Course Goals / Learning Outcomes

(Other web pages will list the Learning Goals for each lecture.)

Learning Outcomes (LOs). By the end of this course, you will be able to... 

• explain wildfire environmental issues and fire behavior,
• interpret numerical weather prediction (NWP) products relevant to fire-weather,
• utilize weather satellite images, surface observations, and soundings to characterize fire indices and risk,
• apply synoptic and mesoscale weather forecasting to fire-fighting scenarios,
• anticipate the interactions and feedback between fires, weather, society, and propose sustainable solutions,
• formulate and present fire-weather forecasts and critically evaluate their utility & deficiencies.
• confidently give weather briefings utilizing myriad tools
• work in a team, utilizing the unique strengths of each team member to create stimulating team presentations on fire case studies

World Meteorological Organization Synoptics (Weather Systems & Services) Qualifications.
(Source: WMO "Guide to the Implementation of Education and Training Standards in Meteorology and Hydrology Volume I – Meteorology 2023 edition")
By the end of this course (together with the ATSC 201 prerequisite), you will be able to ...

• apply conceptual models of synoptic, mesoscale and convective-scale phenomena to integrate observed and forecast data into coherent structures; to explain the formation, evolution and characteristics of these phenomena using knowledge of physical and dynamical meteorology.
• detect situations where real-world weather systems deviate from the conceptual models using knowledge of the models’ limitations and suggest reasons for the deviations.
• predict occurrences of extreme or hazardous weather conditions associated with synoptic, mesoscale or convective-scale phenomena and monitor observed data to verify the predictions.
• generate analyses and basic forecasts using observed and forecast real-time or historical data, including the monitoring and observing of the weather.
• summarize the role of national meteorological services and other providers using knowledge of society’s needs, the impacts of severe weather, the products and services used to meet users’ needs and the processes used to manage quality.

Learning Enhancement. By the end of this course, you will have ... 

• gained experience on how to ask relevant weather-related questions, and how to use weather information, 
• gained confidence in your ability to make justifiable decisions similar to those made by experts, 
• refined your discussion and interpersonal-relationship skills in small teams or work-groups, 
• gained confidence to be able to give clear, concise weather briefings to a diverse audience. 

Life Skills and Sustainable Benefits. By the end of this course, you will have enhanced your ability to ... 

• seek jobs requiring weather-forecasting and/or fire-weather expertise, 
• think critically about weather information you receive, 
• apply your fire-weather knowledge to enable solutions to important environmental problems facing society. 

Building Expertise. By the end of this course, your will have gained some of the following components of expertise, as elaborated by Nobel Prize winner Carl Wieman (Apr 2013). He said that experts ... 

• frame key concepts into mental models describing processes/situations, and set selection/decision criteria to choose the best model, 
• recognize relevant vs. irrelevant information, 
• determine what information is needed to solve the problem, and what questions to ask, 
• check whether the answer/conclusion makes sense, 
• integrate model development, testing, and use as a unified activity,
• easily move between specialized representations (graphs, equations, physical simulations, etc.) .

Motivation. This 400-level course requires students to ...

• analyze and interpret weather-observation data, 
• interpret numerical weather prediction models,
• apply meteorological principles to fire behavior, 
• compare alternative fire spread/danger outcomes given weather forecast uncertainty, 
• make justifiable decisions as if they were professional fire-weather forecasters. 

      Namely, this course aims for the higher levels of Blooms taxonomy. 

Additional Desired Outcomes: 

• To enhance the relevance of the ATSC undergrad program to society. 
• To be one of the optional courses: (1) in the UBC Diploma in Meteorology program, and (2) in a proposed Certificate of Meteorology program to enable retraining of existing meteorologists and engineers.