UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

History

The Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences present the challenge of a wide variety of problems of compelling scientific interest and increasing social relevance. This is exemplified by the current concern over Planet Earth and Global change, including issues regarding climate change, greenhouse warming, air pollution, and the ozone layer, the attempts to control or modify weather phenomena, the demand for reliable long-range weather forecasts on both local and global scales, and the expanding frontiers of space science as we continue to explore the atmospheres of other planets.

Since its inception in 1940 under the leadership of the late Professor Jacob Bjerknes, originator of the polar-front theory of cyclones, the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at UCLA has been at the forefront of atmospheric research and education. A broad curriculum is offered in Dynamic and Synoptic Meterology, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and Upper Atmosphere and Space Physics.