Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

Academic Year: 
2019-20
Affiliated Departments: 
Geosciences
Address: 
Sayre Hall, Forrestal Campus
Phone: 
609-258-6677
Website: 
Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Program offerings: 
Ph.D.
Director of Graduate Studies
Stephan Fueglistaler
Graduate Program Administrator
Anna Valerio

Overview

The Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) offers graduate study under the sponsorship of the Department of Geosciences. The Princeton AOS graduate program emphasizes theoretical studies and numerical model studies of the global climate system, and applicants are expected to have a strong background in natural sciences and mathematics.

The AOS program benefits from the research capabilities of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many GFDL scientists are active in the AOS program as lecturers, and major supercomputer resources within GFDL are accessible to students for their research. The Department of Geosciences, with its activities in physical and chemical oceanography, paleoclimatology and atmospheric sciences, collaborates with GFDL in providing a comprehensive program of courses and seminars.

The flexible graduate program offers students opportunities for research and courses in a wide range of disciplines, including geophysical fluid dynamics, atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, biogeochemistry of the land and ocean, atmospheric modeling, ocean modeling, climate dynamics, global climate change and paleo-climate. Through the Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) Program at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Princeton Environmental Institute, students can explore climate- and air pollution-related policy.

Applying

Application Deadline: 
December 31 - 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time
Program Length: 
4 years
Application Fee: 
$90
Application Requirements: 
Statement of Academic Purpose
Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Recommendation Letters
Transcripts
Fall Semester Grades
Required Tests
English Language Tests
GRE : 
General Test required, Subject Test optional
Additional Departmental Requirements: 

Optional: Applicants may submit a statement with their application, briefly describing how their academic interests, background, or life experiences would advance Princeton’s commitment to diversity within the Graduate School and to training individuals in an increasingly diverse society.

Ph.D.

Ph.D. Requirements: 
Courses:

Upon entering the program, students are advised by their adviser, or the graduate work committee until they select an adviser from the program faculty. The plan of study is flexible and is tailored to the needs of the individual, but during the first two years it normally concentrates on course work and independent preparation for the general examination.  A student must take a minimum of seven courses during the first two years to prepare for the general examination. 

General Exam:

The general examination is normally administered in the spring of the second year. It probes the student’s knowledge of basic fluid dynamics, physics, and chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans and certain specialty areas through written examinations and a research seminar presentation. The purpose of the one hour-long research seminar is to demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and analyze a research problem.

Qualifying for the M.A.:

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully completes a minimum of seven courses and passes the written portion of the general examination.  It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that these requirements have been met.

Teaching:

Students are encouraged to teach as an assistant in instruction (AI) for one or two semesters during their time at Princeton, but it is not required. Teaching normally comes after the general examination, in the third and fourth years in the program.

Dissertation and FPO:

When students pass the general examination, they then pursue research for the Ph.D. thesis. This may or may not be a continuation of the research that was used as the basis for a student's general examination seminar. Students who enter the program with a background in atmospheric and oceanic sciences are encouraged to finish their thesis at the end of their fourth year in the program. Each thesis must be approved by the student's faculty adviser (1st reader) and a second faculty member (as the 2nd reader). Students defend their thesis at the final public oral examination. Final acceptance of the dissertation is conditional on passing this examination.

The dissertation must show that a candidate has technical mastery in the chosen field and is capable of independent research. The dissertation is expected to be a positive contribution that is of publishable quality. The final public oral examination is a broad examination in the field of study.

Faculty

Director

Stephan A. Fueglistaler 

Executive Committee

Thomas L. Delworth
Leo J. Donner
Stephan A. Fueglistaler
Stephen T. Garner
Stephen Griffies
Robert W. Hallberg
Isaac M. Held
Larry W. Horowitz
Sonya A. Legg
Yi Ming, Geosciences
Venkatachalam Ramaswamy
Laure Resplandy
Jorge L. Sarmiento
Gabriel A. Vecchi
Rong Zhang

