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WELCOME TO FOSS WEATHER AND WATER
The FOSS Weather and Water Course focuses on Earth’s
atmosphere, weather, and water. As part of their study, students
delve into topics that may seem unrelated to weather, including
a good dose of physics and a bit of chemistry. These scientific
disciplines support many areas in the earth sciences. A good
understanding of meteorology as an earth science isn’t
complete without an introduction to concepts that cross into
the realm of physics and chemistry.
Understanding weather is more than reading a thermometer
and recording air-pressure measurements. Students need to
grapple with ideas about atoms and molecules, changes of state,
and heat transfer before they can launch into the bigger ideas
involving air masses and fronts, convection cells and winds,
and the development of severe weather.
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Earth’s atmosphere is composed of a variety of gases,
with nitrogen and oxygen the most abundant. But Earth wouldn’t
be the same if it weren’t for one keystone gas, water
vapor. When you look at the percentages, water vapor is a
relatively minor and variable component of the atmosphere.
But without water vapor and its liquid and solid forms, both
on the surface and in the atmosphere, there would be no weather.
There would be neither clouds nor precipitation. If precipitation
didn’t occur, we wouldn’t have runoff to create
the streams and rivers that erode mountains, deposit deltas,
and replenish lakes and oceans. An atmosphere without water
vapor would be an alien and hostile place. The importance
of water on Earth is a major element of this course.
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