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Syllabus
   - Meeting Times
   - Course Description
   - Prerequisites
   - Required Textbook
   - Grading Policy
   - Assignments/Quizzes
   - Term Paper

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ATM S 211: Winter Quarter 2005
Climate and Climate Change
SeaWiFS Views the Global Carbon Cycle TOMS: Antarctic Ozone Hole, 2000 The Blue Marble from Apollo 17 Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica SeaWiFS: North Pacific Low Gulf Stream's Brightness Temperature
Syllabus

PDF Version of the Syllabus

Class Meeting Times and Locations
Monday - Thursday from 9:30 to 10:20 AM in Communications Building (CMU) 120 plus Friday from 9:30 to 10:20 AM in Sieg Hall (SIG) 227 for Section AA and in Smith Hall (SMI) 407 for Section AB

Instructor: Prof. Qiang Fu
Email:qfu@atmos.washington.edu Phone: (206) 685-2070 Office: ATG 308
Office hours: Monday 12:30 to 1:30 or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Terry Kubar
Email:tkubar@atmos.washington.edu Phone: (206) 685-9303 Office: ATG 714
Office hours: Thursday 12:30 to 1:30 or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Kathleen Crahan
Email:katie@atmos.washington.edu Phone: (206) 685-2910 Office: ATG 522
Office hours: Tuesday 12:30 to 1:30 or by appointment

Course Description
This is an introductory course for nonscience majors on climate and climate change. The class will be divided in three parts:
  • Climate of the present: We will examine the nature of the global climate system and the main processes controlling climate. Topics covered will include the basic atmospheric composition and structure, solar and terrestrial radiation, the global energy balance, atmospheric circulation, the role of oceans in climate, and the carbon cycle.
  • Climate of the past: In this part of the class we will discuss how climate has changed in the past on timescales ranging from billions of years to thousands of years.
  • Global change: Is the Earth getting warmer? Why? How will climate change over the next 100 years? Should we be concerned? We will look at some of the current major environmental concerns.

Prerequisites
None. Open to all undergraduates. Note that the course caters towards nonscience majors and provides 5 credits towards the Natural World requirement.

Required Textbook
"The Earth System" (2nd Edition) by Lee R. Kump, James F. Kasting, and Robert C. Crane, Prentice Hall, 2004.

The lectures will largely follow the textbook material. Each week the students will be required to read material of direct relevance to the class.

Grading Policy
Your grade will be based on exams (one midterm and one final exam) and a number of homeworks and quizzes. Five homeworks will be set during the course. Grades will be apportioned as follows:

With writing credit Without writing credit
Homeworks: 20% 25%
Quizzes: 15% 20%
Midterm: 20% 25%
Final exam 25% 30%
Term paper 20%

You are expected to attend lectures and participate in class. Approximately five quizzes will be given without prior notice. There will be no make-up exams/quizzes except in extreme cases, in which case you must contact the instructor in advance or as soon as possible after a missed exam/quiz.

Assignments and Quizzes
The assignments will require you to answer questions (mostly short answer) drawn from lectures, the textbook, and online resources. Assignments are due in class at 9:30 on the day indicated. Late assignments will not be accepted without advanced arrangement.

Quizzes will be given throughout the quarter and will be easier than the homework. They may be given on any day of the week (including Friday) and must be taken without the use of books or notes.

Topics for Term Paper
The instructor and TAs will suggest some topics on some aspect of Earth's climate in a separate document.
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