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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.
| 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.
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One of our research groups is working to diagnose the maximum
possible intensity of tropical cyclones such as Hurricane
Mitch, shown above.
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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.
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| Curriculum |
Follow this link to view the curriculum for Atmospheric
and Climatic Studies (ACS) |
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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