Undergraduate Required

Undergraduate Required

According to the regulation of 2021 school year

The required courses are divided into two academic tracks, the Meteorology and Climatology track and the Atmospheric Environmental Chemistry track.

Freshman 1st semester Freshman 2nd semester Sophomore 1st semester Sophomore 2nd semester Junior 1st semester Junior 2nd semester
Common Requirements
Meteorology and Climatology Requirements
Atmospheric Environmental Chemistry Requirements

Course Introduction

  • Course Name
    Instructor
    Credit
    Introduction
  • Courses offered by instructors from other departments
    -
    -
    Calculus, General Chemisry & Lab, General Physics, General courses, Liberal Education Courses and so on.
    | For more information please visit "Office of Academic Affairs, NTU" or "NTU Online Course Information".
  • Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences
    CHUN-CHIEH WU / Chien-Ming Wu / MIN-HUI LO / WEI-TING CHEN / YEN-TING HWANG
    2
    The course of "Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences" is designed to lead students to build up the basic concept of atmospheric sciences; to guide and inspire students on their interests in atmospheric sciences; and to enhance the linkage between this course and the follow-up related courses in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Through the interaction in this class, the course is expected to prepare the students for critical thinking and problem solving in atmospheric sciences.
  • Program and Scientific Computing
    WEI-TING CHEN
    2
    The research of Atmospheric Sciences frequently requires capability of programing and using computer software to carry out data analysis, graphics, and visualization. The course is designed to meet the needs of scientific computation and graphics that the students may encounter in the future when taking advanced courses or doing research, specifically for Atmospheric Sciences. The FORTRAN 90/95 programming language, as well as the Python and GrADS software, are covered. Through the classroom lectures, sample programs, and frequent hands-on exercises, the goal of this course is to foster the problem-solving capability of using programming and software tools, to establish accurate concepts on scientific programming, and to provide the students with sufficient programming experience.
  • Atmospheric Thermodynamics
    Chien-Ming Wu
    3
    The course covers fundamental thermodynamics and moist processes that are essential to atmospheric sciences.
    | Topics covered in this course are listed belows
    1. Equation of state
    2. Buoyancy temperature. Energy conservation.
    3. State variables vs. process variables. Various processes.
    4. Potential temperature. Hypsometric equation and static energy.
    5. Typhoon as a Carnot cycle, efficiency and typhoon strength.
    6. Entropy. Entropy increase and irreversible processes.
    7. Mixed layer model. Phase diagram of water.
    8. C-C equation and its application.
    9. Various temperatures and potential temperatures.
    10. Vertical profiles and moist adiabatic processes.
    11. Skew-T diagrams.
    12. Lapse-rate and stability.
    13. CAPE/CIN and thermodynamic instability.
    14. Parcel model and the typhoon intensity change under climate change.
  • Applied Mathematics (Ⅰ)
    3
    Applied Mathematics I includes Linear Algebra and Ordinary Differential Equations. It provides basic mathematical training for all science and engineering students.The contents include
    | Linear Algebra
    1. Vectors and Matrices (1.5 weeks)
    2. Matrix Algebra (1)
    3. Vector Spaces (1)
    4. Projections and Linear Transformations (1)
    5. Determinants (1)
    6. Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Singular Value Decomposition (1.5)
    | Ordinary Differential Equations
    1. First-order Single Differential Equations (1.5)
    2. Second-order Linear Differential Equations (1.5)
    3. Nonlinear Systems in Two Dimensions (1.5)
    4. Linear Systems with Constant Coefficients (2)
    5. Methods of Laplace Transform (1)
    6. Stability and Bifurcations (1.5)
  • Cloud Physics
    JEN-PING CHEN
    2
    This course introduces the physical processes that control the formation of cloud and precipitation, and relevant observational and numerical simulation techniques. The main topics include:
    ● The macro- and micro-structures of clouds
    ● Basic cloud thermodynamics
    ● The activation and nucleation processes
    ● Diffusional growth of droplets
    ● Diffusional growth and habits of ice crystals
    ● The collisional growth of raindrops
    ● The collisional growth of snow, graupel, and hailstone
    ● Remote sensing of clouds and precipitation
    ● Cloud numerical simulation
    ● Phenomena related to violent convective systems
    ● Inadvertent and intentional weather modifications
    Presentation methods include oral lectures using PowerPoint slides and demonstrations with physical experiments.
