Note: This is the 2018–2019 eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or .
Program Requirements
The Department offers an intensive, one-year program in theoretical and applied meteorology to B.Sc. or B.Eng. graduates of suitable standing in physics, applied mathematics or other appropriate disciplines, leading to a Diploma in Meteorology. The program is designed for students with little or no previous background in meteorology who wish to direct their experience to atmospheric or environmental applications, or who need to fulfil academic prerequisites in meteorology to qualify for employment. For further information, consult the Administrative Officer, Burnside Hall, Room 946.
An exemption of up to 6 credits may be allowed for courses already taken. Students granted such exemptions are required to add complementary courses from an approved list to maintain a total credit count of 30 completed at McGill.
Required Courses (15 credits)
-
ATOC 512 Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Introduction to the fluid dynamics of large-scale flows of the atmosphere and oceans. Stratification of atmosphere and oceans. Equations of state, thermodynamics and momentum. Kinematics, circulation, and vorticity. Hydrostatic and quasi-geostrophic flows. Brief introduction to wave motions, flow over topography, Ekman boundary layers, turbulence.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Bartello, Peter (Fall)
-
ATOC 521 Cloud Physics (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Review of dry and moist atmospheric thermodynamics concepts. Atmospheric aerosols, nucleation of water and ice. Formation and growth of cloud droplets and ice crystals. Initiation of precipitation. Severe storms and hail. Weather modification. Numerical cloud models.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Zuend, Andreas (Winter)
-
ATOC 531 Dynamics of Current Climates (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : The general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. Atmospheric and oceanic general circulation models. Observations and models of the El Niño and Southern Oscillation phenomena.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Merlis, Timothy (Fall)
-
ATOC 540 Synoptic Meteorology 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Analysis of current meteorological data. Description of a geostrophic, hydrostatic atmosphere. Ageostrophic circulations and hydrostatic instabilities. Kinematic and thermodynamic methods of computing vertical motions. Tropical and extratropical condensation rates. Barotropic and equivalent barotropic atmospheres.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Atallah, Eyad Hashem (Fall)
-
ATOC 541 Synoptic Meteorology 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Analysis of current meteorological data. Quasi-geostrophic theory, including the omega equation, as it relates to extratropical cyclone and anticyclone development. Frontogenesis and frontal circulations in the lower and upper troposphere. Cumulus convection and its relationship to tropical and extratropical circulations. Diagnostic case study work.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Atallah, Eyad Hashem (Winter)
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
6 credits selected from the courses below.
* Students take either ATOC 519 or CHEM 519.
-
ATOC 309 Weather Radars and Satellites (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Basic notions of radiative transfer and applications of satellite and radar data to mesoscale and synoptic-scale systems are discussed. Emphasis will be put on the contribution of remote sensing to atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Fabry, Frederic (Winter)
Winter
3 hours lecture
Prerequisite: ATOC 215
-
ATOC 315 Thermodynamics and Convection (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Buoyancy, stability, and vertical oscillations. Dry and moist adiabatic processes. Resulting dry and precipitating convective circulations from the small scale to the global scale. Mesoscale precipitation systems from the cell to convective complexes. Severe convection, downbursts, mesocyclones.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Yau, Man K (Fall)
-
ATOC 519 Advances in Chemistry of Atmosphere (3 credits) *
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Selected areas of atmospheric chemistry from field and laboratory to theoretical modelling are examined. The principles of atmospheric reactions (gas, liquid and heterogeneous phases in aerosols and clouds) and issues related to chemical global change will be explored.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Ariya, Parisa A (Winter)
Prerequisites: CHEM 243, and CHEM 263 or CHEM 213 and CHEM 273, MATH 222 and MATH 315 (or equivalents) or permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking ATOC 419, ATOC 619, CHEM 419, CHEM 519 or CHEM 619.
Winter
3 hours lecture
Offered in odd years. Students should register in CHEM 519 in even years.
