ATM S 211 - Spring 2011
ATM S 211: Spring 2011
Climate and Climate Change

course logo
Image descriptions Top-left: Ocean surface temperature off the east coast of the US; the red and orange show the warm Gulf Stream Current. Top-center: An intense North-Pacific storm off the coast of BC and the Northwest. Top-right: The Larsen Ice Shelf, in Antarctica, which collapsed in 2002. Bottom-left: The Earth photographed by Apollo 17 Astronauts when they were 28,000 miles above the surface. Bottom-center: A satellite image of the Antarctic ozone hole in September 2000. Bottom-right: A satellite image showing the amount of plant productivity in the Western Hemisphere.

Class Meeting Times and Location:
M, Tu, W, Th: 10:30 to 11:20 in JHN 075 (Lecture)
F: AA 10:30 - 11:20 in JHN 175 / AB 11:30 - 12:20 in JHN 111 (Discussion)

Instructor: Professor Joel Thornton
Office: room 506 in the Atmospheric Sciences & Geophysics Building
Office hours: TBD
e-mail: thornton@atmos.washington.edu

Teaching Assistant
: Zheng Liu
Office: room 420 in the Atmospheric Sciences & Geophysics Building
Office hours: TBD
e-mail: liuzheng@atmos.washington.edu
Catalyst class webpage

On the Catalyst web page, you will find more information about this class, e.g., syllabus, schedule, class notes and homework sets.

Discussion board

In an attempt to improve communication among students and instructors, we have created a class go-post board. Please use this forum to ask questions and get answers, share thoughts, and suggest ways to improve class. Please be polite and thoughtful in your use of the post. Click here to login.


Class Description

An introductory course for non-science majors on climate and climate change. The ultimate goal is to provide the students with a concise fundamental understanding of the chemical and physical processes which control Earth's climate so that they can  use this knowledge to be informed participants in future environmental policy debates.

To achieve this goal we will synthesize a wide array of scientific concepts and current thinking on the processes which control Earth's climate, divided into three parts:

  • Climate of the present.  We will examine the nature of the global climate system and the factors controlling its present state. Topics covered will include the global energy balance, the greenhouse effect, atmospheric circulation, the role of oceans and ice in climate, the carbon cycle, and ozone.
  • Climate of the past.   In this part of the class we will discuss how climate changed in the past on timescales ranging from billions of years to thousands of years. And we will use this information to help understand what future climates might be like. 
  • Climate of the future.  Is global warming real? Why/Why not? How will climate change over the next 100 years? Should we be concerned? What are technologies for potentially addressing human-induced global climate change?

Course Goals

(1) Learn about the climate system from modern instrumentation and theory.
(2) Learn about Earth's past climates and the evolution of life, environment, and atmospheric composition as a context for understanding modern climate change.
(3)  Learn the science necessary to understand modern environmental problems, especially from increasing greenhouse gases and ozone depleting chemicals. Empower students to participate in the debate over how to respond to global warming.