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ATM S 111: Global Warming, Autumn, 2009
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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Meeting times and locations
Lectures:   MTWTh, 12:30-1:20, 220 KNE

Section AA
    Fri, 9:30-10:20, 026 JHN, Jack
Section AB
   Fri, 10:30-11:20, 302 BLM, Jack
Section AC
    Fri, 12:30-1:20, 026 JHN, Jack
Section AD
    Thurs, 1:30-2:20, 125 EEB, Jack
Section AE
    Fri, 11:30-12:20, 125 EEB, Pu
Section AF
    Fri, 9:30-10:20, 154 BAG, Pu
Section AG
    Fri, 12:30-1:20, 003 EEB, Pu
Section AH
    Thurs, 1:30-2:20, 105 EEB, Pu

Midterm Exam: Monday, November 9 during lecture
Final Exam: Thursday, December 17, 8:30-10:20am, in the same room as lecture (220 KNE)

Instructor:  Professor David Battisti
Office:    Room 304, ATG (Atmospheric Sciences Building)
Phone, email: 543-2019 battisti@washington.edu Office Hours: TBD or by appointment

TA:  Pu Lin
Office: ATG 420
email: pu.globalwarmingta@gmail.com

TA:  Jack Scheff
Office: ATG 420
email: jack.globalwarmingta@gmail.com


TA Office Hours:
M from 3:30-4:30 in ATG 420
(Note time change!)
T from 3:30-4:30 in ATG 420
W from 2:30-4:30 in ATG 420
Evening Office Hour (CLUE):
Tues from 6:30-8:00pm in MGH 228
(Note day and room change!)




Text:
The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd ed., by Rob Henson, Rough Guides, 2008. This short non-technical book summarizes the current scientific consensus.

Class Description

Human-induced climate change - popularly known as "global warming" - is emerging as one of the great challenges facing society in the 21st century. If we ignore the problem, by the end of this century the climate changes due to increased greenhouse gases will be large enough to have significant consequences on the environment and on civilization. To avoid these changes will require either (i) a wholesale change in the sources of energy used by humans, (ii) yet to be developed (economical) methods to sequester carbon on an unprecedented scale, or intentional human modification of the earth’s energy budget to partially cancel the warming that will result from the increased greenhouse gases due to human activity (so-called geoengineering solutions to global warming). At stake are deeply felt values as well as entrenched economic interests. When these are combined with scientific uncertainty, it is not surprising that global warming has sparked a raging, often passionate debate.

The primary goal of this course is to understand the basic science of global warming and its consequences to date. We will then examine how the climate is projected to change over the present century due to further human activity, and some of impacts these changes will have on ecosystems and people, especially on the global water and food supplies. The lectures will provide a critical analysis of the scientific consensus on global warming, and highlight the major sources of uncertainty in the projections of future climate. We will also examine stronger claims made by advocates on both sides - "skeptics" and "alarmists," as they are sometimes called. The term paper will examine the portrayal of these issues by the media.

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