| Date |
Topics/Activities |
Readings |
Assignments |
| |
|
|
|
*in-class
activity
|
WEEK 1: Earth Climate Overviewe
|
|
|
| M Jan 6 * |
class survey, intro., mechanics
|
Chap 1, p1-4
|
|
| Tu Jan 7 |
earth as a system (IGBP lessons)
|
Chap 1, p 4-10
|
|
| W Jan 8 * |
three global-scale problems
|
|
|
| Th Jan 9 |
climate-change evidence, weather
vs climate, aerosols vs greenhouse gases, intro to Tad's talk
|
Chap 1, p10-18
|
HW 1 handout
|
| Fr Jan 10 |
Chap 1 wrap-up
|
|
|
| |
WEEK 2: The Science of Systems |
Chap 2 (all), Chap 3 (begin) |
|
| M Jan 13 * |
global temp, system basics
|
Chap 2, p.19-23
|
|
| Tu Jan 14 |
graphs and daisy world
|
Chap 2, p. 23-28
|
HW 2 handout
|
| W Jan 15 |
feedback loops and self-regulation
|
Chap 2, p. 28-33
|
HW 1 due
|
| Th Jan 16 |
Radiation
|
Chap 3, p. 34-39
|
|
| Fr Jan 17 * |
Planetary energy balance
|
Chap 3, p. 39-42
|
|
| |
WEEK 3: Greenhouse Effect |
Chap 3 (finish)
|
|
| M Jan 20 |
Martin Luther King Day - NO CLASS
|
|
|
| Tu Jan 21 |
Atmospheric composition and
structure
|
Chap 3, p. 42-46
|
HW 2 due
|
| W Jan 22 |
Physical (molecular) causes
of the greenhouse effect
|
Chap 3, p. 46-48
|
|
| Th Jan 23 * |
Clouds in the greenhouse
|
Chap 3, p. 48-50
|
|
| Fr Jan 24 * |
Climate modeling and climate
feedbacks
|
Chap 3, p. 50-53
|
|
| |
WEEK 4: Global Circulations |
Chap 4 (all), Chap 5 (selected),
Chap 6 (selected)
|
|
| M Jan 27 |
Earth as a Heat
Engine
|
Chap 4 (65-68)
|
HW 3 due |
| Tu Jan 28 |
Global Distribution of Temperature
and Rainfall
|
Chap 4 (68-77)
|
|
W Jan 29 *
|
Kristin Larson
- tropical clouds and climate
|
|
|
| Th Jan 30 |
Oceans Circulations
|
Chap 5: 79-top of 82 (skip/skim
"Convergence", "Divergence"); 83-84 "Upwelling and Downwelling", 85-88
"Circulation of Surface Ocean" (skip/skim "Vorticity"), 88-95 "Thermohaline
Circulation", "Thermohaline Conveyor Belt"; key figures: 5-2, 5-3, 5-8,
5-14, 5-16
|
|
| Fr Jan 31 * |
Solid Earth Circulations
|
Chap 6: 97-98 (Intro/overview),
116-117 and Fig 6-21 (Plate techtonics driven by radioactive decay), 123-125
and Fig 6-27 (Wilson cycles of continental drift)
|
Abstract 1 (Opt 1) |
| |
WEEK 5: Climate of the Present |
|
|
| M Feb 3 |
Local circulations and weather
|
Platt/Popper/Tyson articles
handed out
|
HW 4 due
|
| Tu Feb 4 * |
Weather forecast with Dave
Covert
|
|
|
| W Feb 5 |
Science and Prediction
|
|
|
| Th Feb 6 * |
Recap
|
|
Group Forecasts due
|
| Fr Feb 7 |
Midterm |
|
|
| |
WEEK 6: Ancient Climates
and Earth Evolution |
Chap 7, 8, 9 (selections
as follows):
7:141-148; 8:158-170; 9: 185-186, 188-189
|
|
| M Feb 10 |
Earth History, Paleoclimate
Indicators
|
8:161-167
|
|
| Tu Feb 11 |
Inorganic Carbon Cycle
|
7:141-148
|
Report Topic (Opt 2)
|
| W Feb 12 |
Faint Young Sun, Mesozoic
Warmth, Cenozoic Cooling
|
8:159-161; 8:167-169; 8:169-170
|
|
| Th Feb 13 |
Early Earth Atmosphere, Rise
of Oxygen
|
8:158-159; 9:173-174; 9:182-185
|
|
| Fr Feb 14 |
Rise of Ozone, Oxygen and
Forest Fires
|
9:185-186; 9:188-189
|
Report 1 (Opt 1)
|
| |
WEEK 7: Recent Climates:
Ice-ages and El Nino |
Chap 11 (selected), Chap 12
(selected)
|
|
| M Feb 17 |
President's Day - NO CLASS |
|
|
| Tu Feb 18 |
Evidence of glaciations
Orbital parameters
|
11:212-215
11:215-219
|
HW 5 due
|
| W Feb 19 |
Glacial-climate feedbacks
|
"Evidence of the Ice Age"
movie
11:219-221
|
|
| Th Feb 20 |
Time scales of variability
Volcanoes and climate
|
12:229-232
12:236-240
|
|
| Fr Feb 21 |
Sun and climate
El Nino
|
12:240-242
12:244-247
|
|
| |
WEEK 8 - Global Warming Science |
Chap 7 (selected), Chap 13 (all) |
|
| M Feb 24 |
|
|
HW 6 due
|
| Tu Feb 25 |
|
|
|
| W Feb 26 |
|
|
|
| Th Feb 27 |
|
|
|
| Fr Feb 28 |
|
|
Abstract 2 (Opt 1) or First
Draft (Opt 2)
|
| |
WEEK 9 - Global Warming:
The Great Debate |
Chap 13 (cont) |
|
| M Mar 3 |
NOVA Video? |
|
HW 7 due
|
| Tu Mar 4 |
Phil Mote - local climate
impacts
|
|
|
| W Mar 5 |
Phil Mote - political state
of affairs
|
|
|
| Th Mar 6 |
Nova Video?
|
|
|
| Fr Mar 7 |
Tami Bond - the soot/methane
solution
|
|
|
| |
WEEK 10 - Ozone Hole |
Chap 14 (all)
|
|
| M Mar 10 |
Ozone introduction, scientific
history, UV radiation, column ozone depth
|
14:278-283 |
Week 9 daily reports due
|
| Tu Mar 11 |
Ozone chemistry
|
14:283-284
|
|
| W Mar 12 |
Catalytic destruction, ozone
hole, global trends, CFC regulation
|
14:284-294
|
|
| Th Mar 13 |
Environmental Science, Student
Evaluations
|
|
|
| Fr Mar 14 |
Wrap-up, review, questions
|
|
HW 8 due
|
| |
|
|
|
M Mar 17
|
|
|
|
Tu Mar 18
|
|
|
|
W Mar 19
|
|
|
Report 2 (Opt 1)
or Final Draft (Opt 2)
|