The Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science offers graduate study leading to the Master of Professional Studies, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Coursework in atmospheric and oceanic sciences is also offered at the upper division and graduate level as a service to other campus graduate programs. The educational program is broadly based and involves many applications of the mathematical, physical and applied sciences that characterize modern atmospheric sciences and physical oceanography, including climate and earth system science, and multidisciplinary studies of the interrelationship among the atmosphere, the oceans, the land, and the biota. The Department's advanced degree programs are designed to prepare students for participation in contemporary research in the atmospheric and oceanic science. Research specializations include: atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, physical oceanography, air pollution, atmospheric radiative transfer, remote sensing of the atmosphere, ocean, and land, climate variability and change, data assimilation, numerical weather prediction, severe storms, surface-atmosphere, ocean-atmosphere and biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and earth system modeling. The curriculum includes a set of Core courses to provide a fundamental background in atmospheric and oceanic dynamics, physical meteorology and atmospheric chemistry, earth system science and climate, as well as advanced specialized courses. Supervised research using state-of-the-art facilities then prepares the students for future contributions in their chosen field.
Our understanding of the physical properties of the ocean and its connection to the atmosphere has undergone a revolution in recent decades. Driving forces behind this revolution include massive increases in the data available from satellite-based instruments, as well as insights resulting from increasingly effective computer simulation. Deployment of Acoustic Doppler Current ProfilerOne consequence of the scientific revolution in our field has been an increasing appreciation of the interconnections between the ocean circulation, cryospheric and ocean bio-geochemical processes, and climate. Ocean-related research in this department primarily concerns improving understanding of these interconnections.Department projects include extensive studies of remotely sensed observations, tropical climate interactions, a major effort to develop and apply methods of data assimilation to reconstruct the changing climate of the oceans as well as the overlying atmosphere.
