Understanding the weather
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| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
Understanding the weather is one of a series of short, flexible 10-point courses introducing fascinating topics in science. This course provides an introduction to weather patterns and events around the world, explaining the main drivers that determine the weather on a seasonal and daily basis. It also enables you to try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses. It has a choice of start dates, and you decide how long to take over your studies: eight to ten weeks, or up to five months.
Course content
The weather arises from physical processes within the atmosphere as it responds to the rotation of the Earth and the heating effect of the Sun. In this course you will discover how these processes determine the weather, how they vary depending on location and time of the year and the extent to which they can be forecast. You will also consider some of the ways in which typical variations in the weather and extreme weather events affect a wide range of human activities.
Scientific concepts relating to temperature, humidity, air pressure, air density, clouds, precipitation and wind will be explained and you will see how many factors operate together in the atmosphere to produce various types of weather system. This in turn will give you a better understanding of the information conveyed by weather maps. You will also learn about the ways in which meteorological data, including surface and upper-air measurements as well as satellite information, are collected and fed into the computer models that underlie weather forecasting. This will enable you to understand how the professional weather forecasts for your area have been made and how reliable they are likely to be. You will be able to apply this knowledge in making your own short-term predictions of your local weather. Through the course, there will be plenty of opportunity to consolidate your understanding of the scientific concepts by investigating different weather systems in a variety of climatic zones across the world.
By the end of the course you will have developed a range of study skills associated with retrieving and interpreting information in the form of tables, charts, maps and graphs. You will be required to undertake some small projects in which you will develop your ability to observe your local weather in a systematic way and to interpret forecasts.
The course is based on a specially written Open University (OU) study book, together with a DVD-ROM containing an image gallery and a course website which will link to particular weather stations. The study book will provide questions and activities to help you to test your understanding, and that you can use for self-assessment as you progress through the course.
The course is produced in partnership with the Royal Meteorological Society.
Entry
This is one of the science short courses that will help you to develop a range of study skills, so it is particularly suitable if you are new to OU study.
The course is designed for people who are coming new to science and to meteorology, and all you really need is an interest in how the weather works and the motivation to find out more about the science underlying meteorological phenomena and forecasting. You must be prepared to study some physical science and to learn how to interpret satellite images, maps, weather charts and graphs. You will need to access various types of forecast through the internet. You must also be willing to make some observations of the weather in your own locality and to keep a record of what you see.
Mathematically, you need to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and although it would be useful to have a little basic knowledge of general science this is not essential. The structured teaching will take you to a level at which you will be able to understand important aspects of the science of the atmosphere which give rise to our weather. In order to be able to study the course text, you should be comfortable reading feature length articles and science reports in newspapers; you should also be able to write down a simple explanation in a logical way.
To check if you have the necessary skills you should try the interactive quiz Are you ready for Level 1 science?, which is available on the science faculty website.
If you would like more information about the range of science short courses available you can visit the science short course website which includes a FAQ section, and details of regional events.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
S189 is an optional course in our
- BSc (Honours) Natural Sciences (B16)
- BSc (Honours) Physical Science (B27)
- BSc (Honours) Secondary Education in Physics (B56)
- Certificate in Contemporary Science (C70)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it can help to weight your degree towards a BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
You will need to make considerable use of a personal computer. A proportion of the course is delivered via images on a DVD-ROM and this must be studied in order to complete the course. You must be able to download material from the course website and download information from local weather stations via the internet. You must also be able to produce your course assessment on the computer and upload it to the University. You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate by hand diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce jpeg files of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment.
You must also be able to undertake simple observations of the weather in your locality of a period of several consecutive days.
The course relies heavily on coloured images, complicated maps and charts, and direct observations of the sky. One of the aims of the course is that students should develop an ability to interpret cloudscapes, weather maps, satellite images and their own observations. No textual descriptions of diagrams will be available and the use of a sighted assistant to interpret the images or describe the sky would conflict with the course learning outcomes. The assessment will require students to demonstrate that these learning outcomes have been achieved.
Students who think they will find use of the teaching materials challenging are encouraged to contact the Student Registration & Enquiry Service for advice before registering for this course.
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader (and where applicable: musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way). Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting your needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
OU study book, DVD-ROM of images and other material, study guide, website, online quizzes for self-assessment, maths skills ebook, assessment.
You will need
Basic scientific calculator; digital camera or scanner.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
You can telephone or email a study adviser, who will be able to help you with academic questions related to the course or the assessment. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get in touch with study advisers and other students.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your end-of-course assessment (ECA).
For each course presentation there is a choice of two alternative dates by which you have to submit the single piece of written work for assessment: February course start completes end of April or end of July; May start completes end of July or end of October; September start completes end of October or end of January; November start completes end of January or end of April.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February, May, September and November each year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Science.
Study explained
- Course
- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
A nice little course for personal interest and to make up the points! ...
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Short, sweet and very interesting to anyone remotely interested in the weather. ...
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