ATM S 211 Winter 2006
Climate and Climate Change
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/2006Q1/211
Detailed Course Schedule
Day-to-day topics and required readings are subject to change! Supplementary reading material will be added at times. Please check the schedule often.

Leture notes are compiled weekly and make available via the link "WEEK X: ..." in the rows highlighted in blue below. They should be ready by late Saturday prior to each week. Synoposes of inividual lectures are available for most lectures now. These were written by the instructor the last time she taught the course. Previous students said they would prefere the lectures themselves, so the synopses will not be updated this quarter.

Date Lecture topic Required reading Assignt. due
  WEEK 1: Climate of the Earth System 1/page, 6/page

 
Tu 1/3
Introduction, Global change versus Greenhouse Effect Chapter 1, p 1-10

W 1/4
Synopsis of Chapter 1 Chapter 1 p 11-15,Joint Academies Statement, Dec 6, 2005 senate letter to the president

Th 1/5
Introduction to systems and feedbacks Chapter 2 p 18-23 (skip 22)

F 1/6 Review, feedback diagram exercise


  WEEK 2: Local energy balance
Lecture notes for M and Tu  1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes for Tu?, W, Th 
1/page, 6/page
Revised Lecture notes at the end of the week
1/page, 6/page

 
M 1/9 Daisyworld
Chapter 2 p 24-31

Tu 1/10
Radiation
Chapter 3 p 34-41

W 1/11 The greenhouse effect Chapter 3 p41-54 #1
Th 1/12 Clouds and convection
Auxiliary Notes

Fr 1/13  Review


  WEEK 3: Atmospheric heat transport and global climate patterns
Lecture notes for all week  1/page, 6/page
Revised Lecture notes at the end of the week
1/page, 6/page

 
M 1/16
MLK day


Tu 1/17 Finish Ch 3


W 1/18 The general circulation of the atmosphere Chapter 4 p 55-66 #2
Th 1/19
The seasonal cycle, monsoons, etc Chapter 4 p 60-72
Fr 1/20 Review


  WEEK 4: The oceans' role in climate
Lecture notes for M,Tu,W
1/page, 6/page
(no revisions needed)

 
M 1/23 Global climate patterns Chapter 4 p 72-81  
Tu 1/24 Ocean structure; Wind-driven ocean circulation Chapter 5 p 83-91, skip p 89-90
W 1/25 The thermohaline circulation Chapter 5 p 91-103 #3
Th 1/26 Finish Ch 5


F 1/27 Review for midterm #1

  WEEK 5: Carbon cycle
Lecture notes for the week Tu, W, Th
1/page, 6/page
Revised lecture notes for the week 1/page, 6/page
   
M 1/30 Midterm #1    
Tu 1/31 Shaping Earth's surface
Chapter 7 p126-131, 141-143, and fig 7-25

W 2/1
Carbon cycle I Chapter 8 p147-158 skip blue box text on p155

Th 2/2
Carbon cycle II Chapter 8 p158-169, skip blue boxes on p 162,3, & 9,  read "chemistry of inorganic carbon in water" section for bottomline only

Fr 2/3 Review


  WEEK 6: Climate change on very long time scales
Lecture notes for W (from last week) Th 1/page, 6/page

 
M 2/6
Relating past and future climates - Guest lecture in class activity, be reading chapters 12

Tu 2/7
Species survival in a warming climate - Guest lecture see previous

W 2/8
Carbon cycle revisited, discuss sequestration article
Vastly better acount of CO2  gas exchange and acidification - optional but short and highly recommended

sequestration article html, pdf
#4
Th 2/9
The last 500 million years Chapter 12

F 2/10
Make posters and review


  WEEK 7: Climate change on long timescales
Lecture notes for M
1/page, 6/page
Snowball Earth Timeline 1 page
Revised  slides from "Week7a batch"
1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes for T 1/page, 6/page (but didn't get this far)

 
M 2/13
The past 3 million years or so and  Milankovitch Chapter 14

Tu 2/14
The Holocene Chapter 15 upto page 306

W 2/15
Poster Symposium I

Th 2/16
Poster Symposium II
 
F 2/17
Review, Turn in Project Report and Poster Reviews

project due
  WEEK 8 - More recent climate change
Lecture notes for Tu
1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes for Th 1/page, 6/page
 
 
M 2/20
Presidents' Day


Tu 2/21
The holocene and Rapid Climate Change
Chapter 15 upto page 306
 
W 2/22
Midterm #2 Chap 8, 12, 14, and 15 through p 306


Th 2/23
Hockey Stick, El Nino and PDO
Chapter 15 to end

F 2/24
In Class Exercise - estimate your CO2 impact
 
  WEEK 9 - Other aspects of climate change
Lecture notes for M-Tu
1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes for Th 1/page, 6/page

 
M 2/27
Global warming - anthropogenic CO2
Chapter 16 p317-324

Tu 2/28
Climate modeling Chapter 6 p 104-107,  p109 column 2 midpage through p111, and fig 6-5

W 3/1 Global warming future projections and uncertainty Chapter 16 p325-329

Th 3/2 Global warming impacts and economics
Chapter 16 p330-340
IPCC summary for policy makers

Fr 3/3 Discussion
local imapcts reading assignment
#5
  WEEK 10 - Other modern atmospheric problems
Lecture notes for M 1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes from Tu 1/page, 6/page
Lecture notes from W 1/page, 6/page

 
M 3/6  Ozone Hole 
Ch 17 read carefully p 342-350 & p 357-360, read the rest of the chapter for qualitative understanding, you won't be expected to know the chemical reactions

Tu 3/7  Alternative energy sources - Clark Kirkman
TBA

W 3/8  Energy use and global warming policy Pew Center report on International Data on GHG Emissions p 1-15

Th 3/9  Wrap up


F 3/10 Review session for final
#6 and Final drafts of W papers
M 2/13  FINAL EXAM 8:30-10:20 am


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