In this discipline, you will study physical phenomena in the earth system that vary from weather time scales to climate time scales. You will be trained to analyse the complex processes, such as:
How do winds and temperature vary in time and over different land surfaces?
How do clouds develop into (extreme) rainfall?
What influences the melting of ice sheets?
What influences extratropical and tropical storm tracks?
What is the role of the ocean in regional sea level rise and global warming?
You will use modelling and observational techniques to analyze and quantify these processes, and apply those techniques to monitor, understand and predict phenomena that have a strong impact on daily life (storms, rainfall and flooding, droughts and heat waves). With the knowledge and skills acquired during this discipline, you will contribute to solving one of the largest challenges faced by our society: the prediction, mitigation and adaptation to extreme weather and climate change.
I like that what we are studying is extremely important nowadays as we are facing a climate crisis. Knowing how the climate and weather patterns will change in the future under a warming planet is essential to come up with possible mitigation and adaptation solutions in the future.
―
Agatha Zamuner, student
What you will learn
➨ Physical processes in the atmosphere such as storms, (extreme) rainfall, droughts and heatwaves ➨ How to developing and use advance observation and modelling techniques to be able to predict, mitigate and adapt to extreme weather and climate change effects
Discipline Curriculum
In Q3, you start the Climate & Weather Discipline Core Module [6 ECS] simultaneously with one A-module [9 ECS] of your choice. Each A-module is divided into units which allows you to either dive further in the field of Earth Observation, or gain complementary competencies from the Discipline Geo-Energy. In Q4 you follow B-Modules, gaining hands on experience in the lab and out in the field.
In Q4 you will work on a field work project here in the Netherlands. You will travel to the Lutjwad atmospheric monitoring station close to Groningen, in the North of the Netherlands. Working alongside technicians, professors, and researchers, you will use different instruments such as weather stations, radar and sonic meters to collect data and draw conclusions about atmospheric dynamics.
Want to know more about the field work component? We asked master students Agatha Zamuner and Nathan van der Borght about their experience.
The changing weather patterns under climate change and extreme conditions, like heat waves and floods, will be one of society’s main challenges in the coming decades. This is really a research area where a lot is happening, and a lot of new insights are constantly being gathered because of how fast everything is changing. The idea of working on such an important matter really motivated me to choose this discipline. It has a lot of societal impact.
―
Nathan Van der Borght, student
Graduation Projects
Students who choose the Discipline Climate & Weather have a multitude of opportunities for their master’s thesis. Prep for the master thesis starts in Q6 after completing the electives and cross-over section of the general programme. Below are just a few highlighted thesis projects from previous years.