  • Atmospheric Measurement and Instrumentation
    PO-HSIUNG LIN
    3
    This course introduces the requirement on the atmospheric sciences observation first. It also gives the features of instruments and the different types of measuring standard. The surface and upper-air observations for monitoring weather and climate are described.
  • Statistics with Meteorological Applications
    MIN-HUI LO / YU-CHIAO LIANG
    2
    Data statistical analysis and artificial intelligence are essential to research and applications in atmospheric/climate sciences. Students of this course will learn step by step various theories and methods of basic data statistical analysis, which usually is applied in atmospheric sciences, including uncertainty estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. Students will also learn the basic concept of machine and deep learning and be familiar with applying neural networks to geoscience problems.
    | Class Outline
    1. Descriptive Statistics
    2. Population and sample; expectation, variance
    3. Probability; sample variance and sampling
    4. Estimation; Hypothesis testing
    5. Regression
    6. Neural network and Deep Learning
  • Atmospheric Dynamics (Ⅰ)
    CHUN-CHIEH WU
    3
    | This course contains
    0. Overview
    1. Introduction –
    The atmospheric continuum, physical dimensions, and units, scale analysis, the fundamental forces, noninertial reference frames and apparent forces, structure of the static atmosphere.
    2. The basic conservation laws –
    Total differential, the vertical form of the momentum equation in rotating coordinates, the component equations in spherical coordinates, scale analysis of the equation of motion, the continuity equation, the thermodynamic energy equation, thermodynamics of the dry atmosphere.
    3. Elementary application of the basic equations –
    The basic equation in isobaric coordinates, balanced flow, trajectories and streamlines, the thermal wind, vertical motion, surface pressure tendency.
    4. Circulation and vorticity –
    The circulation theorem, vorticity, potential vorticity, the vorticity equation, the barotropic (Rossby) potential vorticity equation, the baroclinic (Ertel) potential vorticity equation.
    5. The planetary boundary layer –
    Atmospheric turbulence, turbulent kinetic energy, planetary boundary layer momentum equations, secondary circulations and spin-down.
    6. Synoptic-scale motions I –
    Quasi-geostrophic analysis - The observed structure of extratropical circulation, the quasi-geostrophic approximation, quasi-geostrophic prediction, diagnosis of vertical motion, idealized model of a baroclinic disturbance.
  • Atmospheric Radiation
    I-I LIN
    2
    Atmospheric radiation is a fundamental component in the Earth's climate system and also the foundation for satellite remote sensing. Solar shortwave radiation and longwave radiation from the earth are the major energy source and sink in the climate system. It is important to know how short- and longwave radiation interact with atmosphere and earth surface via scattering, reflection, and absorption. This course is a fundamental course in the atmospheric physics. It is also a pre-requisite course for the climate and climate change courses.
  • Synoptic Meteorology (Ⅰ)
    MING-JEN YANG / WEI-TING CHEN
    2
    | This course contains
    1. Introduction –
    meteorological element, World Weather Watch (WWW), weather phenomena and weather maps; review of the equation of state, the hydrostatic approximation and the basic thermodynamics, coordinates.
    2. Static stability and its application on weather analysis –
    thermodynamic charts, parcel instability and layer instability, inversions and processes affecting stability, stability and weather.
    3. Kinematics and basic dynamics –
    kinematics of pressure pattern, kinematics of vorticity, divergence and deformation, basic balance dynamics, thermal wind, ageostrophic wind, vorticity equation, friction.
    4. Air mass and surface fronts –
    air mass definition, origin and transformation, definition and structures of fronts, weather phenomena, frontogenesis.
    5. Major synoptic weather types affecting Taiwan from reanalysis and satellite observations
    6. Precipitation patterns over Taiwan under different synoptic weather –
    Orographic effects; local circulation and precipitation hotspots; cloud-topped mixed layers.
