Lecture Schedule
Part I. Climate of the Present
Week 1. Climate in the Earth system
Required reading: chapter 1, chapter
2 (pp 19-25, 30-32); ch 3 (pp 34-44)
Mon 1/7 Introduction
Tues 1/8 Global
distribution of temperature and precipitation
Wed 1/9 Systems
and feedbacks
Thu 1/10 Daisyworld
Fri 1/11 Radiation
Week 2. Heat transport
Required reading: Chapter 3 (45-53),
skim ch 4
Mon 1/14 Planetary
energy balance; atmospheric composition
Tues 1/15 The
greenhouse effect
Wed 1/16 Convection
assignment 1 due
Thu 1/17 Moist
convection
Fri 1/18 Poleward
transport of heat: the Hadley circulation
Week 3. Global influences on local
climate
Required reading: ch 5 (pp 79-85, 92-96);
chapter 4 (68-77)
Mon 1/21
no class - Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Tues 1/22 Global
pattern of temperature and rainfall
Wed 1/23 Climate
zones and their connection to atmospheric circulation
Thu 1/24 Ocean
structure, wind-driven circulation
Fri 1/25 Thermohaline
circulation, introduction to the climate game
Week 4. Patterns of climate variability
Required reading: web-based materials
Mon 1/28
the climate game
assignment 2 due
Tues 1/29
Patterns of climate variability: ENSO,
AO, PDO
Wed 1/30 Global
and local impacts of ENSO, AO, PDO
Thu 1/31
Review for midterm
Fri 2/1 Midterm
1
Part 2. Climate of the Past
Week 5. Carbon cycle
Required reading: chapter 7 (pp 128-135,
138-140), chapter 8 (pp 159-171)
Mon 2/4 Plate
tectonics
Tues 2/5 Carbon
cycle I
Wed 2/6 Carbon
cycle I and Carbon
cycle II
Thu 2/7 The
cryosphere;
Evolution
of the atmosphere; the rise of oxygen; evidence about past climates
Fri 2/8 no
class - work on projects
Week 6. Climate changes on many
time scales
Required reading: chapter 9 (173-175,
182- end), 10 (201-206), and 11 (all)
Mon 2/11 Earth's
astounding history
Tues 2/12 The
last 100 million years
Wed 2/13
The last 1 million years
guest: Gerard Roe
Thu 2/14 The
last 20,000 years
assignment 3 due
Fri 2/15 no
class - work on projects
Week 7. Summation: past climate
Required reading: Chapter 12 (229-243)
Mon 2/18 President's
day holiday
Tues 2/19
The last 2,000 years
guest: Eric Steig symposium 3:30-6:00
Wed 2/20 Climate
and human history
term papers due; symposium 3:30-6:00
Thu 2/21
Paleoclimate review
symposium 7:00-9:30
Fri 2/22 no
class
Sat 2/23
symposium 9:30-12:00
Part 3. Climate of the Future: the role of humans
Week 8. Human influence on the
composition of the atmosphere
Required reading: chapter 14 (skip
nitrogen and bromine cycles)
Mon 2/25
Review for midterm
Tues 2/26 Midterm
2
Wed 2/27
Ozone
Thu 2/28
Human impact on greenhouse gases guest:
Amy Snover
Fri 3/1
The great climate debate, Part I: is the Earth really warming?
Week 9. Human influence on climate
in the 20th and 21st centuries
Required reading: ch 13 (pp 253-272);
Download these reports by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change: Science, Impacts
Mon 3/4
The great climate debate, Part II: are humans responsible?
Tues 3/5
Modeling climate change.
Wed 3/6
The great climate debate, Part III: what will the future look like?
Thu 3/7
NOVA
video: what's up with the weather? (part 1)
assignment 4 due
Fri 3/8
NOVA
video (part 2)
Week 10. Other aspects of climate change
Required reading: ch 13 (pp 273-276)
Mon 3/11
The great climate debate, Part IV: what
will be the impacts globally and on the Northwest?
Tues 3/12
Actions to slow climate change; policy introduction
Wed 3/13
International policies to slow climate change
guest: Prof. Ed Miles
Thu 3/14
Discussion of climate change (video, articles about climate change)
assignment 5 due
Fri 3/15
Review for final
final draft of W papers due
Final exam 8:30-10:20
Monday March 18