Role within programme and connections to other courses. Atmospheric events and processes have an impact on and are impacted by human activity, making atmospheric physics a topic of great societal relevance. The study of the atmosphere requires consideration of a wide range of spatial scales — from radiation transfer at the atomic level to phenomena on the global level — and a wide range of time scales — from seconds to centuries. Making headway requires an understanding of what processes can and cannot be ignored depending on the scales under consideration. In addition to providing an introduction to the field of atmospheric physics, this course contributes toward the overall goal of the physics programme by calling on us to combine knowledge from a variety of subfields of physics. Knowledge acquired in thermal physics, in mechanics and in quantum physics (blackbody radiation, spectral lines) must be brought together to develop an understanding of basic atmospheric physics. Content. Structure of the atmosphere, the global energy balance, atmospheric thermodynamics, physics of weather patterns, observational techniques and instrumentation. Usually alternates with Astrophysics.