Course-Related Readings

Lecture 1 (Introduction):

You should review the governing equations for the atmosphere on a sphere, as we will be drawing upon these equations in subsequent lessons.

It is also assumed that you have satisfied the statistics requirement for the major and are familiar with basic statistical concepts such as the normal distribution and linear regression. NOTIFY THE INSTRUCTOR if you have any concerns about that.

Module 1: Climate Data and Statistics

Lecture 2-3 (Normal Distribution; Autocorrelation; Extremes):

Review of Basic Statistical Analysis Methods for Analyzing Data - Part 1 (from my online course Meteo 469)

Lecture 4 (Regression-Trends):

Review of Basic Statistical Analysis Methods for Analyzing Data - Part 2 (from my online course Meteo 469)

Lecture 5 (Regression-Statistical Modeling):

Review of Basic Statistical Analysis Methods for Analyzing Data - Part 3 (from my online course Meteo 469)

Module 2: Zero-Dimensional Energy Balance Model

Lecture 6 (Estimating global average temperature; Greenhouse Effect):

Zero-Dimensional EBM description (from A Climate Modeling Primer by McGuffie and Henderson-Sellers)

Lectures 7-8 (Modeling Historical Temperature Changes; Climate Sensitivity; Projecting Future Warming):

Mann, M.E., False Hope, Scientific American, 310, 78-81, 2014.

Module 3: One-Dimensional Energy Balance Model

Lecture 9-11 (Meridional energy balance; Atmospheric heat transport; Snowball Earth; Hysteresis):

One-Dimensional EBM description (from A Climate Modeling Primer by McGuffie and Henderson-Sellers)

Module 4: Role of Ocean Circulation

Lecture 12 (The AMOC; The Stommel Two-Box Model):

Discussion of Stommel (1961) Two Box Model of AMOC (section 11.4.2 in Haldvogel & Bryan chapter of Climate System Modeling, edited by K. Trenberth)

Lecture 13 (“The Day After Tomorrow”; The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation):

“What’s Going on in the North Atlantic” by Stefan Rahmstorf, RealClimate.org

(you might also check out the original article in Nature Climate Change by Rahmstorf et al).

“Climate Oscillations and the Global Warming Faux Pause” by Michael Mann, RealClimate.org

Lecture 14 (Ocean Gyres and Heat Transport; The Pacific Decadal Oscillation):

Discussion of Stommel (1948) Model of Subtropical Gyre (section 11.4.1 in Haldvogel & Bryan chapter of Climate System Modeling, edited by K. Trenberth)

(you might also check out the original Stommel (1948) article).

Wikipedia page on the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (“PDO”).

Skeptical Science commentary “Is Pacific Decadal Oscillation the Smoking Gun?”)

Module 5: The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

Lecture 15 (ENSO Basics):

Wikipedia page on the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (“ENSO”).

Lecture 16 (The Delayed-Oscillator Model):

Discussion of Delayed-Oscillator Mechanism (Section 18.3 in Cane chapter of Climate System Modeling, edited by K. Trenberth)

Lecture 17 (The Cane-Zebiak Model):

Original Cane and Zebiak (1987) article: A Model El Nino-Southern Oscillation

Lecture 18 (Climate Change and El Nino):

Cane et al (1997) Science article, Twentieth Century Sea Surface Temperature Trends.

Module 6: Climate Modeling and Climate Change

Lecture 19 (General Circulation Models):

Original Hansen et al (1983) article, Efficient Three-Dimensional Global Models for Climate Studies.

(see also the ‘Ed GCM’ project description at Columbia University)

Lecture 20-21 (IPCC Climate Model Simulations; Anthropogenic Climate Change):

IPCC Fifth Assessment Scientific Working Group Report (2013) Summary for Policymakers