Graduate Program: Atmospheric Science
Atmospheric scientists in the Department study the properties of the Earth's atmosphere and surface, and how they are changing with the climate. Research covers aerosols, clouds and fog; atmospheric composition and greenhouse gases; the exchange of carbon and water between land and atmosphere; sea ice and the polar regions; and ocean and climate variability.
Research projects use a range of approaches, depending on the question: fieldwork (listed as experimental work below), satellite and ground-based remote sensing, building instruments, data analysis, and computer modelling. Many are part of national and international research programs. Our graduate courses cover atmospheric dynamics, physics, chemistry, radiative transfer and meteorology (see Degrees and Requirements).
Where graduates go
Graduates go on to careers in:
- weather and climate services
- government laboratories
- the space sector, in satellite remote sensing
- data science and software
- environmental monitoring and consulting
- renewable energy, such as wind and solar forecasting
- climate risk, in insurance and finance
- academia
Our faculty
Interested in working with someone below? Pre-apply for free, then email them about your interests.
Rachel Chang
- Interests:聽Sources, processing, and sinks of aerosols, Fog聽and cloud processes, Arctic and marine atmospheres, Aerosol-cloud interactions, New particle formation
- Methods: Experimental, Computational
- Email: rachel.chang@dal.ca
Thomas J. Duck
- Interests: Microwave satellite remote sensing, Arctic climate, Sea ice, Surface emissivities, Skin temperatures, Water vapour, Retrieval theory
- Methods: Experimental, Computational
- Website:
- Email: tduck@dal.ca
Manuel Helbig
- Interests: Climate change, Land-atmosphere interactions, Boundary layer meteorology, Coupled carbon and water cycle
- Methods: Experimental
- Email: manuel.helbig@dal.ca
Jeff Langille
- Interests:聽Remote sensing, High-resolution interferometry,聽Atmospheric composition, Water vapour, Climate, Upper troposphere, Stratosphere, Greenhouse gases
- Methods: Experimental, Computational
- Email: jalangil@dal.ca
Eric Oliver
- Interests: Ocean and climate variability, Extreme events, Predictability of climate variations, Influence of modes of variability
- Methods: Theoretical, Computational
- Website:
- Email: eric.oliver@dal.ca
Xiaoli Zhou
- Interests: Cloud physics and dynamics, Cloud-aerosol interaction, Marine boundary layer, Climate, Large eddy simulation, Remote sensing
- Methods: Experimental, Computational
- Website:
- Email: xiaoli.zhou@dal.ca
Next steps
- How to Apply: three steps, starting with a free pre-application.
- Pre-Application Form: the first step, and it's free.
- Funding: what you'll receive, where it comes from, and our scholarships.
- Degrees and Requirements: what the MSc, PhD and Graduate Diploma involve.
- Questions? Email us at physics-grad-admissions@dal.ca.