Contact Information
Dr. Mark Hjelmfelt
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Mineral Industries 212B
(605) 394-2291
E-mail: Mark.Hjelmfelt@sdsmt.edu
Faculty
Professor Hjelmfelt, Chair; Professors Detwiler, Helsdon, and Zimmerman; Associate Professor Capehart; Assistant Professor Sundareshwar. Adjunct Professors Benson and Dorn.
The
Department of Atmospheric Sciences offers advanced undergraduate and graduate
courses leading to the Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences with specializations
in Meteorology or Earth Systems Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (
The primary objective of the atmospheric sciences graduate program is to give students a basic understanding of the factors influencing atmospheric phenomena, including solar and terrestrial radiation, the laws of fluid motion and thermodynamics, microphysical and electrical processes in clouds, ecology, atmospheric chemistry, and biogeochemistry. Instruction is offered in the interpretation of conventional weather data, satellite data, and radar data; observations collected by specially instrumented aircraft, trace-gas flux towers, tethered balloon systems, and laboratory gas analysis instrumentation; and output from numerical models of atmospheric processes. The graduate student is expected to carry out original research in the atmospheric sciences using some of these tools and resources. In addition, the student must successfully complete the coursework and program requirements enumerated below.
A student
applying for admission to the Master's degree program in the Department of
Atmospheric Sciences should have a baccalaureate degree in meteorology or
atmospheric sciences, one of the biological or physical sciences, earth system
sciences, mathematics, or engineering.
It is desirable for applicants to have received undergraduate credit for
mathematics through Calculus 2 (for the earth systems science specialization -
see below) or ordinary differential equations (for the meteorology specialization). For the meteorology specialization,
undergraduate physics is required, and for the earth systems specialization
undergraduate physics and chemistry are desirable. Experience with computer programming is
recommended. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores from the General Test are
optional. TOEFL scores are required of
all applicants from colleges outside the
Course requirements
for the M.S. degree
2. Nine (9) additional credit hours of non-atmospheric sciences electives at the 400 level or above (300 level non-atmospheric sciences courses can be accepted if approved by the Graduate Education and Research Council), or atmospheric sciences electives at the 500 level.
3. Thesis research - six (6) credit hours.
(Please note undergraduate credit limitations given in the current catalog under “M.S. Degree Requirements” for Master of Science degrees.)
Other program
requirements
The following program requirements apply to all students in Atmospheric Sciences:
At least one course at the 500/600 levels must be taken in each of the following core areas: Meteorology, Earth System Science, and Techniques. Course descriptions in the catalog describe the area to which each ATM course belongs.
Satisfactory performance on a general coursework exam covering each of the core courses as well as selected elective course work.
Registration in ATM 700 Graduate Research (thesis) each semester the student is receiving an assistantship, and in ATM 690 Graduate Seminar each spring semester.
Completion of a master's thesis. The thesis must adhere to the format and content guidelines as set forth by the Graduate School, and be approved by the student's graduate committee and the Dean of Graduate Education.
In addition, there are requirements specific to the two (2) ATM MS specializations. Each student will choose one of these specializations. The requirements are:
Meteorology
Specialization
Students entering the program with a Bachelor's degree in physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, or engineering must take the following courses: ATM 450 - Synoptic Meteorology I (not for graduate credit), ATM 550 - Synoptic Meteorology II, ATM 501 - Atmospheric Physics, and ATM 560 - Atmospheric Dynamics I.
Students entering the program with a Bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Sciences or Meteorology from another institution are required only to take ATM 501 (Atmospheric Physics), presuming that they have completed undergraduate work in the other areas listed in the preceding paragraph.
Earth System Science
Specialization
All students will be required to take the following courses: ATM 502 - The Global Carbon Cycle, ATM 503 - Biogeochemistry, ATM 515 - Earth Systems Modeling. They also must complete at least one remote sensing course.
A specific plan of study will be determined on an individual basis with concurrence from the student's advisor and graduate committee members.
In either specialization, exceptions to these departmental requirements may be granted by the student's committee for good cause.
Elective courses offered by other departments are encouraged as long as the fifteen (15) hours of course work in Atmospheric Sciences at the 500-level or above are completed as outlined in “Course requirements for M.S. degree.” Graduate students may take electives in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, engineering, technology management, social sciences, or the humanities to further integrate their coursework in the atmospheric sciences with knowledge in other technical fields and with the general concerns of society.
A student may choose the meteorology specialization with the intent to qualify for employment in the federal civil service as a meteorologist. Specific course distribution requirements to do so are listed in the current catalog within the general description of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Students in either specialization may pursue an M.S. degree in Atmospheric Sciences without satisfying these requirements and be qualified for careers in many non-federal and/or non-meteorological careers. Examples of such career options include research in and applications of remote sensing techniques; work in air quality either for non-federal government agencies, or for industry or the consulting firms industries often employ; research and applications in the environmental sciences with an emphasis on atmospheric issues, and further graduate work in atmospheric or environmental sciences.
Undergraduate students at the School of Mines may decrease the time required to obtain a Master of Science degree in Atmospheric Sciences by taking as electives the preparatory undergraduate and entry-level graduate courses available to them or by completing the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences program with an emphasis on atmospheric sciences. They may then enter the graduate program with the necessary background for graduate study in atmospheric sciences as above.
Facilities and
Resources
Students typically work directly with faculty on externally-funded research projects. Graduate research assistantships associated with these projects are available that provide part-time employment for students during the academic months and possible full-time employment during the summer. Facilities and resources of the IAS are utilized in these research efforts. These facilities comprise various meteorological instrument platforms and packages including several automated surface weather stations, a tethered-balloon sampling system, an instrumented flux measurement tower in the Black Hills National Forest, portable equipment for land surface and plant canopy ecosystem studies, and atmospheric analytical chemistry field and laboratory instrumentation. Sophisticated computer facilities are available on campus, including a state-of-the-art 3-D computer visualization facility and a high-speed multiple-node computer cluster, with additional access to the larger computer complexes elsewhere.
Faculty Research
Current
research projects include field investigations of thunderstorms; applications of
weather radar data to rainfall measurements and remote inference of cloud
microphysical characteristics; numerical modeling of clouds ranging in size
from small cumulus to severe storms including storm electrification, lightning,
and lightning-influenced atmospheric chemistry; analysis of field observations
and numerical simulations of lake effect snow storms; satellite remote sensing;
land-surface/atmosphere exchange processes; fire weather prediction and
modeling; biogeochemical cycling; trace-gas flux measurements; and carbon
sequestration and ecological modeling.
In addition, IAS scientists are currently involved in activities to
disseminate scientific knowledge to wider audiences and improve and enhance
scientific literacy and educational opportunities for the people of