Climate and the general circulation
The course gives a physical understanding of the climate system, its natural and anthropogenically induced variation and change, as well as the general circulation of atmosphere and ocean and its relation to climate on regional to global scale.
The course gives a large-scale perspective on the climate system in terms of radiative balance and energy and momentum transport, and introduces important biogeochemical cycles; it further discusses mechanisms for natural climate variability and anthropogenically induced climate change, as well as the concepts of forcing, feedback and climate sensitivity.
The course offers the opportunity to, from the gained knowledge on climate and general circulation, discuss weather events and other topical issues, and gives practice in reading scientific literature and performing and presenting a small project.
Information for admitted students spring 2025
Congratulations! You have been admitted at Stockholm University and we hope that you will enjoy your studies with us.
In order to ensure that your studies begin as smoothly as possible we have compiled a short checklist for the beginning of the semester.
Follow the instructions on whether you have to reply to your offer or not.
universityadmissions.se
Checklist for admitted students
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Activate your university account
The first step in being able to register and gain access to all the university's IT services.
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Register at your department
Registration can be done in different ways. Read the instructions from your department below.
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Read all the information on this page
Here you will find what you need to know before your course or programme starts.
IMPORTANT
Your seat may be withdrawn if you do not register according to the instructions provided by your department.
Information from the department - courses
Welcome to your studies at the Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University.
All accepted students receive a welcome letter via email with important information for their studies.
Roll Call
At MISU, the course starts with a mandatory roll call. You will get more detailed information about the roll call via email. If you plan to start the education but for some reason cannot participate at the roll call, please contact our study counselor. Otherwise you risk losing your spot in the course. Contact information for the study counselor is listed at the bottom of this page.
Registration
If you are accepted to a course, you can register for it through your University account.
You can register online in Ladok, by logging in with the "eduID" or "Universityadmissions.se" options. Please note that you cannot log in with the option "Access through your institution".
If you have problems registering, please contact our study counselor. Contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.
Conditionally accepted
If you have been accepted with conditions then you must contact the study counselor before you can start the education. Please do this as soon as possible and well ahead of the start of the course. Contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.
On a waiting list
Have you received information that you are on a waiting list for a course? You will always be contacted by us via email if you are accepted. Generally, we do not accept anyone from the waiting list beyond 1 week into the semester.
Find your way to MISU
MISU has its own lecture rooms and all of them are in the same corridor as the rest of the department. You will get your own entry card for access to the department. MISU is located on 6th floor, building C in the Arrhenius Laboratories.
Classes during the coming semester
You can find more detailed information about each individual course via the teaching platform Athena. You will get access to each respective course page as soon as you activate your University account and have been registered for the course. If you have any questions, please contact the study counselor (contact information below).
Contact
Study counselor
Phone: 08-162418
Email: studievagledare@misu.su.se
Welcome activities
Stockholm University organises a series of welcome activities that stretch over a few weeks at the beginning of each semester. The programme is voluntary (attendance is optional) and includes Arrival Service at the airport and an Orientation Day, see more details about these events below.
Your department may also organise activities for welcoming international students. More information will be provided by your specific department.
Find your way on campus
Stockholm University's main campus is in the Frescati area, north of the city centre. While most of our departments and offices are located here, there are also campus areas in other parts of the city.
Read more
For new international students
The course gives a large-scale perspective on the climate system in terms of radiative balance and energy and momentum transport, and introduces important biogeochemical cycles; it further discusses mechanisms for natural climate variability and anthropogenically induced climate change, as well as the concepts of forcing, feedback and climate sensitivity.
The course offers the opportunity to, from the gained knowledge on climate and general circulation, discuss weather events and other topical issues, and gives practice in reading scientific literature and performing and presenting a small project.
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Course structure
The course has two parts, which together give a large-scale perspective on the climate system and general circulation.
The CLIM part deals with
- The climate system (radiation balance, greenhouse effect, radiative-convective equilibrium, clouds and radiation, surface energy balance, hydrological cycle, carbon cycle)
- General circulation (meridional energy transport, momentum balance, climate types in relation to general circulation, ocean circulation, stratospheric circulation, natural climate variability)
- Climate change (radiative forcing, feedbacks and climate sensitivity, climate models, future projections and human influence on climate)
The PROJ part of the course consists of a project, where the climate of a chosen region is studied and discussed in relation to the general circulation.
Teaching format
The course is based on lectures, calculation exercises, and project work. The calculation exercises includes basic training in Python programming. For the project part, course participants work in groups (pairs) on investigating the climate of a chosen geographical region, and relating it to the general circulation. The work is presented in a written report (individually) and an oral presentation (in groups/pairs).
Course materials
Grading criteria, course literature and other material and correspondence related to the course will be available on the course Athena site at https://athena.itslearning.com once you have registered for the course.
Assessment
A written exam is given on the CLIM part. The PROJ part is examined through written report and oral presentation.
Examiner
Here is a link to a list of course coordinators and examiners.
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Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course.You can search for schedules from previous years in TimeEdit, by entering the course code.
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Course literature
Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.
- Hartmann, D. L.: Global Physical Climatology, 2nd edition, Elsevier, 2016.
- Holton, J. R. and Hakim: An introduction to dynamic meteorology, 5th edition, International Geophysics Series, Academic Press, 2012. Print Book ISBN 9780123848666, eBook ISBN 9780123848673
- Wallace, J. M., and P. V. Hobbs, Atmospheric Science - An Introductory Survey, 2nd edition, Academic Press, 2006. Print Book ISBN 13:978-0-12-732951-2, eBook ISBN 10:0-12-732951-X. Section 5.7.
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Course reports
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Contact
Study counselor