-
CHEM 519 Advances in Chemistry of Atmosphere (3 credits) *
Overview
Chemistry : Selected areas of atmospheric chemistry from field and laboratory to theoretical modelling are examined. The principles of atmospheric reactions (gas, liquid and heterogeneous phases in aerosols and clouds) and issues related to chemical global change will be explored.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Ariya, Parisa A (Winter)
Prerequisites: CHEM 243, CHEM 213 and CHEM 273, MATH 222 and MATH 315 (or equivalents) or permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken or are taking CHEM 419, CHEM 619, ATOC 419, ATOC 519 or ATOC 619.
Winter
3 lectures
Offered in even years. Students should register in ATOC 519 in odd years.
9 credits ordinarily selected from:
* Students take either PHYS 432 or MATH 555.
-
ATOC 513 Waves and Stability (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Linear theory of waves in rotating and stratified media. Geostrophic adjustment and model initialization. Wave propagation in slowly varying media. Mountain waves; waves in shear flows. Barotropic, baroclinic, symmetric, and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Wave-mean flow interaction. Equatorially trapped waves.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Straub, David N (Winter)
-
ATOC 515 Turbulence in Atmosphere and Oceans (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Application of statistical and semi-empirical methods to the study of geophysical turbulence. Reynolds' equations, dimensional analysis, and similarity. The surface and planetary boundary layers. Oceanic mixed layer. Theories of isotropic two- and three- dimensional turbulence: energy and enstrophy inertial ranges. Beta turbulence.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
-
ATOC 525 Atmospheric Radiation (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Solar and terrestrial radiation. Interactions of molecules, aerosols, clouds, and precipitation with radiation of various wavelengths. Radiative transfer through the clear and cloudy atmosphere. Radiation budgets. Satellite and ground-based measurements. Climate implications.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Huang, Yi (Fall)
-
ATOC 530 Paleoclimate Dynamics (3 credits)
Overview
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Introduction to the components of the climate system. Review of paleoclimates. Physical processes and models of climate and climate change.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Winter
3 hours lecture
Prerequisite (Undergraduate): MATH 315, or permission of instructor
-
MATH 317 Numerical Analysis (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Error analysis. Numerical solutions of equations by iteration. Interpolation. Numerical differentiation and integration. Introduction to numerical solutions of differential equations.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Bartello, Peter (Fall)
-
MATH 319 Introduction to Partial Differential Equations (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : First order equations, geometric theory; second order equations, classification; Laplace, wave and heat equations, Sturm-Liouville theory, Fourier series, boundary and initial value problems.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Lin, Jessica (Winter)
-
MATH 555 Fluid Dynamics (4 credits) *
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Kinematics. Dynamics of general fluids. Inviscid fluids, Navier-Stokes equations. Exact solutions of Navier-Stokes equations. Low and high Reynolds number flow.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Bartello, Peter (Winter)
-
PHYS 331 Topics in Classical Mechanics (3 credits)
Overview
Physics : Forced and damped oscillators, Newtonian mechanics in three dimensions, rotational motion, Lagrangian mechanics, small vibrations, normal modes. Introduction to Hamiltonian mechanics.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Caron-Huot, Simon (Winter)
-
PHYS 340 Majors Electricity and Magnetism (3 credits)
Overview
Physics : The electrostatic field and scalar potential. Dielectric properties of matter. Energy in the electrostatic field. Methods for solving problems in electrostatics. The magnetic field. Induction and inductance. Energy in the magnetic field. Magnetic properties of matter. Maxwell's equations. The dipole approximation.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Rutledge, Robert (Fall)
-
PHYS 342 Majors Electromagnetic Waves (3 credits)
Overview
Physics : Maxwell's equations. The wave equation. The electromagnetic wave, reflection, refraction, polarization. Guided waves. Transmission lines and wave guides. Vector potential. Radiation. The elemental dipole; the half-wave dipole; vertical dipole; folded dipoles; Yagi antennas. Accelerating charged particles.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Gervais, Guillaume (Winter)
-
PHYS 432 Physics of Fluids (3 credits) *
Overview
Physics : The physical properties of fluids. The kinematics and dynamics of flow. The effects of viscosity and turbulence. Applications of fluid mechanics in biophysics, geophysics and engineering.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Jeon, Sang Yong (Winter)
Faculty of Science—2018-2019 (last updated Aug. 22, 2018) (disclaimer)
