Climate Change Processes
ATM 494/694 and GEOG 494/694 (4 credits)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fall 2017 (Aug.-Dec. 2017)
10:30-11:30 MWF (OÕNeill 305), 3:00-4:00 F (AKA 319)
Course Syllabus (Update Date: 6Sept 2017)
Instructors:
Dr. Daniel Mann, Geography Program, Geosciences Department, 366 Reichardt Bulding, dhmann@alaska.edu , Phone: 474-6929, office hours TBD
Dr. Uma Bhatt, Atmospheric Sciences, 307 IARC, Phone: 474-2662, usbhatt@alaska.edu, office hours TBD
Meeting: Course meets 4 hours per week: 10:30-11:30AM MWF in OÕNeill room 305 and 3:00-4:00 PM Friday in Akasofu room 319.
Course Description: This class explores the causes of climate change by combining a review of EarthÕs long and varied climate history with a review of the physical processes controlling climate and weather today. Lectures move between paleoclimate history and climate dynamics and back again in order to describe what is currently known about the causes of climate change on this planet. The climate dynamics portion of the class is divided into 7 topics:
1. Radiation: Shortwave radiation, longwave radiation, radiative energy balance,
2. Chemistry and Carbon Cycle:
3. Thermodynamics:
4. Dynamics of atmosphere and ocean:
5. Hydrological cycle:
6. Modeling:
7. Synthesis and relevance: sea level change, changes in Greenland, unknowns for projections of future climate, geoengineering
The paleoclimate portion of the class is divided into 4 parts:
1. Tectonic-scale climate change (billions to millions of years)
2. Orbital scale climate change (100,000 to 20,000 years)
3. Millennial-scale climate change and events of the last 40,000 years
4. Holocene and future climates
Course Prerequisites: Graduate or senior standing within Geography, Atmospheric Sciences, or the Natural Sciences, or instructorÕs permission.
Course Objectives: This is a capstone course for the B.S. Geography ÒLandscape
Analysis and Climate ChangeÓ option. It is also designed as a ÔsynthesisÕ
course for Geography, NRM, and Natural Sciences undergraduates who wish to gain
literacy in the rapidly developing field of climate-change science. Students
will gain a thorough understanding of the EarthÕs climate history and climate
dynamics. Students will be trained to critically evaluate both the validity of
paleoclimatic reconstructions and of climate-model predictions.
Instructional / Teaching Methods: This is a lecture course with weekly discussion groups. Discussion groups require summary and discussion of assigned readings from the current scientific literature.
Required Texts:
á William F. Ruddiman, EarthÕs Climate Past and Future. Third Edition 2013,
Recommended Texts:
á Dennis Hartmann, Global Physical Climatology (The International Geophysics Series, Vol 56) by Academic Press, 1994, ISBN: 012328530-5. List Price: $83.95.
á IPCC Report: Climate Change 2014: The Scientific Basis, downloadable from the www for free
Numerous climate books will be on reserve at the Geophysical Institute Library in the Akasofu Building (ground floor level).
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who are successful in this class will learn these things:
á The climate history of Earth as we now understand it, with particular emphasis on the last 2 million years.
á They will gain a basic understanding of how the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere interacted in the course of the striking prehistoric shifts between ice age and interglacial climates.
á They will become familiar with the basic concepts of climate dynamics including: global energy balance, surface energy balance, hydrological cycle, atmospheric and oceanic general circulation as related to climate, past climate, climate feedbacks, climate models, and natural and anthropogenic climate variability/change.
By the end of this class, students will:
á Be able to read journal articles in the mainstream paleoclimate and climate scientific literature
á Be able to discuss intelligently paleo- and current climate-change issues.
