Department of Meteorology
Chair
Wendell A. Nuss, Ph.D.
Code MR/Nu, Root Hall, Room 254
(831) 656-2308, DSN 756-2308
nuss@nps.edu
Associate Chair, Research
Qing Wang, Ph.D.
Code MR/Qg, Root Hall, Room 231
(831) 656-7716, DSN 756-7716
qwang@nps.edu
Associate Chair, Curricular Matters
Wendell A. Nuss, Ph.D.
Code MR/, Root Hall, Room 254
(831) 656-2308, DSN 756-2308
nuss@nps.edu
Hway-Jen Chen, Research Associate (2000); M.S., University of California - Los Angeles, 1993.
Philip A. Durkee, Professor (1984); Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1984.
Paul A. Frederickson, Research Associate (1999); M.S., University of Maryland, 1989.
Eric A. Hendricks, Associate Professor (2015); Ph.D. Colorado State, 2008.
Peter S. Guest, Research Professor (1992); Ph.D., Naval Postgraduate School, 1992.
Patrick A. Harr, Professor (1989); M.S., Colorado State University, 1978; Ph.D. Naval Postgraduate School, 1993.
Mary S. Jordan, Research Associate (1999); M.S., Naval Postgraduate School, 1985.
Michael T. Montgomery, Professor (2006); Ph.D., Harvard, 1986.
James T. Murphree, Research Associate Professor (1991); Ph.D., University of California at Davis, 1989.
Kurt E. Nielsen, Research Associate (1999); M.S., University of Oklahoma, 1988.
Wendell A. Nuss, Professor and Department Chair (1986); Ph.D., University of Washington, 1986.
John M. Peters, Assistant Professor (2017); Ph.D., Colorado State University, 2015.
Qing Wang, Professor and Associate Chair for Research (1995); Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1993.
Professors Emeriti:
Chih-Pei Chang, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1972); Ph.D., University of Washington, 1972.
Kenneth L. Davidson, Professor Emeritus (1970); Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1970.
Russell L. Elsberry, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1968); Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1968.
Robert L. Haney, Professor Emeritus (1970); Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles, 1971.
Robert J. Renard, Distinguished Professor Emeritus (1952); Ph.D., Florida State University, 1970.
Carlyle H. Wash, Professor Emeritus (1980); Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1978.
Forest Williams, Senior Lecturer Emeritus (1975); M.S., Naval Postgraduate School, 1962; M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1972.
Roger T. Williams, Professor (1968); Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles, 1963.
* The year of joining the Naval Postgraduate School faculty is indicated in parentheses.
Brief Overview
The Department of Meteorology's history dates back to the 1940s when it was part of the Postgraduate Department at the Naval Academy. The department's academic function is interdisciplinary in nature in that it supports separate Master of Science Degree programs: Meteorology, Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, and Oceanography; and, provides courses for the Space Systems, Undersea Warfare, Information/Electronic Warfare, and Joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) curricula. Offerings in the Special Operations and Joint Warfare Analysis are under development.
Department academic strengths include air/ocean dynamics and numerical modeling and prediction, structure and dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer, satellite remote sensing and its applications and synoptic meteorology, including analysis and prediction in tropical, mid-latitude, and polar regions in both hemispheres. More than forty courses are offered in meteorology, primarily at the graduate level. The department has fourteen faculty (7 tenure track, 7 non-tenure track, 2 military, and 7 emeritus), with graduate student participation as research-team members through the M.S. thesis and Ph.D. dissertation process. The current areas of research concentration encompass numerical and analytic air/ocean modeling and prediction, tropical meteorology (including monsoon circulations and tropical cyclone dynamics and forecasting), coastal meteorology and oceanography, climate dynamics, marine boundary layer studies with emphasis on air/sea interactions and electromagnetic/optic propagation, remote sensing/satellite meteorology and a wide range of synoptic studies (e.g., regional studies, maritime cyclogenesis, short range forecasting, and numerical-model verification). The Ph.D. program in the department is active with Navy officers, Air Force officers, DoD civilians and international officers among its recent graduates.
Degree
A student is able to earn an academic degree listed below while enrolled in Meteorology (Curriculum 372) and Meteorology and Oceanography (Curriculum 373).
