Course-Related
Readings & Assignments (due before
indicated class meeting)
Class #1 (Introduction):
Readings:
DP: 6-15
Class #2 (Introduction, continued):
DP: 16-21
Class #3 (Greenhouse Gases on The Rise):
Readings:
DP: 26-28; 30-33
Assignment:
Write a short (1-2 paragraph) critique of
this
article by climate change contrarian Dr. Roy Spencer, based on your
readings and any possible supplementary sources of information you wish to
use (though note the instructions
regarding use of supplementary sources of information in the course
syllabus). Come to class prepared to
participate in a discussion.
Class #4 (The Greenhouse Effect):
Readings:
DP: 22-25; 28-29
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) WG1
Report, Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #1.3 "What is the Greenhouse Effect",
pages 6-7
"The Discovery of Global
Warming" by Spencer Weart (American Institute of Physics) The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse
Effect (the article is fairly lengthy, you may skim through it)
Assignment:
Use this online calculator
from the University of Massachusetts Geosciences Department to investigate the
impact of the
Greenhouse Effect (you can ignore the
list of questions). In this simple model, the greenhouse effect is represented
by a single parameter, the fraction of the longwave radiation emitted from the
Earth that is radiated back down towards the surface rather than escaping to
space (due to the "greenhouse effect"). The current greenhouse effect
is approximated by assuming that this fraction is 0.40 (i.e. 40%).
Do the following
calculations. Convert all answers from Kelvin to Fahrenheit.
1. The default fraction of the online
calculator is 0.397. Change this to 0.40 to estimate the current average
surface temperature of the Earth.
2. What would the average temperature of
the Earth be if there were no greenhouse effect at all? What are the implications of
your answer?
3. Assume that doubling of CO2
concentrations relative to their pre-industrial levels will increase the back
radiation from 40% to 41% (at the low
end of the range that has been calculated by scientists). How much warming will be expected?
4. Assume that instead, this doubling
increases the back radiation from 40% to 44%
(at the upper end of the calculated range). Now how much warming would
be expected in this case?
Class #5 (Observations of Modern Climate Change):
Readings:
DP: 34-39; 46-47
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, pages 3-6
RealClimate article: The Global Cooling Myth
Assignment:
Perform a google
news search on "global cooling" to determine how many news
articles in the past month (among those listed by google), refer to either the
claim that scientists were predicting global cooling decades ago, or that the
globe is currently cooling (or at least, not warming). Assess
the reliability of your sources. You will turn in what you found. Be prepared to participate in an in-class
discussion.
Class #6 (Observations of Modern Climate Change, continued):
Readings:
DP: 52-61
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently Asked Questions,
Question #3.2 "How is precipitation changing?", pages 13-14
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently Asked Questions,
Question #3.3 "Has there been a Change in Extreme
Events?", pages 15-16
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently Asked Questions,
Question #9.1 "Can Extreme Events be explained by
Global Warming?", page 27
Assignment:
Read this CNN piece
from Feb 2014 “The
weather is cuckoo this winter, but there's method to the madness” and this article from Inside Science News from June 2015 “Most
Extreme Weather Has Climate Change Link, Study Says”.
Also check out
this Huffington Post commentary by
your instructor from Jan 2014: "Drunken
Arctic Goes Head Over Heels".
Prepare a short (less than one page) essay to turn
in. Assess the prevailing thinking about the linkage between climate change and
extreme weather events.
Class #7 (A Tempest in a Greenhouse: Have Hurricanes Become
More Frequent or Intense?):
Readings:
DP: 62-63
Class #8 (“The Power of the Story in Science” workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop; bring a copy of your latest essay from
class #6]
Class #9 (Humans vs. Nature: The Competing Impacts of Humans
and Nature on Climate):
Readings:
DP: 18-19
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #2.1
"How do Human Activities Compare with Natural Influences", pages 8-10
of document
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #6.1 "What caused...climate
changes...before the industrial era?", pages
20-21 of document
Write a short essay (under 1 page,
single-spaced), in your own words, about the relative role of natural and human
factors in climate change. Be sure to include some specific examples.
Class #10 (Internet/Web Media Workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #11 (The Paleoclimate Perspective):
Readings:
DP: 40-43; 48-51;
64-67
Assignment:
Come to class ready to participate in a
discussion of how studying past climate can inform our understanding of
human-caused climate change.
Class #12 (Guest Lecture by Prof. Greg Jenkins: Examining
the multiple dimensions of climate change in West Africa)
Class #13 (Study/Work Smarter Workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #14 (Online Publishing Workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #15 (TBA)
[CONTACT INSTRUCTOR WITH SUGGESTED TOPIC FOR COURSE-END
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION]
Class #16 ("The
Day After Tomorrow": A Possible Scenario?):
Readings:
DP: 104-105
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #10.2
"How likely are..Abrupt
Climate Changes?", pages 31-32
Class #17 ("The
Day After Tomorrow": A Possible Scenario?):
(continued)
Class #18 (“The Danger of the Single Story” workshop):
[come to class
prepared to participate in workshop; bring a copy of your latest essay from
class #6]
Class #19 (Climate Modeling; Can't we Explain Past Trends by
Natural Factors Alone?):
Readings:
DP: 68-81
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#1.1 "What Factors Determine
Earth's Climate?", pages 2-3
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#1.2 "What is the
Relationship Between Climate and Weather?", pages
4-5
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#8.1 "How Reliable Are the
Models?"
Assignment:
Perform a google news search using
appropriate key words to find any news articles in the past month suggest that
the warming of the past century is likely to have been due to natural, rather
than human, influences. Briefly summarize your findings in a roughly 1 page summary. Assess the reliability of your sources. Come to class prepared to discuss some of
the examples you found.
Class #20 (Media Workshop #1):
[come to class
(W140 Pattee) prepared to participate in workshop]
[ONE PARAGRAPH BLURB ON PRESENTATION TOPIC DUE]
Class #21 (How Sensitive is the Climate?)
Readings:
DP: 84-91
Assignment:
Come to class prepared to participate
in a group discussion.
Class #22 (Projections of Future Climate Change; Emissions
Scenarios)
Readings:
DP: 82-83; 92-93
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#10.3 "If Emissions are
Reduced, How Quickly do Concentrations Decrease",
pages 33-34
Class #23 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Surface
Warming; Rainfall and Drought)
Readings:
DP: 94-103
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, page 20-22
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#11.1 "Do Projected
Changes...Vary from Region to Region?", page 3
Class #24 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Melting
Ice, Rising Sea Level, Extreme Weather)
Readings:
DP: 97; 104-115
IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, page 22-26
Assignment:
Perform a google news search to find
recent news articles discussing climate change impacts on extreme weather
events, including hurricanes, floods, droughts, blizzards, etc. Assess the
reliability of your sources. Summarize your findings in one or two paragraphs.
Come to class prepared to discuss your
examples.
Class #25 (Media Workshop #2):
[come to class
(W140 Pattee) prepared to participate in workshop]
Class #26 (The Science in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’)
Readings: