Welcoming
Remarks to M.Sc. Students
Thursday,
16th September, 2004.
Prof
Peter Lynch
Seminar
Room
Department
of Mathematical Physics
Science
Lecture Block
University
College Dublin
Belfield,
Dublin 4.
Welcome.
It is my great pleasure to
welcome you all here UCD, for the start of a meteorological adventure. This is
the first time that a university course devoted exclusively to meteorology has
been presented in Ireland, so you are making history!
Meteorology, the study of
the atmosphere, has been an active area of science for several thousand years.
But interest in meteorology has never been keener than it is today. The primary
reason for this is the perceived threat
of significant changes in
the Earth’s climate. Some learned people have described this as the greatest
threat facing humanity today.
The weather has an impact
on almost all areas of our lives. Some people are
interested in the weather
conditions for their holidays, others are concerned with the “going”, the state
of the ground in Epsom Downs, and others still have more serious preoccupations
about whether they will have a home tomorrow. The recent hurricanes in the
Caribbean area have caused widespread devastation, many lives have been lost
and hundreds of millions of dollars have been lost due to damage. Weather is a
serious business.
So, it is vital for us to
understand the dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean
in order to anticipate
extreme events, and to prevent catastrophic changes in the climate. This
Masters Course is an important step in the development of atmospheric science
in Ireland.
Background.
Up to now, there has been a
serious deficiency in meteorological education in Ireland. I recognize that
valuable work is under way in several universities
in particular in
Experimental Physics and Geography Departments. But it is confined to just a
few areas of atmospheric physics and to climatological analysis. There is essentially no study of
atmospheric dynamics, or of synoptic or numerical weather prediction in
Ireland. In this respect, we contrast unfavourably with virtually every other
country in Europe; in most western European countries, there are Departments of
Meteorology in several universities; in the United States, about seventy
universities have major programs in atmospheric science.
The National Meteorological
Service, Met Eireann, recognized this lack
and, several years ago,
initiated discussions with several universities with a view to establishing
courses in meteorology and enhancing research in atmospheric science. The
upshot of these negotiations was that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was
signed by Met Eireann
and UCD last October. This proposed the setting up of a Centre for
Meteorology and Climate and
a Masters Course in meteorology.
It is this very course that
you are about to undertake.
The Centre and the Course
will be in the Department of Mathematical Physics. A professor has been
appointed, the Met Eireann Professor of Meteorology (yours truly) and he took
up office on 1st September. Prof Ray Bates is here as Adjunct
Professor, having recently retired as Professor of Meteorology in the
University of Copenhagen. And a Lecturer in Meteorology is expected to be
appointed shortly.
The activity here is being
undertaken in close collaboration with Met Eireann. There will be a Board of
Studies to oversee the work and Met Eireann will be represented on that Board.
We will also have available from Met Eireann real-time meteorological guidance
for weather analysis and study. Another area of collaboration with Met Eireann
is the Community Climate Change Consortium for Ireland (the C4I Project), to
model and predict climate change in Ireland.
Undergraduate modules in
meteorology will be available in a few years,
but for now the formal
lectures will be confined to the Masters programme.
In addition to the Masters
Course, we will have a programme for Ph.D. students, and we already have two
postgraduate students, Paul Nolan and
Michael Clark. It is planned to build up a cohesive programme of
research in
Meteorology and climate
modelling.
Details of the Masters
Course.
[The information below is as detailed and accurate as possible. However, various uncertainties remain, and some changes will be necessary.]
Modules
The course will be modular,
and may be taken on either a full time or part time basis. Most students have
opted for full time study.
The university operates a
semester system. The first semester runs from September 16th to December
8th, lasting 12 weeks. The second semester starts on January 10th
(over 8+4 or 9+3 weeks). Thus, there are two twelve-week semesters.
The M.Sc. lecture courses
will comprise four separate modules, two in each semester. They will cover the
following areas:
(1) Physical Meteorology (Peter
Lynch)
(2) Dynamical Meteorology (Ray Bates)
(3) Synoptic Meteorology (TBD)
(4) Numerical Meteorology (TBD)
Physical and Dynamical
Meteorology will be taught in the first semester and Synoptic and Numerical
Meteorology in the second. Part time students may
opt to take either of the
following combinations in each year:
(A) Physical in 1st Semester and Synoptic in 2nd Semester.
or
(B) Dynamic in 1st semester and Numerical in 2nd Semester.
Other combinations may not
be possible, as the Synoptic module will depend on the Physical one, and the
Numerical on the Dynamical.
