA)

Thompson, Lonnie G.  (Geological Sciences & Byrd Polar Research Center)


 


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