Several ESI faculty are affiliated with the UMBC Departments of Physics (PHYS) and Geography and Environmental Systems (GES) and teach courses periodically in the undergraduate and graduate catalog. The following list contains current courses, materials and syllabi, and other relevant courses for students interested in ESI research.
Fall 2025
PHYS 335 – Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Brent McBride/ESI and Dr. Qianqian Song/GESTAR-II
Summary: A first course in the physical and chemical principles that led to the formation of the Earth’s atmosphere, its structure and processes. Atmospheric composition and structure. Concepts of pressure, density, thermodynamics and radiative energy balance. Atmospheric motions and major circulations. Major chemical cycles in the atmosphere and elementary atmospheric chemical reactions. Modifications of the atmospheric chemical structure – the greenhouse effect, acid rain and toxic chemicals. Air pollution meteorology. Prerequisite: PHYS 122 or PHYS 122H with a grade of ‘C’ or better.
Online textbooks (free): Atmospheric Science by John Wallace and Peter Hobbs (2nd Ed.), Practical Meteorology: An Algebra-based Survey of Atmospheric Science by R. Stull, and Introduction to Atmospheric Chemistry by Daniel J. Jacob
In prior semesters, this course was taught by ESI faculty Dr. Xiaoguang (Richard) Xu and Dr. Lorraine Remer.