Learning objectives
The Course gives the keys to understand causes and effects of main principal natural processes and phenomena. The Course contains several connected arguments: <br />
- Astronomy <br />
- Atmosphere and Hydrosphere of the Earth <br />
- The world’s climates. <br />
Course unit content
<p><strong>Astronomy.</strong> <br />
The stars. The sun, internal structure and activity. Keplero and Newton laws. <br />
The Earth rotation. Phisical effects of the Earth rotation. <br />
The Earth revolution. Solstice and Equinox. Apparent path of the sun in the sky. The period of revolution: the year. Lengths of day and night. The twilight. The analemma. <br />
The time. Local mean time and standard time. World time zones. <br />
<br />
<strong>Atmosphere and Hydrosphere of the Earth.</strong> <br />
Structure of the atmosphere. Solar radiation through the atmosphere. <br />
Air temperature. Daily and seasonal variation in air temperature. Heating and cooling of sea-surface and earth- surface. <br />
Atmospheric pressure. Cyclones and Anticyclones. The Wind. The Earth’s Wind systems. <br />
The ocean waters and their circulation. <br />
Atmospheric moisture. Clouds. Forms of precipitation. Air masses. Weather fronts. Cyclones of the middle latitude. Hurricanes and tornadoes. <br />
<br />
<strong>The world’s climates</strong>. <br />
The world’s climates. Strahler classification and Koppen classification. Climate diagrams. <br />
</p>
Bibliography
A.N. STRAHLER: "Geografia fisica", PICCIN (1984) <br />
A.N. STRAHLER: "The Earth Sciences", HARPER&ROW (1971) <br />
A. STRAHLER, A. STRAHLER: “Corso di Scienze della Terra”, ZANICHELLI (1996) <br />
T. McKNIGHT, D. HESS: “Geografia fisica. Comprendere il paesaggio”, PICCIN (2005) <br />
