P8301: Atmospheric and Climate Science for Public Health

Course description


This course introduces the fundamental physical principles that govern the behavior of the earth's atmosphere and climate.

Topics to be studied include the general circulation of the atmosphere, motions on a rotating sphere, atmospheric thermodynamics, radiative transfer, the basic chemistry and physics of air pollution, the hydrologic cycle, climate dynamics and synoptic weather.

The effects of these systems on public health, including mental health, rates of exercise, infectious disease, allergens and asthma, heat morbidity and mortality, will be explored throughout the course.

Course learning objectives


By the time you complete this course, you should be able to:

Explain the dynamics, thermodynamics and radiative processes governing the atmosphere.

Analyze the climate as a system of interconnected reservoirs (atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere), in which mass and energy flow from one part to another through dynamic processes that operate on a range of scales.

Synthesize how climate and weather can and do affect human health, as well as recognize the scales at which these impacts, and interactions, occur.

Apply concepts from reading and lecture to solving problems, demonstrating quantitative reasoning and skills. Students will develop the ability to read and understand research articles in the atmospheric and climate science literature.

Analyze meteorological and climate data, interpret climate and weather forecasts, and evaluate models and their simulations.

Shareable feedback from 2025 edition


"This was an excellent course - my favourite so far in my MPH!! Robbie was a great teacher and was able to explain (both verbally and through helpful diagrams) very complex concepts in an easy-to-understand way. Carlos was also a great TA, with assignments graded super efficiently. While the topics were tricky at times, I felt like it challenged us appropriately and equipped us with the necessary knowledge to talk about climate change in our professional/daily lives. Other strengths: regular office hours (both Robbie and Carlos made themselves available to support us); spaced out + routine homework assignments to apply concepts; spread out 3hr lecture block into two classes; participation encouraged + supportive/enjoyable classroom environment."

"Having office hours right after class was helpful. Very supportive TA and professor to foster learning - Working through exercises/practice problems during lecture. Having a reasonable quantity of homeworks throughout the semester. Interactive learning environment: felt comfortable asking questions during class and office hours. Having lecture slides to annotate on during class - Posting homework answers after homework deadline. Detailing what to focus on in preparation for the final exam, as the course material was quite intensive and lengthy. Fair and generous grading on assignments."

"I don’t have a physics background and haven’t learned much of this material before, so the class was challenging but also incredibly rewarding. It took me longer to grasp some of the concepts, but I’m genuinely proud of how much I’ve been able to learn. The material is dense, but the examples, drawings, and diagrams made the key concepts much easier to understand. Walking through the equations step-by-step in class was especially helpful. The homework closely reflected the in-class exercises, so it felt manageable rather than overwhelming. It was also always clear what we needed to study for the exams, which made the workload feel fair and doable! I will miss this class!"

"Class camaraderie Approachability of Robbie and Carlos Development of hard science skills!!!"

"This class was difficult, but I think it is worth receiving this content. I learned so much even if it was difficult to grasp since I don't have a background in physics, it is necessary to understand climate and health."

"Designated office hours! So helpful for reviewing the material."

"The professor would draw diagrams on the whiteboard that were very helpful for understanding the complex concepts."

Shareable feedback from 2024 edition


"The lectures and course content and very interesting. The professor does a thorough job at explaining complicated concepts."

"Very different than the rest of the classes I've taken in the MPH program in terms of content. Although I wasn't very good at this course it was extremely interesting and I would love to learn more about the subject and its applications."

"The course was really interesting and covered a lot of material. I learned a lot and Robbie was very committed to imparting his extensive knowledge on the material. The homeworks and quizzes helped to solidify the important topics to understand, which was necessary because of the high volume of material we covered. Robbie was always open to questions and always wanted to make sure we really understood the key concepts."

"The instructor put in a lot of effort and time to make sure we understood. he explained things multiple times which really helped. it was a collaborative classroom where there were no dumb questions and learning was really encouraged. I learned a lot in this class."

"The concepts were explained clearly and understandable for someone with little background on the subject. The homework was a good way to apply and better learn the concepts."

"Robbie is a fantastic teacher that really helps to make the underlying physics behind the course material easily digestable."

"We learned really interesting information about how the world works, important context for the history of the Earth's climate, and the essential details of some really complicated physics and processes. I walked away from the class with good background knowledge to do what I would like to do in climate science. Although we obviously weren't able to cover everything, I feel like I know essential concepts, and I know more about what I don't know."

"[The TA] was very responsive and it seems like she worked very hard to get this course up and running with Robbie. Everything was posted and graded in a timely manner."