ATOC 3600 (GEOG 3601/ENVS 3600) Principles of Climate

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Combined annual land-surface air and sea surface temperature anomalies (°C) 1861 to 2005, relative to 1961 to 1990. Forth Assessment Report of the IPCC, Working Group 1, 2007.

Overview

The Earth’s climate has been changing since its formation 4.6 billion years ago. Climate varies on all time scales and is known to experience periods of glaciation as well as warmer periods. Since the industrial revolution, humans have burned large amounts of fossil fuels changing the composition of the atmosphere, cleared large forested regions for agriculture and caused climate to change.

This class describes the basic components of the climate system: the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and lithosphere. We investigate the basic physical processes that determine climate and link the components of the climate system. The class covers the energy budget, hydrological cycle and its role in climate, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, climate stability, global change, projecting climate and its application to human dimensions. This class is an upper level science course and will focus on the quantitative aspects of climate science.

Instructor: David Noone<dcn@colorado.edu>

When: Fall 2011; Tuesday Thursday 11:00am-12:15pm

Where: Duane, RM G125

Prerequisites: One semester of calculus, and either ATOC 1050 and 1060, or ATOC 3300/GEOG 3301, or GEOG 1001.

Grading: Clickers, homework, midterm, final exam.

Office hours: Prof.: Tuesdays after class. TA: Wed/Thurs 7-8 pm

Textbook