Courses

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

AOS 522 Inverse Methods: Theory and Applications (also
GEO 522
) Course treats inverse problems from both theoretical and applied perspectives. Students learn to develop the necessary theory to pose, interpret, and solve inverse problems, focusing on topics including error characterization, linear and non-linear methods, approximations, Kalman filters, use of prior constraints, and observing system design. Concepts are illustrated with examples from the current literature on the Earth's carbon cycle.
AOS 523 Water in the Atmosphere Despite the paramount importance of atmospheric water vapour for climate, our understanding of the processes that regulate its distribution and changes within a changing climate remains incomplete. This course analyses observations and discusses theoretical approaches, both basic concepts and novel ideas, to the problem. Course is for graduate students with a background in atmospheric and/or oceanic sciences, and students are encouraged to provide contributions from their own research experiences that are related to the course topic.
AOS 527 Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (also
GEO 527
) The structure and composition of terrestrial atmospheres. The fundamental aspects of electromagnetic radiation, absorption and emission by atmospheric gases, optical extinction by particles, the roles of atmospheric species in the Earth's radiative energy balance, the perturbation of climate due to natural and anthropogenic causes, and satellite observations of climate systems are also studied.
AOS 537 Atmospheric Chemistry (also
GEO 537
) Natural gas phase and heterogeneous chemistry in the troposphere and stratosphere, with a focus on elementary chemical kinetics; photolysis processes; oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen chemistry; transport of atmospheric trace species; tropospheric hydrocarbon chemistry and stratospheric halogen chemistry; stratospheric ozone destruction; local and regional air pollution, and chemistry-climate interactions are studied.
AOS 547 Atmospheric Thermodynamics and Convection The thermodynamics of water-air systems. The course gives an overview of atmospheric energy sources and sinks. Planetary boundary layers, closure theories for atmospheric turbulence, cumulus convection, interactions between cumulus convection and large-scale atmospheric flows, cloud-convection-radiation interactions and their role in the climate system, and parameterization of boundary layers and convection in atmospheric general circulation models are also studied.
AOS 571 Introduction to Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Physical principles fundamental to the theoretical, observational, and experimental study of the atmosphere and oceans; the equations of motion for rotating fluids; hydrostatic and Boussinesq approximations; circulation theorem; and conservation of potential vorticity; scale analysis, geostrophic wind, thermal wind, quasigeostrophic system; and geophysical boundary layers.
AOS 572 Atmospheric and Oceanic Wave Dynamics Observational evidence of atmospheric and oceanic waves; laboratory simulation. Surface and internal gravity waves; dispersion characteristics; kinetic energy spectrum; critical layer; forced resonance; and instabilities. Planetary waves: scale analysis; physical description of planetary wave propagation; reflections; normal modes in a closed basin. Large-scale baroclinic and barotropic instabilities, Eady and Charney models for baroclinic instability, and energy transfer.
AOS 573 Physical Oceanography Response of the ocean to transient and steady winds and buoyancy forcing. A hierarchy of models from simple analytical to realistic numerical models is used to study the role of the waves, convection, instabilities, and other physical processes in the circulation of the oceans.
AOS 575 Numerical Prediction of the Atmosphere and Ocean Barotropic and multilevel dynamic models; coordinate systems and boundary conditions; finite difference equations and their energetics; spectral methods; water vapor and its condensation processes; orography, cumulus convection, subgrid-scale transfer, and boundary layer processes; meteorological and oceanographic data assimilation; dynamic initialization; verification and predictability; and probabilistic forecasts.
AOS 576 Current Topics in Dynamic Meteorology (also
APC 576
) An introduction to topics of current interest in the dynamics of large-scale atmospheric flow. Possible topics include wave-mean flow interaction and nonacceleration theorems, critical levels, quasigeostrophic instabilities, topographically and thermally forced stationary waves, theories for stratospheric sudden warmings and the quasi-biennial oscillation of the equatorial stratosphere, and quasi-geostrophic turbulence.
AOS 577 Climate of the Earth: Present, Past and Future (also
GEO 577
) An examination of various components of the Earth's climate system. Emphasis is placed on the role of radiative processes, climate feedbacks and sensitivity, and the nature of energy and water balances. The dynamics and physical interpretation of principal tropospheric circulation systems, including stationary and transient phenomena observed in middle and low latitudes, are studied. Phenomena of topical interest, such as El Niño, seasonal climate anomalies, and natural and anthropogenic climate changes, are also reviewed.
AOS 578 Chemical Oceanography (also
GEO 578
) The chemical composition of the oceans and the nature of the physical and chemical processes governing this composition in the past and the present. The cycles of major and minor oceanic constituents, including interactions with the biosphere, and at the ocean-atmosphere and ocean-sediment interfaces.
AOS 580 Graduate Seminar in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Each week, students read one research paper and discuss with faculty. The instructor provides additional information such as the historical context, motivation of research, and impact on the field. The papers selected differ from year to year, with a semester's papers organized around either: a collection of "great papers" that are seminal in the field of AOS; a collection of recent high impact papers; and papers discussing a specific topic. The detailed analysis of the research papers also helps students familiarize with the process of distilling essential results for publication.
CEE 593 Aerosol Chemistry and Physics (also
AOS 593
) This course focuses on ground-based and satellite observations of aerosol particles and their impacts on climate through modeling studies. Course material includes satellite and ground-based measurements of aerosol particles, mathematical formulation of transport, and numerical models of aerosol distribution. It studies how aerosols impact climate change through direct and indirect effects including cloud-aerosol interactions.
GEO 503 Responsible Conduct of Research in Geosciences (Half-Term) (also
AOS 503
) Course educates Geosciences and AOS students in the responsible conduct of research using case studies appropriate to these disciplines. This discussion-based course focuses on issues related to the use of scientific data, publication practices and responsible authorship, peer review, research misconduct, conflicts of interest, the role of mentors & mentees, issues encountered in collaborative research and the role of scientists in society. Successful completion is based on attendance, reading, and active participation in class discussions. Course satisfies University requirement for RCR training.
MAE 563 Instabilities in Fluids: Linear and Non-Linear Analysis of Waves and Patterns in the Environment (also
AOS 563
) This course describes natural patterns arising from instabilities in nature, and discusses their importance in the environment. We analyze phenomena at various scales, as diverse as wave breaking at the ocean surface, internal mixing in the atmosphere and the ocean, volcanic plumes, convection cells in the atmosphere, the break-up of fluid ligaments or bubble bursting at an interface. The course details mathematical tools (linear and non-linear stability analysis, symmetry arguments, solitons to non-linear equations such as shocks and solitions), as well as present laboratory and numerical demonstration of the instabilities.