Course leaders:  A. Chronopoulou-Sereli, A. Liakatas, I. Tsiros, A. Kamoutsis.

Course description:

(a)  Meteorological and Climatological Principles in Agriculture.

1.   Atmospheric state and energy (atmospheric layers, dynamics, radiation, energy balance).

2.   Atmospheric motion (turbulence, clouds, fog, precipitation, circulation).

3.   Atmospheric dynamics (vorticity, weather regimes and predictability).

4.   Environmental issues (pollution, climate change, monitoring, stratosphere chemistry and dynamics).

5.   Climate and climatic data. Application of climatic data to the solution of design or operational problems.

6.   Classification of climate, climatic zones of the earth, the climate of Greece.

(b)Applied Agrometeorology

1.   The field of agricultural meteorology (definition, goals, historical review, role).

2.   Microenvironment and crop production (radiation, heat and temperature, moisture in the air and soil, moisture and related mass exchange).  Phenology and seasonal changes.

3.   Agro-climatology (microclimate, phytoclimate, greenhouse climate, climate for animals, the climate inside animal shelters).  Modification of the natural environment, control of artificial environments.

4.   Agro-meteorological forecast systems, weather forecasts for agriculture, crop forecasting.

5.   Crop protection from weather hazards.

6.   Instrumentation and observation.  (agro-meteorological instrumentation, stations, networks and practices).

Teaching aids: "Lectures in Meteorology and Climatology" by A. Flokas

"Laboratory Exercises in Meteorology" by A. Chronopoulou-Sereli

Examination: Written