Understanding Weather
Understanding the weather
On this page
What you will study Entry Regulations If you have a disability Study materials Teaching and assessment Future availability Students also studied How to register Student reviews Distance learning
This course provides an introduction to weather patterns and events around the world, explaining the main drivers that determine the weather on a seasonal and daily basis. You’ll explore how the professional weather forecasts for your area have been made and how reliable they are likely to be. Understanding the weather is one of a series of short, five month 10-credit courses introducing fascinating topics in science. You can try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses.
Register for the course
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06 Apr 2013 See description Choose country above
April 2013 is the final start date for this course. For more information, see Future availability.
What you will study
The weather arises from physical processes within the atmosphere as it responds to the rotation of the Earth and the heating effect of the Sun. In this course you will discover how these processes determine the weather, how they vary depending on location and time of the year and the extent to which they can be forecast. You will also consider some of the ways in which typical variations in the weather and extreme weather events affect a wide range of human activities.
Scientific concepts relating to temperature, humidity, air pressure, air density, clouds, precipitation and wind will be explained and you will see how many factors operate together in the atmosphere to produce various types of weather system. This in turn will give you a better understanding of the information conveyed by weather maps. You will also learn about the ways in which meteorological data, including surface and upper-air measurements as well as
On this page
What you will study Entry Regulations If you have a disability Study materials Teaching and assessment Future availability Students also studied How to register Student reviews Distance learning
This course provides an introduction to weather patterns and events around the world, explaining the main drivers that determine the weather on a seasonal and daily basis. You’ll explore how the professional weather forecasts for your area have been made and how reliable they are likely to be. Understanding the weather is one of a series of short, five month 10-credit courses introducing fascinating topics in science. You can try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses.
Register for the course
Choose country to update fee:
Start End Fee Register
06 Apr 2013 See description Choose country above
April 2013 is the final start date for this course. For more information, see Future availability.
What you will study
The weather arises from physical processes within the atmosphere as it responds to the rotation of the Earth and the heating effect of the Sun. In this course you will discover how these processes determine the weather, how they vary depending on location and time of the year and the extent to which they can be forecast. You will also consider some of the ways in which typical variations in the weather and extreme weather events affect a wide range of human activities.
Scientific concepts relating to temperature, humidity, air pressure, air density, clouds, precipitation and wind will be explained and you will see how many factors operate together in the atmosphere to produce various types of weather system. This in turn will give you a better understanding of the information conveyed by weather maps. You will also learn about the ways in which meteorological data, including surface and upper-air measurements as well as