For various practical
reasons, it is desirable to divide the part time students evenly between the
options, so students may not be guaranteed their preferred choice.
Timetable
Lectures will be each
morning, Monday to Thursday.
There will be a
"laboratory" session on Fridays.
The time table is as follows:
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
10am – 11am |
Dynamical Meteorology |
Physical Meteorology |
Dynamical Meteorology |
Physical Meteorology |
|
|
11am - Noon |
|
|
|
|
Laboratory Session |
|
Noon - 1 pm |
Dynamical Meteorology |
Physical Meteorology |
Dynamical Meteorology |
Physical Meteorology |
Laboratory Session |
Textbooks
The primary text for the
Dynamic meteorology module is Holton's "Introduction to Dynamic
Meteorology" (4th Edn). As of 7th September, there were ten copies of
this text (price 60 Euros). Students are REQUIRED
to have a copy of this text.
The text on which the
Physical Meteorology module is based is "Atmospheric Science: An
Introductory Survey", byJ M Wallace and P V Hobbs (not Wallace and
Gromit, but Wallace and Hobbs). This was published in 1977. As a new edition is
in preparation, and will be published next year, we are not requiring students
to purchase the first edition.
However, Those who chose to
do so will find it very useful. Notes based on preliminary material for the
second edition will be provided. A modestly-priced text covering much of the
material of the Physical Meteorology
module is "An
Introduction to Atmospheric Physics" by David G
Andrews (price about 29
Euros).
Texts for the modules in
Synoptic Meteorology and Numerical Meteorology will be given at a later stage.
Laboratory Sessions
On Friday mornings there
will be “Laboratory Sessions” of varying nature and content, generally lasting
two hours from 11am to 1pm. These will include tutorials, supplementary
lectures, assigned exercises, special seminars and student presentations. There
will be a Weekly Weather Watch, where real-time meteorological data provided by
Met Eireann will be analysed, and forecasts prepared. All students are expected
to participate in these sessions. Part time students must participate in 50%
of the Laboratory Sessions, with
students from the two alternate streams participating in alternate weeks.
Research Thesis
Students will be required
to undertake a research project over the Summer months, and to write up the
results in the form of a thesis. Thesis projects will be assigned by agreement,
and each student will report regularly to a supervisor.
More info on thesis will be
provided later.
Field Excursion
In October there will be a
Field Excursion to Valentia Observatory, the Met Eireann Geophysical
Observatory in Caherciveen, Co Kerry. The provisional date for this is Friday,
15th October. In view of the distance, it may be necessary to travel
to Kerry on Thursday, 14th and return on Saturday, 16th,
involving two overnights. There will be lectures and presentations at the
Observatory, and students will be able to witness a radiosonde launch and learn
about the geomagnetic and seismological
work in addition to the
meteorological programme of the Observatory.
All students are expected
to participate in the Field Excursion.
Students must bear their
own travel and accommodation expenses for the
Field Excursion. Further
details about it will be available soon.
Examinations
Each module will be taught
over a single semester, and will be examined at the end of the semester. Thus,
there will be two examinations in December (in Physical and in Dynamical
Meteorology) and two in May (in Synoptic and Numerical Meteorology) each year. Students
failing to obtain a pass mark in Physical or Dynamical Meteorology may re-sit
the relevant examination(s) in May. Those failing to pass the examination in
Synoptic or Numerical Meteorology may re-sit in the Autumn. Thus, students will
have two (and only two) chances to obtain a pass in each module.
The thesis will also be
assessed and a mark awarded.
The allocation of marks
will be as follows:
Physical Meteorology 100
Dynamical Meteorology 100
Synoptic Meteorology 100
Numerical Meteorology 100
Research Thesis 100
Total points 500
Honours are awarded based
on the following marking levels:
First Class Honours 70%
Second Honours, Grade 1 60%
Second Honours, Grade 2 50%
Third Class Honours 45%
Pass 40%
To be eligible for award of
an M.Sc., students must obtain a pass grade (40%) in each of the four
modules and also for the thesis.
Concluding Remarks
We are embarking on a new
venture in meteorology in Ireland, one that holds great promise for the future.
I hope you find it a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Its ultimate success
depends very much on your efforts. Of course, as it is a new course, various
adjustments and modifications will be necessary as we proceed. All the modules
to be presented have been newly designed and we all have much to learn as we
work through the year. Also, the “Laboratory Sessions” are very experimental in
nature. So, I ask for your understanding and tolerance if unforeseen changes in
the programme cause any difficulty or confusion. I am sure that we can all work
together to make the course a success, and I wish you all the very best of luck and sincerely hope you
enjoy the year.