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ATMOCN

Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Spring 2027

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

Find your next class

29 courses

Covers wind, temperature, clouds, precipitation, storm systems, air pollution, global winds, seasonal changes, and climate variability.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jonathan Martin

Multiple-choice exams required detailed knowledge of the textbook, and students noted a lack of lecture slides, review sheets, or feedback on assignments.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Weather and Climate covers wind, temperature, clouds, precipitation, storm systems, air pollution, global winds, and climate change, including map analyses and quantitative labs.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Michael Morgan

One student with a background in the field found the introductory material easy and stated that little effort was required to pass.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Intermediate theory of fluid motions for atmosphere and ocean, emphasizing large-scale applications and geophysical wave types.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Physics of the Atmosphere and Ocean II covers radiation, energy budget, and cloud physics, including scattering, absorption, emission, and diabatic heating via shortwave and longwave processes.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

AOS Senior Capstone Seminar provides synthesis and overview, culminating in a student-chosen research presentation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

A laboratory course covering local wind systems, thunderstorms, and mesoscale convection, focusing on analysis, prediction, and interpretation of satellite and radar data.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Fundamentals of Physical Oceanography introduces ocean physics and thermodynamics, covering circulation, equations of motion, Ekman transport, Sverdrup balance, thermal wind, heat/salinity/momentum budgets, waves, and tides.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Climatological Analysis covers mathematical and statistical tools for investigating climatological problems and treating climatological data.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introduction to radiation covering basic laws, radiative transfer, scattering, cloud/aerosol properties, and energy budgets in the atmosphere and ocean.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Directed Study offering independent study arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Mesoscale Meteorology synthesizes atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, and microphysics to explain the structure, evolution, and prediction of microscale, mesoscale, and cloud-scale weather.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Covers advanced dynamics, synoptics, climate-dynamics, and atmospheric physics with recent advances.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Graduate course on written and oral communication for atmospheric and oceanic science research, covering scientific writing, presentations, and peer review.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2025–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Advanced independent study in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, arranged individually with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Limnology and Marine Science Seminar covers sections in various fields of zoological research.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines the cultural significance, access, and human impact on water cycles, focusing on US case studies and differential impacts on racial and ethnic communities under climate change.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Mattie Urrutia

Exams were reported as insanely hard with insufficient time to finish, and class averages on tests hovered around 70% without any curve.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

This course introduces air quality by linking chemistry, meteorology, engineering, policy, and public health to pollutant impacts and regulation.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Tracey Holloway

Students noted that the class was definitely difficult and that they had to work hard to achieve a passing grade.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Polar Regions and Their Importance in the Global Environment reviews Arctic and Antarctic history, geography, circulations, ice, and future states via earth system models.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Fundamental study of global warming causes, scientific evidence, future predictions, impacts on humans and ecosystems, and societal debates over solutions.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Jack Williams

The course involved lots of readings, though assessments focused on lecture content rather than external sources.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Covers basic climate principles, present climate variability, past evolution, and future projections of climate change.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Michael Notaro

One student found the quizzes manageable after studying the provided guide, noting the lectures were in-depth.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026

Survey of Oceanography covering ocean water properties, ocean-atmosphere interactions, seafloor structure, marine life, and human relationships with the marine environment.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Andrea Dutton

The course required a weekly smartbook assignment and a 20-question quiz, but it featured no exams or final exam.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Explores the science behind natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, addressing hazard assessment, forecasting, and mitigation to lessen societal impact.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Shaun Marcott

One student reported that the course had no midterm or final, consisting instead of six quizzes and a few exercises. They noted that getting an A was not too hard with a little work.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026