EASC2404: Introduction to the Atmosphere and Hydrosphere

This course explores the fundamental roles of the atmosphere and hydrosphere in Earth’s systems and their critical importance for sustaining life. We’ll examine how human activities impact these spheres and work towards developing sustainable solutions. By focusing on real-world environmental issues, you’ll gain the knowledge and practical tools needed to make informed decisions and contribute meaningfully to environmental challenges.

Course Goals

• To provide students with a basic understanding of the physical properties of the atmosphere and hydrosphere
• To introduce students to the processes that govern the behavior of the atmosphere and hydrosphere
• To explore the interactions between the atmosphere and hydrosphere
• To provide students with an understanding of the applications of atmospheric and oceanic sciences to meteorology and planetary science
• To emphasize the importance of understanding the atmosphere and hydrosphere in the context of Earth’s environment
• To highlight the role of atmospheric and oceanic sciences in addressing global environmental issues, such as climate change and pollution
• To promote the need for sustainable solutions to minimize the adverse effects of human activities on the atmosphere and hydrosphere

Class Structure

• There will be two lectures and/or one practice sessions per week (Thurs pm)
• Students are expected (not required) to read the lecture notes and download the Jupyter notebooks for the corresponding lecture notes prior to attending class
• Each lecture begins with a quick review (~5 min) and proceed to the topic of the day. Lecture time will be mostly devoted to explain the tech details covered in the lecture notes, so reading the lecture prior to class helps you to think and ask questions
• At the end of every lecture, students may be asked to turn in their lecture (Jupyter) notebooks with the in-class practices filled in. In the second half of the course, each student will have the opportunity to present a practice solution to the class with data analysis skills (depending on the course schedule), but will be informed of their assignment ahead of time. In-class practice notebooks will count toward 10% of the final grade as a part of assignment.
• There will be a programming assignment every week, due BEFORE CLASS one week from the assignment. Assignments will count for 60% of the grade (approximately 5 points per assignment)
• Help with assignments and the solutions before assignment due will be available through either the lecturer or the TA by appointment
• The final exam will count for 40% of the total grade

Class Expectations

• Lecture attendance is strongly recommended and weekly homework assignments are mandatory as is the final project/exam
• Homework will not be accepted late
• You may consult any online resources to help you solve your problem as well as your fellow students. This is encouraged. But do NOT copy verbatim what you find there. You must re-work anything through your own brain and in your own words and style or you will not learn how to program. Copying programs does not help you learn and in fact it is “cheating”. Cheating will be reported to the authorities and will result in unpleasantness all around
• The best way to learn how to program is to attend the lecture, do the practice problems and assignments and attend the discussion section where your TA can help

Honor Code

You need to follow the following Honor Code to HKU’s standard of academic integrity:

• You are encouraged to work together with your classmates on homework assignments, but your answers to homework, quizzes, and exams must be your own work in your own word. You are required to give credit to your collaborators for their ideas, descriptions, codes, etc.
• You may not share your solutions to homework, quizzes, or exams with anyone else unless explicitly permitted by the instructor. This includes anything written by you, as well as any official solutions provided by the instructor and the TA
• You may not engage in any other activities that will dishonestly improve your results or dishonestly improve the results of others

Definitions of Plagiarism:

• Plagiarism is when you copy ideas, words, codes, or other materials from sources without giving credit (reference). Plagiarism is unacceptable in any academic environment, and is a serious violation of the Honor Code
• If one of your homework assignment is identified as plagiarism, you will get an “F” for that homework assignment. If more than two of your homework assignments are identified as plagiarism, you will get 0% for your homework grade, which results in an “F” for the whole course

Course Topics and Schedule