Apply concepts from this class to their own research where applicable (Pass comprehensive exam in Climate a Ph.D. program
Course Plan:
There will be 1-hour lectures on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and an hour meeting on Friday afternoon that will be a discussion of journal papers relevant to weekly topics. MannÕs lectures generally follow RuddimanÕs text book. BhattÕs lectures on climate dynamics are interleaved with the paleo-lectures to provide in-depth background on what we think happened in the past. Weekly quizzes cover current reading assignments and lectures. The midterm and final examinations are comprehensive and integrative.
Detailed Course Calendar:
|
Week |
Date |
Class topic and lead instructor Mann & Bhatt |
What do I need to get done for today's class? |
|
Wk 1 |
(8/28/17) Monday |
Lecture 1: Introduction to class |
|
|
8/30/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 2: Tectonic-Scale Climate Change: The volcanic hypothesis. |
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|
(9/1/17) Friday |
Lecture 3: The Chemical Weathering Hypothesis notes are together with Lecture 2 |
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|
(9/1/13) Friday PM |
No discussion classÉ |
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Wk 2 |
(9/4/17) Monday |
NO CLASS LABOR DAY
|
|
|
9/6/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 4: The Chemical Weathering Hypothesis |
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|
(9/8/17) Friday |
Lecture 5: Overview of EarthÕs Climate System & Basics principles of Radiation |
Read Chapter 2 | |
|
(9/8/17) Friday PM |
Paper Discussion 1: Hamilton, Lawrence C. "Polar facts in the age of polarization." Polar Geography 38.2 (2015): 89-106.
pdf |
Read Paper | |
|
Wk 3 |
(9/11/17) Monday |
Lecture 6: Basics principles of Radiation |
Chapter 2 continued |
|
(9/13/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 7: Earth's radiation budget |
Chapter 2 continued | |
|
(9/15/17) Friday |
Lecture 8: Earth's radiation budget and circulation |
Chapter 2 continued | |
|
(9/15/17) Friday PM |
Friday Discussion Class: Homework Problem and Project discussion
|
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|
Wk 4 |
(9/18/17) Monday |
Lectures 9: The Polar Position and BLAG (plate-tectonic) hypothesis |
Read Chapter 5 |
|
(9/20/17) Wednesday |
Lectures 10: The Polar Position and BLAG (plate-tectonic) hypothesis |
Homework 1 Radiation Balance Problem | |
|
(9/22/17) Friday |
Lecture 11: The Uplift-Weathering Hypothesis updated pdf for today, here
|
Project Choice and brief Outline Due pdf of Project Description (Handed out in class) |
|
|
(9/22/17) Friday PM |
Paper Discussion 2 Paper 1: Bonnheim, N. B. “History of Climate Engineering” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Climate Change 1, no. 6 (2010): 891–897. doi:10.1002/wcc.82, pdf. Paper 2: Fox, T. A. and Chapman, L. “Engineering Geo-Engineering” Meteorological Applications 18, no. 1 (2011): 1–8. doi:10.1002/met.245, pdf |
Read Papers | |
|
Wk 5 |
(9/25/17) Monday |
Lecture 12: Greenhouse Climates of the Past |
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(9/27/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 13: Chemistry and C cycle |
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(9/29/17) Friday |
Lecture 14: More on Chemistry relevant for climate |
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|
(9/29/17) Friday PM |
Paper Discussion 3 Walter, K. M., et al. “Thermokarst Lakes as a Source of Atmospheric CH4 During the Last Deglaciation” Science 318, no. 5850 (2007): 633–636. doi:10.1126/science.1142924 2. PDF Anthony, K. M. et al.“A Shift of Thermokarst Lakes From Carbon Sources to Sinks During the Holocene Epoch” Nature 511, no. 7510 (2014): 452–456. doi:10.1038/nature13560 PDF |
Read Papers | |
|
Wk 6 |
Distraction: Article in NYTimes titled ' Can Hollywood Movies About Climate Change Make a Difference?' 'https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/movies/mother-darren-aronofsky-climate-change.html |
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|
(10/2/17) Monday |
Lecture15: Thermodynamics & Climatology of the Earth |
Revise Project Outline | |
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(10/4/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 16: Climatology of the atmosphere |
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(10/6/17) Friday |
Lecture 17: Hydrological Cycle |
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|
(10/6/17) Friday PM |
Paper Discussion 4 |
Read Papers for this afternoon | |
|
Wk 7 |
(10/9/17) Monday |
Lecture 18: From Greenhouse to Icehouse: the last 50 my.
|
|
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(10/11/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 19: From Greenhouse to Icehouse: the last 50 my.
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(10/13/17) Friday |
Lecture 20: Milankovitch: successes
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(10/13/17) Friday PM |
Paper Discussion 6 |
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Wk 8 |
(10/16/17) Monday |
Lecture 21: Insolation Control of Monsoons, pdf
|
Homework 2 due, Problems listed in 10/4/17 notes |
|
(10/18/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 22: Exam Review
|
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|
(10/20/17) Friday |
MIDTERMEXAM |
Review for Exam | |
|
(10/20/17) Friday PM |
Paper discussion 7 |
Watch half of 'The Inconvenient Truth' and discuss | |
|
Wk 9 |
(10/23/17) Monday |
Lecture 23:Finish Hydrology and begin Dynamics of the Atmosphere
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(10/25/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 24:Atmospheric Dynamics, pdf
|
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(10/27/17) Friday |
Lecture 25: Atmosphere/Ocean Dynamics, pdf
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(10/27/17) Friday PM |
Paper discussion 8 |
Watch second half of 'The Inconvenient Truth' and discuss | |
|
Wk 10 |
(10/30/17) Monday |
Lecture 26: Atmosphere/ocean Dynamics, pdf
|
|
|
(11/1/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 27: Climate Models, pdf
|
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(11/3/17) Friday |
Lecture 28: Ice Sheets, pdf
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(11/3/17) Friday PM |
Paper discussion 9 |
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|
Wk 11 |
(11/6/17) Monday |
Lecture 29: Milankovich and GHGs, pdf |
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(11/6/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 30: Milankovich, pdf |
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(11/10/17) Friday |
Lecture 31 Eccentricity Enigma, pdf
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(11/10/17) Friday PM |
Paper discussion 10 |
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Wk 12 |
(11/13/17) Monday |
Lecture 32 Gaia, Biology and life, pdf
|
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(11/15/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 33:Gaia, Forest Fire models, pdf
|
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(11/17/17) Friday |
Lecture 34: Last Glacial Maximum, pdf
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(11/17/17) Friday PM |
Paper discussion 11 |
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Wk 13 |
(11/20/17) Monday |
Lecture 35: Last Glacial Maximum, Ocean circulation, pdf
|
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(11/22/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 36: Millennial-scale climate changes, pdf
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|
(11/24/17) |
Thanksgiving Break |
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(11/24/17) |
Thanksgiving Break |
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Wk 14 |
(11/27/17) Monday |
Lecture 37: Holocene, pdf
|
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(11/29/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 38: Climate Change Outlook, what we have seen and what we expect to see in the future.
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(12/1/17) Friday |
Final Student Presentations (2)
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(12/1/17) Friday PM |
Final Student Presentations (3) |
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Wk 15 |
(12/4/17) Monday |
Lecture 37: Climate Drivers of Browning/Greening of the Arctic |
|
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(12/6/17) Wednesday |
Lecture 38: Synthesis and Outlook, group discussion
|
Reading for today. | |
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(12/8/17) Friday |
Second Exam, part 1, paleoclimate |
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|
(12/8/17) Friday PM |
Second Exam, part 2, Climate Dynamics |
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Grading Scheme Exams, Assignments and Grading
|
Component |
Undergraduate |
Graduate |
Pop Quizes/Homework |
20% |
20% |
Paper Discussion |
5% |
10% |
Semester Project |
15% |
20% |
Class participation |
10% |
10% |
Exam 1 |
25% |
20% |
Exam 2 |
25% |
20% |
The first exam will cover lecture materials and will be in multiple-choice, short-answer and essay format. Each student will lead one of the Friday discussions. The final exam will be short-answer format and will be cover the ÔFigure packetÕ handed out early in the semester.
GRADUATE versus UNDERGRAD EXPECTATIONS AND GRADING
1) There will be a 2-tier exam structure in which graduate students will be tested on basic lecture material, but will have an additional in-class exam component. Graduate exams will be graded with different rubric and with higher expectations.
2) Graduate student article reviews will require review of 2-4 journal articles, undergrads will review 1 paper (with instructor guidance). Graduate students will review longer and more sophisticated articles, will have different assignment criteria, and will be evaluated using a different rubric and with higher expectations. Graduate students will give an oral presentation on the state-of-our-knowledge on a mutually agreed upon climate topic that requires reading numerous journal articles and synthesizing the results. This project is 20% of the graduate studentÕs grade.
3) Graduate students are expected to integrate course material into their research and/or contribute perspectives relative to their research in the course discussions.
Course grades will be
assigned as indicated at the table below. Course %Õs are for THIS course only
and may vary with different instructors. Grade point values are indicated on
the table as well. Please see ÒAcademics and RegulationsÓ section of UAF 2013-2014
Catalogue.
Grade % GP
A+ 100-97 4.0, A 96-92 4.0, A- 91-90 3.7
B+ 89-87 3.3, B 86-82 3.0, B- 81-80 2.7
C+ 79-77 2.3, C 76-72 2.0, C- 71-70 1.7
D+ 69-67 1.3, D 66-62 1.0, D- 61-60 0.7
Grade Expectations: All grades are
determined on an absolute score as above (with no curve) In general, grades will
reflect the following about your class performance:
A = 90-100 percent: outstanding work,
mastery of topic
B = 80-89 percent: above average work,
all assignments completed well
C = 70-79 percent: average, all or most
assignments completed, most work satisfactory
D = 60-69 percent: pass, unsatisfactory
or missing work
F = less than 60 percent: failure to
meet requirements of course
Support and Disabilities Services: The
UAF 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. The course instructors will work with the Office of
Disabilities Services to provide reasonable accommodation to students with
disabilities. Please notify the instructor of any special needs.
Plagiarism etc: Plagiarism and cheating
are matters of serious concern for students and academic institutions. The UAF
Honor Code (or Student Code of Conduct) defines academic standards expected at
the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which will be followed in this class.
(Taken from the UAF plagiarism web site, which has many links with good
information about this topic).
Extra Credit: Extra credit is not an option in this course except
under unusual circumstances.
Semester Project Details
Deadlines for Project
Project Topics suggestions but we are open to a wide variety of topics that may stir your passion for learning.
1. El Ni–o: Air-sea interactions in the tropics and predictability
2. El Ni–o: Teleconnections to remote parts of the globe
3. Hadley Circulations
4. South Asian Monsoon
5. Impact of Humans on Climate - Early
6. Impact of Humans on Climate - Recent
7. North American Ice Sheets and Climate
8. Sahel Rainfall Variability and Trends
9. Climate variability of the Amazon Basin
10. Abrupt Climate Change Ð Younger Dryas
11. Atlantic Hurricanes: Trends and controversies
12. Multi-decadal variability of the Atlantic Sector
13. Multi-decadal variability of the Pacific Sector
14. Changes in global mean sea level
Project Requirements
1. Prepare and present a 30-minute for graduate level and 15-minute for undergraduate level (including questions) talk to the class on the chosen topic. 60% of project grade is based on the presentation.
2. Write a term paper on the topic (5 pages undergraduates, 10 pages graduates). 40% of project grade is based on the paper
Expectations of Undergraduate Level Students for Project
Expectations of Graduate Level Students for Project
Page was last updated on: September 10, 2017