GEOS 215
Climate Changes Spring 2014
Division III Quantitative/Formal Reasoning
Cross-listed ENVI 215
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Class Details

In recent years, there has been a growing public and scientific interest in the Earth’s climate and its variability. This interest reflects both concern over future climate changes resulting from anthropogenic increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases and growing recognition of the economic impact of “natural” climate variability (for example, El NiƱo events), especially in the developing world. Efforts to understand the Earth’s climate system and predict future climate changes require both study of parameters controlling present day climate and detailed studies of climate changes in the past. In this course, we will review the processes that control the Earth’s climate, like insolation, the greenhouse effect, ocean circulation, configuration of continents, and positive and negative feedbacks . At the same time, we will review the geological record of climate changes in the past, examining their causes. Laboratory exercises and problem sets will emphasize developing problem solving skills and using quantitative analyses to assess if a given explanation is possible and reasonable. These exercises will include developing and applying numerical models of the radiative balance of earth and the carbon cycle.
The Class: Format: lecture, three hours per week; one three-hour lab every other week
Limit: 20
Expected: 20
Class#: 3512
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation will be based on lab exercises and problem sets (25%), three hour exams (50%), and a final project (25%) where students will collect, analyze, and interpret data
Prerequisites: 100-level course in GEOS, CHEM, or PHYS or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences: Geosciences majors
Distributions: Division III Quantitative/Formal Reasoning
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
GEOS 215 Division III ENVI 215 Division III
Attributes: ENVI Natural World Electives
ENVS Group EB-B Electives
ENVS Group EG-B Electives
GEOS Environmental Geosciences Courses
MAST Interdepartmental Electives

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