ATMS 211 Climate and Climate Change
(Download a neater PDF version here.)
Schedule details are subject to
change. Please check the class website for updates.
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Day |
Date |
Lecture
Topic
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Weekly reading |
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PART 1: CLIMATE
OF THE PRESENT |
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Week 1: The Earth System and Global Change
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M |
Jan 5 |
Course introduction |
Chap 1 (all) Chap 3 (p.44-46) |
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Tu |
Jan 6 |
Earth system intro: three global scale problems |
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W |
Jan 7 |
Atmospheric structure |
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Th |
Jan 8 |
Stratospheric ozone depletion: An introduction |
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F |
Jan 9 |
Tutorial
session: math &
chem |
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Week 2: Earth-System Case Study: Stratospheric Ozone and CFCs
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M |
Jan 12 |
Ozone, ultraviolet radiation, and biology |
Chap 17 (all) |
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Tu |
Jan 13 |
Ozone chemistry |
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W |
Jan 14 |
The Antarctic ozone hole |
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Th |
Jan 15 |
Ozone control |
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F |
Jan 16 |
Tutorial
session |
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Week 3: Earth Systems Science: Feedbacks and Balance
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M |
Jan 19 |
Holiday |
Chap 2 (all) |
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Tu |
Jan 20 |
Feedbacks illustrated using “Daisyworld” |
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W |
Jan 21 |
No class; instructor away |
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Th |
Jan 22 |
No class; instructor away |
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F |
Jan 23 |
Tutorial
session: Climate system feedbacks |
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Week 4: The Greenhouse Effect
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M |
Jan 26 |
Radiation |
Chap 3 (all) |
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Tu |
Jan 27 |
Planetary energy balance: Earth, Venus, Mars |
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|
W |
Jan 28 |
Atmospheric structure |
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Th |
Jan 29 |
Climate feedbacks and clouds |
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F |
Jan 30 |
Tutorial
session |
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Week 5: Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation
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|
M |
Feb 2 |
The large-scale movement of air |
Chap 4: p.55-61,
p.68-81; Chap 5, p.91-103.
Chap 6 (all) |
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Tu |
Feb 3 |
Regional climates |
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W |
Feb 4 |
Ocean circulation |
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Th |
Feb 5 |
Climate modeling |
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F |
Feb 6 |
Tutorial
session |
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PART 2: CLIMATES
OF THE PAST |
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Week 6: Evolution of the Earth’s Climate and Atmosphere |
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|
M |
Feb 9 |
The history of Earth’s atmosphere |
Chap 10, p.193-197.
Chap 11, p.207-220. Chap 12, p.230-244. “Snowball Earth” article |
|
Tu |
Feb 10 |
The carbon cycle |
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W |
Feb 11 |
The rise of oxygen and history of the biosphere |
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Th |
Feb 12 |
“Snowball Earth” events |
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F |
Feb 13 |
MIDTERM EXAM |
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Week 7: Ice ages; The Effect of Volcanoes and Solar Variability
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M |
Feb 16 |
Holiday |
Chap 12,p.245-249. Chap 14 (all), Chap
15 (p.296-315) |
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Tu |
Feb 17 |
The past 250 million years; Ice ages in the last 1 million
years |
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W |
Feb 18 |
Astronomical “Milankovitch” theory of ice ages |
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Th |
Feb 19 |
The last 20,000 years |
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F |
Feb 20 |
Tutorial
session |
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PART 3: CLIMATE
OF THE FUTURE |
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Week 8: Global Warming Science |
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M |
Feb 23 |
Guest lecture:
Prof. Richard Gammon: Evidence for global warming |
Chap 16 (all) 1) IPCC Summary for
Policymakers 2) Jim Hansen
article |
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Tu |
Feb 24 |
The record of average global temperature |
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W |
Feb 25 |
The contemporary, perturbed carbon cycle |
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Th |
Feb 26 |
Projections of future climate change |
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F |
Feb 27 |
Tutorial
session |
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Week 9: Global Warming Debate |
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M |
Mar 1 |
Estimating the uncertainty in climate change |
Article in Science by Prof. David King on US policy vs.
the rest of the world on global warming. |
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Tu |
Mar 2 |
Guest lecture:
Prof. Tad Anderson: Aerosols and their contribution to
uncertainty |
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W |
Mar 3 |
An analysis of the arguments of global warming “skeptics” |
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Th |
Mar 4 |
Overall global change: ecology, environment, human health |
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F |
Mar 5 |
Tutorial
session |
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Week 10: Global Warming Impacts and Policy Solutions
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M |
Mar 8 |
Regional effects of climate change |
Prof. John
Houghton, Ch. 8 of his book “Global Warming: The
Complete Briefing” |
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Tu |
Mar 9 |
Why should we be concerned? Discussion |
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W |
Mar 10 |
Strategies to slow global warming |
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Th |
Mar 11 |
Current governmental policies on global change |
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F |
Mar 12 |
Tutorial
session: Review |
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Week 11: FINALS WEEK
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|
M |
Mar 15 |
FINAL EXAM |
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