    7. Transport of air pollutants over Taiwan under different synoptic weather –
    Synoptic condition of long-range pollution transport; local circulation and boundary layer processes modulating local pollution distribution.
  • Lab. of Synoptic Meteorology (Ⅰ)
    MING-JEN YANG / WEI-TING CHEN
    1
    This course aims to provide the students with hands-on experience to apply the weather data and all kinds of weather charts (e.g. surface weather chart, upper weather chart, skew-T diagram, satellite imagery, radar reflectivity graph etc.) to investigate the formation, development, and motion of weather systems, as well as to discuss the physical processes modulating specific weather phenomena.
    This course will introduce, visualize, and carry out statistical analyses on the reanalysis data and observational data over Taiwan, to understand the influence of complex topography in Taiwan on convection development and air pollution transport under different weather regime from the perspectives of data science.
  • Numerical Analysis
    MIN-HUI LO
    2
    This course will introduce common numerical methods as well as their fundamental theories in atmospheric sciences and compare the pros and cons of each method. We would carry out the course by using Python programming language, and cover below 8 topics in this course:
    ● Solving the nonlinear equations
    ● Solving a system of linear equations
    ● Curve fitting
    ● Interpolation
    ● Finite Difference
    ● Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE)
    ● Numerical integration
    ● Advection and diffusion equation
  • Applied Mathematics (Ⅱ)
    3
    In this course, we will introduce Fourier series, Fourier transform and their applications to solve wave equation, heat equation and Laplace's equation.
  • Atmospheric Dynamics (Ⅱ)
    HUNG-CHI KUO
    3
    | This course contains
    1. Waves in Atmosphere –
    wave basic, Fourier analysis, linearization, normal mode, acoustic waves, shallow water equations, reduced gravity, shallow water gravity waves, buoyancy waves, Kelvin wave, vortex Rossby waves, topographic Rossby waves, stationary topographic Rossby waves, stationary Rossby waves, dispersions, numerical dispersion, acoustic adjustment and geostrophic adjustment.
    2. Introduction to instabilities –
    inertial stability, convective stability, baroclinic instability, barotropic instability, conditional instability
    3. Introduction to general circulation –
    mass , angular momentum, energy, water vapor balance, three-cell circulation dynamics, residual circulation, non-acceleration theorem, Eulerian and Lagrangian circulation.
    4. Moist convection and tropical meteorology –
    tropical measurement, typhoon, dynamics of squall line.
    5. Introduction to NWP –
    turbulence revisited with energy cascade, stirring and mixing, predictability.
  • Synoptic Meteorology (Ⅱ)
    CHENG-KU YU
    2
    | This course contains
    1. Extratropical cyclones –
    Definition and introduction, cyclogenesis, Petterssen Eq., cyclone precipitation and rainbands and their interactions with topography
    2. Applications of hydrodynamic theories on weather analysis –
    QG equations, application of QG tendency equation, application of QG omega equation, computation and measurements of vertical motions
    3. Tropical cyclones –
    Introduction, structure, development and motion of tropical cyclones, orographic precipitation in the TC environment
  • Lab. of Synoptic Meteorology (Ⅱ)
    CHENG-KU YU
    1
    This course is offered together with the course of Synoptic Meteorology (Ⅱ). The class is divided into two parts. The first part (about one hour) is the weekly weather briefing presented by a group of 2~3 students. In the second part of the class, students are asked to practice various techniques, including Weather Integration and Nowcasting System (WINS), which is currently used in Central Weather Bureau (CWB) daily operation to analyze synoptic weather information.
  • Climatology
    YEN-TING HWANG
    3
    This course explores how and why Earth’s climate comes about. We will not only introduce what a typical weather condition is over each region on Earth, but also how and why climate, statistic of weather, varies geographically and even temporally throughout the earth’s history. To understand how climate system works, this course discuss concepts of radiative transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics, with an emphasis of providing an overview of a few physical balances that are important for shaping and maintaining the surface climate: energy balance and its role in controlling temperatures; the hydrologic cycle and its role in controlling humidity and aridity; angular momentum balance and its role in controlling winds.
  • Numerical Weather Prediction
    MING-JEN YANG
    3
    This course will first introduce the basic concepts of numerical methods, which are the key components for the class of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). Then examples of the barotropic vorticity model and primitive equation models used during the early development of the NWP will be discussed and demonstrated in class.
    | Lecture Outline
    1. Numerical approximation, finite differencing
    2. Accuracy, stability, and convergence
    3. Time-differencing
    4. Space-differencing
    5. Combined time- and space-differencing
    6. Spectral and pseudo-spectral methods
    7. Barotropic vorticity model
    8. Primitive equation models
  • Atmospheric Chemistry
    Hung, Hui-Ming
    3
    In this course, the chemical processes controlling the atmospheric composition will be introduced. The impact of human activity on the atmospheric system will be discussed based on the chemical processes.
    | Lecture Outline
    1. Introduction & Overview the Main Problems (Ch. 1, 2)
    1-a. Measures of Atmospheric Composition
    1-b. Atmospheric Pressure
    2. Simple Models (Ch. 3)
    3. Stratospheric Chemistry (Ch. 9, 10)
    3-a. Chemical Kinetics
    3-b. Stratospheric Ozone – Chapman mechanism
    3-c. Stratospheric Ozone – Polar Ozone Loss
    4. Tropospheric Chemistry (Ch. 11,12, 13, 8)
    4-a. Oxidizing Power of the Troposphere
    4-b. Oxidataion of CO and CH4
    4-c. Production of Ozone
    4-d. Ozone Pollution
    4-e. Aerosols & Acid Rain (Ch 8, 13)
    5. Geochemical Cycles (Ch 6)
    6. The Greenhouse Effect (Ch 7)
  • Atmospheric Physical Chemistry
    JEN-PING CHEN
    3
    This course focuses on the physical chemistry of atmospheric particles and mixture systems, and their roles in atmospheric processes. Prerequisites include basic knowledge on thermodynamics and cloud/aerosol physics.
    | This course contains
    1. Atmospheric particles systems –
    aerosol, cloud, effect of trace material on climate
    2. Thermodynamics of chemicals –
    free energy and chemical potential, equilibrium of mixture/binary system, phase diagram of binary systems, classical nucleation theory, supercooling and vitrification, quasi-liquid layer
    3. Thermodynamic equilibrium of aerosol particles –
    Köhler curve, deliquescence, efflorescence, hysteresis cycle, cloud drop activation, aerosol binary homogeneous nucleation, aerosol nucleation in urban and rural areas
    4. Aqueous-phase chemistry –
    basic chemical reaction and equilibrium, Henry’s equilibrium and hydrolysis, aqueous reactions, non-linear mixing of cloud water, gas-liquid mass transfer, characteristic times
    5. Ice-phase chemistry –
    liquid-ice mass transfer, entrapment, sorption, interface chemistry
    6. High-cloud physical chemistry –
    tropospheric cirrus, polar stratospheric clouds and ozone hole
    7. Atmospheric physical chemistry and atmospheric environment
  • Biogeochemistry and Climate
    Hung, Hui-Ming / Ren, Hao-Jia / Wang, Pei-Ling
    3
    This course will discuss the interaction between biosphere, chemistry and climate from presentations with some hands-on-experiments.
    | The contents of this course includes
    ● Biogeochemistry Overview
    ● Origins, Chapter 2
    ● Free Energy & Thermodynamics
    ● The Atmosphere, Chapter 3
    ● The Lithosphere, Chapter 4
    ● Carbon Cycle of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Chapter 5
    ● Biogeochemical Cycling on Land, Chapter 6
    ● Biogeochemical in Freshwater, Wetlands and Lakes, Chapter 7
    ● Rivers, Chapter 8
    ● The Oceans, Chapter 9
    ● The Global Water Cycle, Chapter 10
    ● The Global Carbon Cycle, Chapter 11
    ● The Global N and P Cycles, Chapter 12
    ● The Global S Cycle, Chapter 13