Master of Science in Meteorology
Entrance to a program leading to a Master of Science in Meteorology degree requires a baccalaureate degree with completion of mathematics through differential and integral calculus and a minimum of one year of college physics.
The Master of Science in Meteorology degree requires completion of:
- Necessary prerequisite courses in mathematics (through partial differential equations) and meteorology,
- The sequence of core courses in the fields of dynamical, numerical, physical and synoptic meteorology,
- An approved selection of graduate elective courses,
- An acceptable thesis.
The total number of quarter-hours in (2) and (3) above must be at least 36. These 36 hours must include 18 quarter-hours at the 4000 level in courses other than directed study.
Master of Science in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography
Direct entrance to a program leading to the Master of Science in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography degree requires a baccalaureate degree in one of the physical sciences, mathematics or engineering. This normally permits the validation of a number of required undergraduate courses such as physics, differential equations, linear algebra, vector analysis, and various courses in meteorology and/or oceanography which are prerequisites to the graduate program. These prerequisites may be taken at the Naval Postgraduate School; however, in that event, the program may be lengthened by one or more quarters.
The Master of Science in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography degree requires completion of:
- Necessary prerequisite courses in mathematics (through partial differential equations), meteorology, and physical oceanography,
- The sequence of core courses in the fields of dynamical, numerical, physical and synoptic meteorology and oceanography,
- An approved selection of graduate elective courses in meteorology and oceanography,
- A significant educational experience in the field using instruments.
- An acceptable thesis on a topic approved by the department.
The total number of quarter-hours in (2) and (3) above must be at least 48. These 48 hours must include 20 hours at the 4000 level in courses other than directed study, and they should show an approximate balance between the disciplines of meteorology and oceanography.
Dual Degree in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography
The Meteorology and Oceanography Departments have adopted a policy to not recommend the award of dual master's degrees in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography.
Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. program is offered in the Department of Meteorology in the following areas of study: numerical weather prediction, geophysical fluid dynamics, boundary-layer meteorology, analysis of atmospheric systems and tropical meteorology.
The requirements for the degree are grouped into three categories: course work, research in conjunction with an approved dissertation and examination in both the major and, if elected, a minor field. The minor field is usually in physical oceanography, mathematics or physics.
The Department of Meteorology also may require a preliminary examination to show evidence of acceptability as a doctoral student.
Prospective students should consult with the Chairman of the Department of Meteorology for further guidance regarding doctoral programs.
Laboratories
As described below, the department is served by four major laboratory facilities: An interactive computer lab, a synoptic meteorology lab, a meteorological measurements lab, and a tactical applications lab.
The Interactive Digital Environmental Analysis (IDEA) Laboratory, which is shared with Oceanography, provides real-time acquisition and analysis of conventional and remotely-sensed data in support of the synoptic and physical meteorology and oceanography programs. The laboratory consists of 22 image analysis and graphics workstations. The laboratory accesses real-time GOES, NOAA, Navy (FNMOC), and DMSP data for use in instruction and research.
The department has developed a modern Synoptic Analysis and Forecasting Laboratory which receives environmental products and observations for instruction on the preparation of real-time weather analyses and forecasts. Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) and the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) weather analysis and forecast products are received through a variety of channels that include UNIDATA and the World-Wide Web. UNIX workstations and PC-based systems provide multiple software capabilities for displaying, animating, and visualizing current weather observations, satellite images, radar observations, and numerical model products obtained from FNMOC, NCEP or generated locally.
The Marine Atmospheric Measurements Laboratory utilizes in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation systems for both teaching and research. Instrumentation includes: A 404 MHz and 915 MHz Doppler radar wind profiler with radio acoustic sounding system (RASS); rawinsonde systems with GPS navigational aids; a laser ceilometer; and a fully instrumented surface weather station. Access to other instrumentation (measuring turbulent fluxes, aerosols, etc.), measuring platforms (research vessel, buoys, and remotely piloted aircraft) and data from a variety of networked local measurement sites enables the laboratory to provide near “real-time” data from the coastal region.
Meteorology Course Descriptions
MR Courses