Geography 520: CLIMATOLOGY

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Geography 520 CLIMATOLOGY
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• Instructor Dr. Jialin Lin
• Assistant Professor in Geography
• Before joining OSU, was a Research Scientist in
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  (NOAA)
• Working on global climate modeling and global
  climate change
• TA
• Bria Youderian

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Syllabus

• Course information and website
• Objectives
• Grading and policies
• Accommodations for students with disabilities
• Advice
• Lecture Schedule
• Some climate-related websites

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Atmospheric Sciences at a Glance
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The mission of the atmospheric sciences is to
understand and predict weather, climate, and
related disasters
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Some basic concepts

• Atmosphere A mixture of gas molecules,
  microscopically small particles of solid and
  liquid, and falling precipitation
• Meteorology The study of the atmosphere and the
  processes that form weather
• Weather The state of the atmosphere at a given
  time and place
• Climate The statistical properties of the
  atmosphere. (i.e. averages and variability)

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Weather-related Disasters Tropical
Cyclones(Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones)
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Weather-related Disasters Tropical
Cyclones(Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones)
Global distribution of the paths of major
tropical cyclones during the last 150 years. On
average, 80 per year around the world. U.S.
Fatalities normal year 21, Katrina 1836
U.S. Property loss normal
year 5400 million, Katrina 84000 million
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Weather-related Disasters Tornadoes
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Weather-related Disasters Tornadoes

U.S. Annual mean fatalities 56, annual
mean loss 777 million
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Weather-related Disasters Winter Storms
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Weather-related Disasters Winter Storms

U.S. Annual mean fatalities 57,
annual mean loss 329 million
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Weather-related Disasters Floods
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Weather-related Disasters Floods

U.S. Annual mean fatalities 8, annual
mean loss 5300 million
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Weather-related Disasters Extreme Heat

Annual mean fatalities 282, annual
mean loss 85 million
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Weather-related Disasters Extreme Cold

Annual mean fatalities 292, annual
mean loss 368 million
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Weather-related Disasters Lightning

Annual mean fatalities 69, annual mean
loss 38 million
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Weather-related Disasters Hail Storms

Annual mean fatalities 1, annual mean
loss 938 million
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Summary Weather-related Disasters in US
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Movie time! How do the scientists understand and
predict weather and climate?
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Climate-related Disasters over the world Example
1 El Nino
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Climate-related Disasters over the world Example
2 Global Warming
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Global warming is a critical issue we are facing
right now
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Summary

• Atmosphere A mixture of gas molecules,
  microscopically small particles of solid and
  liquid, and falling precipitation
• Meteorology The study of the atmosphere and the
  processes that form weather
• Weather The state of the atmosphere at a given
  time and place
• Climate The statistical properties of the
  atmosphere. (i.e. averages and variability)
• Weather- and climate-related disasters tropical
  cyclones, tornados, floods, droughts, winter
  storms, extreme heat, extreme cold, lightning, El
  Nino, global warming