• Instructor:
  • Richard Grotjahn,
  • room 231 Hoagland Hall,
  • 752-2246,
  • grotjahn'at'ucdavis.edu
  • Office Hours: TBA

• Class Meetings:
  ORIGINAL SCHEDULE
  • Lecture: T, Th 10:30 a - 11:50 a in 124 Hoagland
  • Discussion: F 2:10 p - 4:00 p in 124 Hoagland
  • Note: at present, no class scheduled Tuesday & Thursday: 4 & 6 October

• Course Goals
  • The course provides a basic introduction to tools and applications involving numerical analysis techniques. The techniques have broad applicability to the physical sciences and examples are drawn from techniques used in fluid dynamics, oceanography and meteorology.
  • Emphasis is not on mathematical theory, but upon learning the techniques.
  • Each student will write several computer programs that illustrate applications of numerical tools that are used in many fields of study.
  • Note: Some material on objective analysis, initialization, parameterization, operational forecast model design, or predictability is incorporated in the courses ATM 111 and ATM 255 and not in ATM 150.

• Text:
  • There is no text.
  • A packet of supplemental notes and diagrams will be required and will be available from the bookstore.
  • An online introduction to the Atmospheric Science computing environment is available.
  • An online graphics primer may be useful to some students.
  • The book: Fortran 90/95 for Scientists and Engineers by Stephen Chapman has been a useful fortran reference for me.
  • The book: Numerical Prediction and Dynamic Meteorology by Haltiner and Williams is a useful reference. The book's discussion of basic numerical schemes is OK. The books's discussion of parameterization schemes (not covered in this course) is quite outdated.

• Entry Level:
  • Ideally, the student should be familiar (or become familiar) with a programming language: fortran, C, or even Matlab. While the numerical techniques discussed later in the course can be solved using C or Matlab, those languages may be inefficient at doing so. Furthermore, a goal of this course is to learn how to program in Fortran, so you are encouraged to do the exercises in Fortran. Nota bene If you use C or Matlab, I may not be able to assist you with debugging your code.
  • We will make a reasonable effort to provide you with access to Atmospheric Science Group (ASGG) computers if you wish. However, we have limited funds for purchasing any software.
  • Familiarity with the basic equations of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics as studied in Atmospheric Science courses 120, 121A and 121B is helpful to provide a context. But this background is not required.

• Course Format:
  • This 4 credit course consists of 3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week.
  • The discussion period usually will be devoted to the homework topics.
  • The weekly homework assignments will often include practice at the computer as well as simple derivations.

• Evaluation:
  • Following the wishes of most students who have taken the course in the past, the grading is based mainly on the homework.
  • To facilitate discussion during lab, a 10% penalty is applied per week day that the assignment is late.
  • The homework is graded on the accuracy. For computer programs, the grading also includes the program logic. Even if you got the right answer despite an error, points are deducted for the error.
    Homework is usually turned in using a combination of hard copy (print out) and email attachments. A typical situation is:
    • Turn in:
      1. Print outs of
         • all plots,
         • character output, &
         • your program file
      2. If you are using FORTRAN, it is a great advantage to Attach to an email all listing files.
    • FORTRAN compiler options create a listing that checks bounds and cross references. The resultant file has lower case "LST" as the extension (suffix).

      
      ncargf90 -Mlist -Mbounds template.for
      where template.for is the file being compiled. list creates the listing file template.lst, while bounds should check array bounds...

      A typical (old) compiler command is illustrated below for the ncar graphics library using FORTRAN 77 on our DEC machines.
      ncargf77 -V -show xref -check bounds template.for

      where template.for is the file being compiled.

  • The contributions to the total grade are: 3/4 from the homework, 1/4 from the final exam.
  • There will not be a midterm.
  • The final is scheduled for Thursday, 15 December 2005 (8 am - 10 am). (According to the registrar.)

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