Objectives: The objective of this course is to equip the students with a clear understanding of the dynamics of the atmosphere, the major air masses, weather phenomena and weather forecasting.

Content: Climates of the middle and high latitudes, major air masses of the world, air mass climatology and frontogenesis, violent convective phenomena and weather forecasting. This course will also look at the world pattern of climates, tropical climates and their characteristics, tropical circulation, urban climates, evidences and theories of climate change.

Outcomes: Students will be equipped with practical meteorological knowledge that helps in understanding weather dynamics.

Content: Principles of biogeography and ecology, ecosystem and its components, biogeochemical cycles, population and community ecology, world ecosystems, and conservation, soil types and characteristics. This course also seeks to provoke discussion on the goals of protected areas, focusing on the potential conflict between biodiversity conservation and use for recreation, education and sustainable extraction of resources. Principles and current issues in protected area design and management are reviewed.

Course description
This course introduces the student to reference and thematic map use and design. It examines basic cartographic mapping techniques for quantitative and qualitative data, teaches about geospatial analysis and interpretation, and enables students to design basic maps that communicate information effectively. Topics covered include the basics in mapping (i.e. scale, spatial reference systems, and projections), data acquisition and organization, key techniques for thematic mapping, and the principles of cartographic abstraction and design.