PROGRAM |
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The climatology program at Michigan State University
offers graduate students an opportunity to participate in a unique blend of theoretical and applied
educational and research experiences. Areas of emphasis are synoptic climatology and
agricultural climatology. Three faculty members contribute to the program. Professors
Harman and Winkler have
responsibilities primarily in the teaching and research areas;
Professor Andresen, Extension Agricultural Meteorologist and State Climatologist
divides his time between outreach/service, teaching, and research. All three may serve on
student guidance committees, and as we are all located in adjacent offices, cooperation and
collaboration on many projects are the rule. The interfacing of the academic responsibilities
of Harman and Winkler with the applied activities of Andresen provides a diverse
mix of talents and interests. The concluding list of publications and grants provides a
cross-section of the types of research questions we typically pursue. Research has traditionally
focused on problems within North America.
 GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Climatology is one focus area within the Department
of Geography which also offers studies in cartography/GIS/remote sensing,
regional development, and economic geography/regional science, as well as professional programs
in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. A major initiative is also underway to enhance and
expand research and teaching in the areas of remote sensing and global change. Degrees offered
include the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. For
admission into the master's program it is recommended that a student have:
1) a bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university preferably with an undergraduate major
in geography or at least 14 credits in geography and related fields; 2) a grade-point average of at
least 3.40 at the time of application in all geography courses and in all courses completed during
the junior and senior years, and 3) a minimum score of 1500 on the Graduate Record Examination
(GRE). Admission to the doctoral program is based on an evaluation
of the student's academic records, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, written statements, and
other pertinent information such as professional experience and related achievements. Typical
entrants to the doctoral program present a grade-point average of 3.60 or higher in a recognized
master's degree program, which usually includes a thesis, and a score of more than 1650 on the GRE.
Both the Master's and Ph.D. programs have a small core
of courses required of all geography students. The required courses for M.A. and M.S. students
include GEO 886: Research Design in Geography, either GEO 825: Geoprocessing or
GEO 865: Advanced Quantitative Methods in Geography, and at least one research seminar.
Additional required courses for Ph.D. students include GEO 986: Theory and Methods in
Geography and two research seminars. In consultation with an advisor and guidance committee,
each student builds a program tailored to the student's specific interests from courses offered both
within and outside of the Department. The typical programs for climatology graduate students
include the required core courses, climatology courses, and either additional work in a tool area
(mathematics, statistics, geographic information systems, remote sensing, computer science, or a
combination thereof) or in a related discipline such as botany, forestry, soil science, or
geology. Opportunity for additional coursework in meteorology exists at the University of
Michigan approximately 60 miles away. Michigan State University operates on the semester schedule.
CLIMATOLOGY COURSES
- GEO 203. Introduction to Meteorology
- GEO 402. Agricultural Climatology.
- GEO 405. Applied Synoptic Climatology: Principles and Methods.
- GEO 432. Environmental Ethics.
- GEO 880. Seminar in Advanced Physical Geography.
RESEARCH AND TEACHING FACILITIES
A dedicated laboratory is available for research
and outreach activities in climatology. The laboratory includes a SUN SPARC20 workstation
for research, and a SUN SPARC5 workstation for data ingest and agricultural weather activities.
A microcomputer provides phone collection and Internet retransmission of data from an automated
weather station network within Michigan. Peripherals include CD-ROM readers, HP laser
printers, and storage devices. The Department receives meteorological information from the
National Weather Service Domestic Data Plus service along with the McIDAS channel from the
University of Wisconsin. Current and historical meteorological information can be analyzed
and displayed using UNIDATA software packages (McIDAS, WXP, and GEMPAK). Instructional activities
in climatology are carried out in a shared Climatology/GIS Advanced Computer Laboratory. This
laboratory includes four SPARC5 and six SPARC20 SUN workstations and a large format digitizer. The
Department of Geography also maintains an instructional laboratory with fourteen Pentium
microcomputers, each with its own digitizer; laser and color inkjet printers; and an 11x17
plotter. A separate microcomputer laboratory for faculty and graduate student research is
also located within the Department. It houses several 486 PCs along with two SUN ULTRA1s, as
well as two 24x36 digitizers, a Tektronix color Phaser printer, and a laser printer. Most
microcomputers and workstations are networked to the university's IBM and Convex mainframes via
Ethernet.
An extensive collection of climatological data exists
in the Department, including (on CD-ROM or computer tape) 1969-1989 National Meteorological Center
twice-daily operational analyses for the Northern Hemisphere, radiosonde data of North America for
1946-1992, daily cooperative surface observations for the period of record (POR) through 1994,
hourly surface airways observations for POR-1994, manually digitized radar observations from 1978
to 1992 for the conterminous United States, cloud-to-ground lightning flash observations for the
coterminous United States for 1989-1992, and daily simulations for the control and perturbed runs
of the Canadian Climate Centre, Hadley Centre, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the
Max-Planck Institute General Circulation Models (GCMs). Additional digital archives include
daily data for Michigan extending to before 1900 for several stations, daily observations for several
supplemental rain gauge networks within the state, 25 years of supplemental snowfall observations from
the high snowbelt areas of the state, and hourly data from two automated weather stations.
Microfilm and microfiche collections include NWS hourly radar summary charts for 1978-1992 and NWS
upper-air charts and surface charts from 1960 onwards.
Other departmental or on campus facilities include
the Center for Remote Sensing and GIS, and numerous
Macintosh, PC, and SUN laboratories. Most major climatology and meteorology journals are
available in the University's Main Library.
