Course Syllabus
ATM 620: Climate Journal Club (Focus on Sea Ice), 3 credits
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Spring 2017
Instructor of record: Ums S. Bhatt (474-2662, usbhatt@alaska.edu, Akasofu 315)
When: FRIDAY 3-4 PM, 319 Akasofu
CRN: 35143
Office Hours: N/A
Prerequisites: Graduate Standing and a basic knowledge of meteorology and/or oceanography, climate, such that the student is able to read and comprehend current journal articles reasonably well.
Course Description:
We will read and discuss current scientific literature on the topic of the climate extremes!! You will not only learn the science but we will also work on communication skills! We will critique the writing of the chosen papers and learn to communicate clearly about science!
Materials needed:
Resources: pdfs will be provided of weekly papers
Course Goals:
To become familiar with the current state of the topic of extreme climate and improve your scientific writing.
Course Policies:
Students are expected to do the reading for each class and be prepared to discuss the paper of the week. The students should have a cogent evaluation of the paper.
Instructional Methods:
This course will be a discussion class where each week we will discuss a paper or papers of interest to build understanding of the state of understanding of sea ice.
Expected Proficiencies (Student Learning Outcomes):
Learn to discuss science in an effective manner
Develop skills to read papers critically
Improve scientific writing skills with a focus on paper structure
Improve the quality of your presentations
Timetable:
class #1 Jan 20, 2017 |
Walsh, J. E., F. Fetterer, J. Scott Stewart, and W. L. Chapman, 2016: A database for depicting Arctic sea ice variations back to 1850. Geographical Review, 107, 89-107. |
class#2 Jan 27, 2017 |
Walsh, J. E., and C. M. Johnson, 1979: An analysis of Arctic sea ice fluctuations, J Phys Oceanogr, 9, 580-591. |
class#3 Feb 3, 2017 |
no class |
class#4 Feb 10, 2017 |
Carmack, E., and Coauthors, 2015: Toward Quantifying the Increasing Role of Oceanic Heat in Sea Ice Loss in the New Arctic. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc, 96, 2079-2105, doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00177.1. |
class#5 Feb 17, 2017 |
Stroeve, J. C., V. Kattsov, A. Barrett, M. Serreze, T. Pavlova, M. Holland, and W. N. Meier, 2012: Trends in Arctic sea ice extent from CMIP5, CMIP3 and observations. Geophys Res Lett, 39, doi:10.1029/2012GL052676. |
class#6 Feb 24, 2017 |
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class#7 Mar 3 2017 |
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class#8 Mar 10 2017 |
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Spring Break Week |
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class#9 Mar 24 2017 |
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class#10 Mar 31 2017 |
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class#11 Apr 7 2017 |
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class#12 Apr 14 2017 |
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Spring Fling April 21, 2017 class #3 |
make up Feb 3 class... |
class #13 Apr 28 2017 |
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Evaluation:
Students are expected to attend the class, do the required reading, participate and lead one class discussion. Each student will lead a discussion for at least one journal article while the instructor will teach the part of the class about writing each week. The class will be graded Pass/Fail. A passing grade requires an overall percentage of 80% or greater. 50% of the grade will be based on attendance and class participation, while the other 50% will be based on the class presentation (paper led by the student).
Support Services:
Additional help can be obtained from the instructor, DAS faculty, and DAS students who have expertise on the topic of concern.
Disabilities Services:
The Office of Disability Services implements the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and insures that UAF students have equal access to the campus and course materials. We will work with the Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043) to provide reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities.