707686 VU Climate Change: Past, Present and Future
winter semester 2019/2020 | Last update: 06.11.2019 | Place course on memo list„Climate Change“ is a term that is seen or heard daily associated with teenage activists, politicians, television documentaries, real or so-called ‚fake news‘.
After completion of this interdisciplinary lecture, students will know the physical science associated with climate change from the beginning of the earth to the predictions for the future. They will understand the methods employed by climate scientists, the various processes that lead to climate changes on different timescales, and the sensitivity of earth‘s climate to changes in greenhouse gases. The students will comprehend the role that the climate has played in shaping human evolution, as well as anthropogenically-forced climate change.
Overview of Climate Science
Earth’s Climate System Today
Methods for Studying Climate Change
Climate Change on Deep Geological Time
Climate Change in the Recent Geological Past
Climate and Human Evolution
Human Impact on the Climate
Instrumental Record of Climate Change
Future Climate Change
Lectures, discussion groups, in-class exercises
Coursework, seminar, final exam
Ruddiman: Earth’s Climate: Past and Future
Melieres and Marechal, Climate Change: Past, Present and Future
IPCC 2013: Summary for Policy Makers
Stocker et al., 2013 In: Climate Change, 2013: The Physical Science Basis
An interest in the physical science of climate change.
This is an interdisciplinary bachelor-level lecture intended to promote exchange across the institutes in the Faculty of Geo- and Atmospheric Sciences. It will be taught in English.