Atmospheric Science
The interdisciplinary minor in Atmospheric Science consists of 18-19 semester hours and prepares students for graduate study and professional careers in meteorology, climate science, atmospheric chemistry and air quality.
For course information, visit the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Job opportunities and career options in the atmospheric sciences are very diverse, including:
- broadcast meteorology
- renewable energy siting and forecasting
- seasonal climate forecasting
- climate modeling
- air quality forecasting and monitoring
- instrumentation specialist
While pursuing a minor in atmospheric science, several research opportunities exist, including:
- Regional weather modeling
- Air pollution effects on plants
- Aerosol monitoring and chemical analysis
- Synoptic climatology, orographic precipitation, snow and ice, and tropical climate-glacier interactions
- Ecosystems and hydrologic cycles
- Image processing, wavelets, parallel and distributed computing and stochastic simulations
Examples of Student Research
Central Andes student researchers worked with Dr. Baker Perry and collaborators in the NSF-funded Integrated Climate Research and Education: Central Andes Precipitation Project (ICECAP) in Peru and Bolivia - icecap.appstate.edu.
AppalAir students assist faculty working to better understand air pollution formation and transport, the relationship of pollution and natural aerosol sources to a changing climate, and their impacts on regional ecosystems, weather and climate in the Southern Appalachian Mountains - appalair.appstate.edu.
During physics research, students worked with computer models to better understand the complex atmospheric dynamics in the Southern Appalachians - physics.appstate.edu/research/applied-fluids-laboratory.
Faculty Contacts
Dr. Baker Perry
Department of Geography & Planning
Office: Rankin Science West 296
Email: perrylb@appstate.edu
Phone: (828) 262-7597
Dr. Chris Thaxton
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Office: Garwood 223
Email: thaxtoncs@appstate.edu
Phone: (828) 262-6836
Image Credit: wirestock