FUNDING SOURCES
Departmental assistantships (teaching and research)
and fellowships are available on a competitive basis. These include a stipend plus nine
credits of tuition per semester with remaining credits paid by the student at in-state rates.
University-wide doctoral fellowships, affirmative action assistantships, and minority competitive
dissertation fellowships are also available. Applications for aid should be submitted no
later than February 1 for full consideration for Fall Semester.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS, THESES AND DISSERTATIONS
Andresen, Jeffrey A. 1994. Using climatological information for corn hybrid selection in Michigan. Michigan State University Extension Bulletin Series E-2471.
Andresen, Jeffrey A. and Jay R. Harman. 1994. Springtime freezes in western Lower Michigan: Climatology and trends. Agricultural Experiment Station Research Report 536, East Lansing, MI.
Bierly, Gregory D. 1996. The configuration and evolution of airstreams in cold season colorado cyclones. Ph.D. dissertation.
Burnett, Adam W. 1990. The temporal climatology, teleconnective associations, and climatic impacts of regional-scale troughing in the southwestern United States. Ph.D. dissertation.
Eichenlaub, Val L., Jay R. Harman, Fred V. Nurnberger and Hans J. Stolle. 1990. The Climatic Atlas of Michigan. The University of Notre Dame Press. 165 pp.
Harman, Jay R. 1991. Synoptic Climatology of the Westerlies: Process and Patterns. Resource Publications for College Geography, Association of American Geographers.
Harman, Jay R. and Julie A. Winkler. 1991. Synoptic climatology, themes, applications, and prospects. Physical Geography 12, 220-231.
Palutikof, Jean P., Julie A. Winkler, Clare M. Goodess and Jeffrey A. Andresen. 1997. The simulation of daily temperature time series from GCM output. Part I: Comparison of model data with observations. Journal of Climate, in press.
Walters, Claudia K. 1997. A synoptic climatology of warm-season low-level wind maxima in the Great Plains and their relationship to convection. Ph.D. dissertation.
Winkler, Julie A. 1992. Regional patterns of the diurnal properties of heavy hourly precipitation. The Professional Geographer 44, 127-146.
Winkler, Julie A., Adam W. Burnett, Bernard J. Skipper, James B. Moore, Gebeyehu Mulugeta and Jennifer M. Olson. 1990. Agroclimatic resource assessment: An example for peach cultivation in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Physical Geography 11, 49-65.
Winkler, Julie A., Jay R. Harman, Eleanor A. Waller and James T. Brown. 1996. Climatological characteristics of springtime lower tropospheric airflow over central and eastern North America. International Journal of Climatology 16, 739-755.
Winkler, Julie A., Jean P. Palutikof, Jeffrey A. Andresen and Clare M. Goodess. 1997. The simulation of daily temperature time series from GCM output. Part II: Sensitivity analysis of an empirical transfer function methodology. Journal of Climate, in press.
SELECTED RECENT RESEARCH GRANTS
Andresen, J.A. and J.A. Winkler. Maximum and Minimum Temperature Variations in a Perturbed Climate and Implications for Specialized Agriculture in the Great Lakes Region. Year 2: Comparison of Daily Simulations from Several Different Global Climate Models. Department of Energy, National Institute for Global Environmental Change, Midwestern Regional Center. 1995-1997.
Jones, A.J., J.A. Andresen, J.A. Flore and J.W. Johnson. A Weather, Disease, and Insect Forecasting System for Management of Fungicide Residue on Cherries. Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. 1994-1997.
McCullough, D.G., L.S. Bauer, C.W. Ramm and J.A. Andresen. Improvement of Decision-Making Method for Gypsy Moth Suppression Programs. U.S. Forest Service. 1997-1999.
Palutikof, J.P., J.A. Winkler, C. Goodess, J.A. Andresen, J.R. Harman and F.V. Nurnberger. Extreme Climate Events under a Perturbed Climate: Impacts on Agriculture. NATO Grants for International Collaboration in Research. 1992-1993.
Whalon, M.E., J.R. Harman, S.H. Gage and J.A. Winkler. Assessment of Episodic Atmospheric Events that Regulate Movement of Economically Important Migratory Pests: A Preventive Pest Management Strategy using the Potato Leafhopper. United States Department of Agriculture North Central Integrated Pest Management Program. 1991-1993.
Winkler, J.A. A Synoptic Climatology of Warm Season Convection in the Southern Great Lakes Region. National Science Foundation. 1992-1997.
Winkler, J.A. and J.A. Andresen. Maximum and Minimum Temperature Variations in a Perturbed Climate and Implications for Specialized Agriculture in the Great Lakes Region. Department of Energy, National Institute for Global Environmental Change, Midwestern Regional Center. 1994-1995.
Winkler, J.A. and J.A. Andresen. Upgrade of Climatological Laboratory Facilities at Michigan State University. National Science Foundation. 1994-1995.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For further information contact the graduate secretary
or the climatology faculty listed above at 517/355-4649 (FAX 517/432-1671). The climatology
faculty can also be contacted at the following email addresses:
andresen@msu.edu (Andresen);
harman@msu.edu (Harman);
scmifred@msu.edu (Nurnberger);
and winkler@msu.edu (Winkler).
Reproduced from the 1997 Guide to Graduate Programs in Climatology, Association of American
Geographers, Climate Specialty Group.
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