Learning outcome

After completing the course, students should have the following qualifications regarding knowledge, skills, and general competence:

• General knowledge of how topography affects local climate
• Familiarity with the main local factors that affect local climate, including snow cover
• Advanced knowledge of how human modification of local environments affects the local energy, water and momentum budgets in the atmospheric boundary layer
• Ability to design and carry out projects to investigate how planned human modifications of local environments will affect the local climate
• Ability to perform advanced analyses of local climate based upon local climate data and available climatological datasets
• Ability to communicate research according to international standards
• Ability to present relevant problems and analyses to specialists and the general public
  
  

Course Description

Key themes:

• Physical basis of boundary layer climates
• Climates of vegetated and non-vegetated surfaces
• Climates of man-modified environments
• Snow cover and climate
• Topographic influence on climate
• Links between large-scale and local climates

Teaching and Learning Methods

The main topics will be covered in lectures and in seminars with student presentations. The students are required to analyze a dataset and sum up their results in an individual report where they also demonstrate their knowledge of relevant literature.

Assessment Methods

The report must be written individually and according to international style standards. There will also be a final examination (3 hours). To pass the course, both the report and examination grades must satisfy grade B or better.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean