Climate and Climate Change
ATOC183

Introduction:

Earth radiation balance. General circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. Feedbacks between the various spheres of the climate system. Use hydrological and carbon cycles as examples of potential feedbacks. Faint Young Sun paradox as an example of forced climate change and introduction of chemical weathering and the earth thermostat. Geological era, period and epoch.

Climate change on various time scales...

Ranging from 10 Myr, forced by plate tectonics [e.g. snow ball earth, Rocky Mountain and Tibetan Plateau formation, opening of the Drake Passage, Closing of the Isthmus of Panama and Indonesian throughflow ], to 10 Kyr, forced by orbital changes [ e.g. Milankovich cycle, climate of the last 3 million years gradually changing from 20 to 40 to 100 Kyr, effect of changing climate on human evolution, modeling of the 100 Kyr cycle], and to 1 Kyr and shorter time scale, forced by variation in solar insolation, or arising from natural variability [e.g. Dansgaard Oschgaard Oscillations, Heinrich Event, modeling of the DO event and Henrich event, Bond cycles].

Climate change: recent history.

Forced or natural climate variability? Little ice age, climatic optimum, medieval warm period, droughts, flash flood.

Climate of the 20 and 21st century:

Evidence of climate change [e.g. global mean temperature, ice melting, sea level rise, vegetation change, etc. Relationship between CO2 and global mean temperature? Arctic climate changes and polar amplification. Future climate change [e.g. stability of ice sheet, changes in precipitation pattern, etc]. Potential negative feedback - fresh water budget, ice-cloud-albedo feedback) ]; modeling of the climate [e.g. GCMs]; Global Warming Skeptics.

Evaluation:

Participation (assignment and thought of the day): 30%
Midterm #1: 30%
Midterm #2: 30% (60% if mark is higher than midterm #1)
Final: 40%

References:

Ruddiman, W.F., 2001: "Earth's Climate: Past and Present", WH Freeman and Co.

Mann, M.E. and Kump, L.R.: "Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming", Pearson Education.

Archer, D. "Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast", Blackwell Publishing.

Ahrens, D. "Meteorology Today", Thompson Brooks/Cole. <\p> Thrurman, H. "Introductory Oceanography", Prentice Hall.

www.realclimate.org.

Skeptics: http://www.amazon.com/Global-Warming-Books/lm/2CJN7X5H90MNT

Disclaimer:

McGill values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offenses under the code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (www.mcgill.ca/integrity).

Week #1 - Jan 5/7, 2011

First lecture: Introduction. Course Outline. "The Global Warming Case". But... First thing first: The Earth Radiation Budget.

Second lecture: "But... First things first - continued". Revisit the Earth Radiation Budget. Identify key factors responsible for natural and anthropogenic climate variations/changes.

Assignment #1. PDF copy

Reading:

• Meteorology Today, Chapter 2: "Warming the Earth and the Atmosphere", Ahrens, D.PDF copy

Week #2 - Jan 12/14, 2011

First lecture: "But... First things first - continued". Introduction to the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) and "The Global Data Visualisation Software (INGRID)"..

Second lecture: "But... First things first - continued". The Global Atmospheric Circulation.

Assignment #2:PDF copy

Reading:

• Meteorology Today, Chapter 7, "The Global Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation"PDF copy

Week #3 - Jan 19/21, 2011

First lecture:"The Global Ocean Circulation".

Second lecture: "The Earth History". The Faint Young Sun Paradox - Chemical Weathering and the earth thermostat.

Assignment #3:PDF copy

Readings:

• Meteorology Today, End of Chapter 7, "The Global Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation"PDF copy

• Ruddiman, Chapter 7, "Faint Young Sun Paradox". PDF copy

Week #4 - Jan 26/28, 2011

First lecture: Observational and Paleo record of atmospheric CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

Second lecture: Delta O18 as a paleothermometer" . Delta O18, atmospheric temperature, ocean temperature and earth ice volume.

Assignment #4:PDF copy

Readings:

• Ruddiman, Chapter XX, "Paleo CO2 Chapter". PDF copy
• Ruddiman, Chapter YY, Delta O18 Chapter.PDF copy

Week #5 - Feb 02/04, 2011

First Lecture: "Plate Tectonic and Climate Change". Closing of the Drake Passage and Isthmus of Panama. Indonesian Throughflow.

Second lecture: Midterm Examination #1.

Assignment #5:PDF copy.

Readings:

• Ruddiman, Chapter XX, Plate Tectonic and Climate Change Chapter.PDF copy

Additional Readings:

• Scher and Martin, "Timing and Climate Consequences of the Opening of the Drake Passage, Science, 2006 PDF copy.
• Cane and Molnar, "Closing of the Indonesian seaway as a precursor to east African aridification around 3-4 millions year ago", Nature, 2001 PDF copy
• Haug and Tiedemann, Effect of the formation of the Isthmus of Panama on Atlantic Ocean thermohaline circulation, Nature, 1998PDF copy
• Raymo and Ruddiman, "Tectonic forcing of late Cenozoic climate", Nature, 1990. PDF copy

Week #6 - Feb 09/11, 2011

Fist lecture: Milankovitch Cycles - Orbitally forced climate change.

Second lecture: Rapid Climate Change. Heinrich Events and Dansgaard Oeschger Oscillations.,/p>

Assignment #6:PDF copy:

Readings:

• Ruddiman, Chapter 8, Milankovitch Theory.PDF copy
• Ruddiman, Chapter XX, Heinrich Event + DO Events.PDF copy

Week #7 - Feb 16/18, 2011

First lecture: The Younger Dryas - Rapid Climate Change, continued.

Second lecture: Noah's Flood and Sea Level Rise

Week #8 - Feb 23/25, 2011

Week #9 - Mar 2/4, 2011

First lecture: Polar Amplification - Arctic Climate Change. Rapid decline in Arctic summer sea ice extent.

Second Lecture: "The last Arctic Refuge". Ice Tracker Program.

Assignment #7:PDF copy

Readings:

• Pfirman, Tremblay, Fowler, Scientific American, 2009: PDF copy
• Holland, Bitz, Tremblay, Geophysical Research Letters, 2006PDF copy
• Tremblay et al., Computation in Science and Engineering, 2006.PDF copy
• Pfirman, Tremblay, New Scientists, 2009. PDF copy

Week #10 - Mar 9/11, 2011

First lecture: Climate Change Case - Revisited.

Second Lecture: Climate Modeling : General Circulation Models - IPCC.

Assignment #8:PDF copy

Readings:

• Jim Hanson, Vermont Law Suit.PPT copy
• Jim Hanson, Vermont Law Suit, Written NotesPDF copy

Week #11 - Mar 16/18, 2011

First lecture: Midterm Exam #2.

Second lecture: El Nino and Climate Feedback involving Ecosystems

Assignment #9:PDF copy

Readings:

• Joel Norris Public Lecture