MEA 517: Fundamentals of Climate Change Science

Transcription

1 MEA 517: Fundamentals of Climate Change Science In Workflow 1. 17MEA GR Director of Curriculum 2. 17MEA Grad Head 3. COS CC Coordinator GR 4. COS CC Meeting GR 5. COS CC Chair GR () 6. COS Final Review GR 7. COS Dean GR 8. ABGS Coordinator 9. ABGS Meeting 10. ABGS Chair 11. Grad Final Review 12. PeopleSoft Approval Path 1. Wed, 03 Jun :19:15 GMT Gary Lackmann (gary): Approved for 17MEA GR Director of Curriculum 2. Wed, 03 Jun :20:02 GMT Gary Lackmann (gary): Approved for 17MEA Grad Head 3. Thu, 04 Jun :42:30 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Coordinator GR 4. Thu, 04 Jun :55:53 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Meeting GR 5. Thu, 03 Sep :03:34 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Rollback to 17MEA GR Director of Curriculum for COS CC Chair GR 6. Tue, 10 v :08:06 GMT Gary Lackmann (gary): Approved for 17MEA GR Director of Curriculum 7. Tue, 10 v :09:40 GMT Walter Robinson (warobin3): Approved for 17MEA Grad Head 8. Tue, 10 v :55:06 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Coordinator GR 9. Tue, 10 v :00:33 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Meeting GR 10. Mon, 07 Dec :07:37 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Rollback to 17MEA Grad Head for COS CC Chair GR 11. Thu, 10 Dec :32:56 GMT Gary Lackmann (gary): Approved for 17MEA Grad Head 12. Thu, 10 Dec :52:10 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Rollback to 17MEA Grad Head for COS CC Coordinator GR 13. Mon, 14 Dec :18:30 GMT Gary Lackmann (gary): Approved for 17MEA Grad Head 14. Mon, 14 Dec :02:08 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Coordinator GR 15. Mon, 14 Dec :11:22 GMT Cheryll Bowman-Medhin (clbowma2): Approved for COS CC Meeting GR 16. Tue, 15 Dec :02:43 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Approved for COS CC Chair GR 17. Tue, 15 Dec :06:21 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Approved for COS Final Review GR

2 18. Tue, 15 Dec :23:24 GMT Jo-Ann Cohen (cohen): Rollback to COS CC Chair GR for COS Dean GR 19. Tue, 15 Dec :22:30 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Approved for COS CC Chair GR 20. Tue, 15 Dec :25:13 GMT Alun Lloyd (allloyd): Approved for COS Final Review GR 21. Tue, 15 Dec :03:03 GMT Jo-Ann Cohen (cohen): Approved for COS Dean GR 22. Wed, 16 Dec :18:59 GMT George Hodge (ghodge): Approved for ABGS Coordinator 23. Wed, 23 Dec :25:04 GMT Melissa sbisch (mlnosbis): Approved for ABGS Meeting New Course Proposal Date Submitted: Wed, 03 Jun :23:47 GMT Viewing: MEA 517 : Fundamentals of Climate Change Science Changes proposed by: semazzi Course Prefix MEA (Marine, Earth, and Atomspheric Sciences) Course Number 517 Dual-Level Course Cross-listed Course Title Fundamentals of Climate Change Science Abbreviated Title Fundamentals: Climate Science College College of Sciences Academic Org Code Marine Earth & Atmospheric Science (17MEA) CIP Discipline Specialty Number CIP Discipline Specialty Title Physical Sciences, Other. Term Offering Fall Only Year Offering

3 Offered Every Year Effective Date Fall 2016 Previously taught as Special Topics? Yes Number of Offerings within the past 5 years 3 Course Prefix/Number Semester/Term Offered Enrollment 593_002 Fall _002 Fall _002 Fall _002 Fall Course Delivery Face-to-Face (On Campus) Distance Education (DELTA) Hybrid (Online/Face to Face) Grading Method Graded/Audit Credit Hours 3 Course Length 16 weeks Contact Hours (Per Week) Component Type Lecture 3 Course Is Repeatable for Credit Instructor Name Fredrick Semazzi Instructor Title Professor Grad Faculty Status Full Anticipated On-Campus Enrollment Contact Hours Open when course_delivery = campus OR course_delivery = blended OR course_delivery = flip

4 Enrollment Component Per Semester Per Section Multiple Sections? Comments Lecture DELTA/Online Enrollment: Open when course_delivery = distance OR course_delivery = online OR course_delivery = remote Delivery Format Per Semester Per Section Multiple Sections? Comments LEC Course Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Restrictive Statement Graduate student status Is the course required or an elective for a Curriculum? Yes Which Curricula are Affected? SIS Program Code Program Title Required or Elective? 17CCSMR Climate Change & Society PSM Required Catalog Description This course will present the basic science of climate change, including chemical and physical systems and processes. The students will be introduced to how the climate system works and the role of greenhouse gases in the climate system. Students will learn about climatological data, climate models and how predictions/projections are made. Emphasis will be placed upon relating predicted/projected changes to manifestations such as sea level rise and changes in the distribution and character of precipitation. Topics include the primary climate components, ocean-atmospheric teleconnections, decadal and multi-decadal climate indices, natural and anthropogenic climate variability, and climate model projections. Justification for new course: The Fundamentals of Climate Change Science course is required for the completion of the Climate Change & Society PSM (see Course of Study link: It is a prerequisite course for the MEA 518 Climate Risk Analysis course. The course provides fundamental climate science education necessary as a basis for student learning in support of the graduate degree and certificate program's mission to bridge the gap between climate science and career applications. This course has been taught for four consecutive years. We anticipate significant increase in enrollment via the launch of the online version, which has been funded for its development and supported by DELTA. Does this course have a fee? Consultation College(s) Contact Name Statement Summary College of Engineering Dr. Joe DeCarolis Dr. DeCarolis reviewed and provided a combined feedback on how MEA 517 (this course action) and MEA 518 (course action submitted simultaneously with this course action) relate to his CE 578 Energy & Climate course. Dr. Joe DeCarolis' Feedback: "My course [CE 578 Energy & Climate] is more technically oriented and does not cover the same material in the same way."

5 College of Engineering Dr. Ranji Ranjithan Summary of Comments: Both courses are relevant to our students and could be considered as potential electives. MEA 517 overlaps slightly the CE 786 Hydroclimatology course, but it provides additional material on the fundamentals of climate science. CE 772 Environmental Exposure and Risk Analysis course may have some overlap but not in apparently significant manner; however, there should be acknowledgment of CE 772 as an existing course. College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Deanna Dannels Summary of Comments: "There does not seem to be significant issues that are arising for the other courses (MEA 517 and MEA 518) as they do not duplicate content/foundational material in courses such as Risk Communication, etc." Instructional Resources Statement This course has previously been offered as a special topics course and is part of an existing faculty member's regular course load. Standard library services provided via the University. The course will be offered both in-person and online. Course Objectives/Goals The course reviews current status regarding knowledge about the fundamentals of climate variability & climate change science, national and international activities in support of climate services, and the climate research framework. The course also provides experience for students in analyzing climate data relevant to the development of adaptation and mitigation management strategies/policies in climate-sensitive application sectors. Student Learning Outcomes By the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate Master s level competence in the following: 1. Identify the 5 components of the climate system and outline the mechanisms through which each of them contributes to climate change. 2. Rank the contribution each of the leading 10 greenhouse gases in terms of their contributions to the observed global warming; for the greenhouse gases assign the corresponding levels of uncertainty in the estimates of their contributions to global warming. 3. Outline the components and balance among the atmospheric radiative and non-radiative energy budget and explain which components are responsible for driving climate change. 4. Describe the main networks of the global observational climate system and the main gaps contributing to uncertainties about past climate change. 5. Describe the basic 3-dimensional long-term average structure of the global atmosphere and global oceans. 6. Explain how the positive climate feedback processes work to perpetuate climate change. 7. Describe the main components of climate models used to make climate projections, the specific nature of advances in the formulation of the models over the past 3 decades and rank the leading remaining deficiencies and limitations that should be addressed to reduce uncertainty of climate projections. 8. Interpret climate change over the past century and climate change projections up to the end of this century in terms of the contributions of natural climate variability and human-induced climate change. Student Evaluation Methods Evaluation Method Weighting/Points for Each Details Homework 30% homework assignments; literature review presentations; progress reports presentations on course project Midterm 30% Mid-term exam Major Paper 40% Final course report: Oral Presentation (10%) Written component (30%)

6 Topical Outline/Course Schedule Topic Time Devoted to Each Topic Activity Introduction to Course 1 lecture (75 min) Overview of course: Course objectives, grading and schedule, class project, brief introduction to DELTA Moodle environment Climate Components 2 lectures Discussion of climate components (Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Lithosphere, Biosphere). The Atmosphere 2 lectures Basic structure of the atmosphere (e.g. troposphere, stratosphere, and temperature profile), atmospheric composition, and variables used to describe fluid systems and fundamental units (e.g. temperature, density, pressure, joule, watt, zonal vs. meridional wind). Origin of Earth and atmosphere. Fundamentals of Energy and Energy Transfer 2 lectures (i) Fundamentals of energy and energy transfer: electromagnetic spectrum, shortwave vs. longwave, conduction, convection, radiation principles (frequency, wavelength, laws), land/ ocean fluxes, (ii) Fundamentals of energy and energy transfer: absorption, emission, scattering, latent vs. sensible energy, greenhouse effect, and albedo Radiation Balance 2 lectures Radiation balance solar (percentages absorbed, reflected, etc.), terrestrial, simple balance equations, observed radiation balance (by season, by latitude) Representation of the Climate System in Climate Models 2 lectures Introduction to global and regional climate models, model grids, resolutions, and the evolution of climate models over time. Climate Observational Networks 2 lectures Introduction to climate observational networks (surface, upper air, oceanic datasets, satellite data, field projects, reliability of data) Mean State of the Atmosphere 2 lectures Discussion of the mean state of the atmosphere: - global temperature (seasonal variability) - geopotential height, general circulation (wind, pressure, climatological features) - variability of the general circulation, precipitation and cloudiness. Also, Circulation of a n-rotating Earth; Idealized General Circulation on Rotating Planet; Modifications to the Idealized General Circulation Mean State of the Oceans 2 lectures Discussion of ocean surface currents, deep ocean currents, general circulation of the ocean, sea surface temperatures, salinity distribution, Ekman spiral and thermohaline circulation. Governing Physical Forces of Atmospheric Motion 2 lectures Exhange Processes Between Surface & Atmosphere Discussion of factors that control climate. (Latitude; Solar Beam Attenuation; Earth-Sun Orbital Relationships; Distance to Large Bodies of Water; Circulation; Topography; Local Features; Spatial and Seasonal Variations in Energy) 2 lectures Exchange processes between the surface and the atmosphere Planetary boundary layer, stability considerations, hydrologic cycle; Climate feedback mechanisms positive vs. negative, icealbedo feedback, water vapor feedback, energy feedbacks, cloud feedbacks, bio feedbacks, climate memory.

7 Natural Climate Variability 2 lectures Discussion of natural climate variability over a broad range of time scales: intraseasonal, interannual, decadal, multi-century. Examples include ENSO, NAO, PNA, AMO, PDO, MJO, Milankovitch cycles, volcanic activity, and solar variability. Introduction to paleoclimatology. Anthropogenic Climate Variability 2 lectures Discussion of anthropogenic drivers and greenhouse gases forcing agents. Review of IPCC Assessment including evaluation of models, detection and attribution and projections of Earth's future climate. Climate Models Projections and Uncertainties 2 lectures Overview of IPCC Assessments AR3 to AR5, definitions of uncertainty in numeric probabilities (virtually certain, extremely likely, very likely, etc.). Further discussion of detection and attribution. AR5 projections. Climate modeling (projections and uncertainties) regional applications (sea level rise, hurricanes, floods), emission scenarios. Special session and exam review 1 lecture Special climate change based a current major climate event (such as El Nino) or policy action (such as COP21 climate change negotiations in Paris, December, 2015). Review for Test#1 Syllabus MEA_517_Fundamentals of Climate Change Science_Syllabus_final.pdf Additional Documentation Additional Comments mlnosbis 12/16/2015: Consultations obtained from related departments, see consultation comments above. further consultation needed. ghodge 12/16/2015 Changed the course length to the standard 16 weeks. