Course-Related
Readings and Assignments
Class #1 (Introduction):
Readings:
DP: 6-17
Class #2 (In-Class Academic Integrity Workshop):
[come to class prepared to participate in
workshop]
Class #3 (Greenhouse Gases on The Rise):
Readings:
DP: 32-35
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) Fourth Assessment (“AR4”) Working Group 1 (“WG1”) Report, Summary
For Policy Makers, pages 2-3
Class #4 (Greenhouse Gases on The Rise, continued):
Readings:
Assignment:
Write a short (1-2 paragraph) critique of
this
article by climate change skeptic 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)
Class #5 (The Greenhouse Effect):
Readings:
DP: 22--31
IPCC AR4 WG1 Repot, Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #1.3 “What is the Greenhouse Effect”, pages 6-7
Class #6 (The Greenhouse Effect, continued):
Readings:
“The Discovery of Global Warming” by
Spencer Weart (American Institute of Physics) The Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse
Effect
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 #7 (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
Class #8 (Scientific Uncertainty):
Readings:
DP: 20-21
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, WG1 Summary
For Policy Makers, table on page 8
Assignment:
Read the news article The
Truth About Denial from the August 13 2007 issue of Newsweek magazine. Come to class
prepared to participate in a group discussion.
Class #9 (Observations of Modern Climate Change):
Readings:
DP: 36-37
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#3.1 “How are temperature
changing?”, pages11-12
Class #10 (Observations of Modern Climate Change,
continued):
Readings:
DP: 38-39; 44-45
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 the claim that scientists were predicting global cooling in the
1970s. Briefly summarize your findings (less than 1 written page, which you will
turn in). Come
to class prepared to discuss some of the examples you found.
Class #11 (Observations of Modern Climate Change,
continued):
Readings:
DP: 48-51
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently Asked
Questions, Question
#3.2 “How is
precipitation…changing?”, pages 13-14
Class #12 (In-Class Internet/Web Workshop):
[come to class prepared to participate in
workshop]
Class #13 (Observations of Modern Climate Change,
continued):
Readings:
DP: 52-55
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…Global Warming?”, page 27
Assignment:
Read this Newsweek article from November, "Is
Global Warming Responsible for Wild Weather?". Prepare a short (1
to 2 paragraph) summary to turn in, and be prepared to participate in an in-class
discussion of the article.
Class #14 (A Tempest in a Greenhouse: Have Hurricanes Become
More Frequent or Intense?):
Readings:
DP: 56-57
Assignment:
Write a 1 or 2 paragraph summary
discussing the main point of scientific contention regarding the influences of
global warming on Hurricanes. Come to class prepared to participate in a debate.
Class #15 (The Paleoclimate Perspective):
Readings:
DP: 40-43; 62-63
Readings:
DP: 46-47; 58-59
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#6.2 “Is the Current
Climate Change Unusual…?”,
page 22
Assignment:
Write a short essay (1-2 pages), in your
own words, about how studying past climate can inform our understanding of
human-caused climate change. Be sure to include some specific examples. Make
sure to keep a copy of your essay, to bring with you to the writing workshop
which takes place after spring break.
[CONTACT INSTRUCTOR WITH SUGGESTED TOPIC FOR COURSE-END
PRESENTATION]
Class #16 (In-Class Writing Workshop):
[come to class prepared to participate in
workshop; bring a copy of your essay from lesson #15]
Class #17 (‘The
Day After Tomorrow’: A Possible Scenario?):
Readings:
DP: 60-61
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question #10.2
“How Llikely are..Abrupt Climate Changes......?”, pages 31-32
Class #18 (‘The
Day After Tomorrow’: A Possible Scenario?):
(continued
from class #17)
Class #19 (Climate Modeling; Can’t we Explain Past Trends by
Natural Factors Alone):
Readings:
DP: 64-75
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...?”, pages 25-26
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report
Assignment:
Perform a google news search using
appropriate key words to determine how many 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. Come to class prepared
to discuss some of the examples you found.
Class #20 (How Sensitive is the Climate?)
Readings:
DP: 78-85
Assignment:
[ONE PARAGRAPH BLURB ON PRESENTATION TOPIC DUE]
Class #21 (Projections of Future Climate Change; Emissions
Scenarios)
Readings:
DP: 86-87; 104-105
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#10.3 “If Emissions are
Reduced, How Quickly do Concentrations Decrease...?”, pages 33-34
Class #22 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Surface
Warming)
Readings:
DP: 77; 88-97
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#11.1 “Do Projected
Changes...Vary from Region to Region?”, page 3
Class #23 (In-Class Library Instruction Session):
[come to class prepared to participate in
instruction session]
Class #24 (Projections of Future Climate Change: Carbon
Cycle Feedbacks; Melting Ice and Rising Sea Level; Extreme Weather)
Readings:
DP: 77; 94-99
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#11.1 “Do Projected
Changes...Vary from Region to Region?”, page 3
IPCC AR4 WG1 Report Frequently
Asked Questions, Question
#10.1 “Are Extreme
Events...Expected to Change?”, page 30
Perform a google news search to find a
recent news article discussing climate change impacts on extreme weather
events. Summarize your findings in one or two paragraphs. Come to class prepared to discuss your
examples.
Class #25 (The Science in ‘An Inconvenient Truth’)
Readings: