Atmospheric Science

This course aims to provide a thorough understanding of the physical processes that control the Earth's atmosphere. It covers the following topics: atmospheric energy balance, thermodynamics, dynamics, and general circulation; tropical and mid-latitude weather producing systems; weather and climate extreme events (e.g. heat-waves, drought, and floods) in Africa; climate variability and change; atmospheric boundary layer turbulence, chemistry, and pollution. The lectures are complemented with field measurements and laboratory practicals to demonstrate basic data analysis techniques employed in atmospheric sciences.

DP requirements: Satisfactory completion of practicals and all written assignments, including essays, project reports and class tests.

Assessment: Essays and tests count 20%; project reports and practicals count 20%; one 3-hour examination in November counts 60% (subminimum of 40% required).

The University of Cape Town awards credits based on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to determine course and contact hour recommendations per course. 1 NQF credit represents roughly 10 notional hours of work which includes study time, assignments and examinations. Notional hours may very per courses depending on the course level and modality therefore, CEA recommends using NQF credits as a basis to determine U.S. equivalencies (1 NQF=.222 semester credits)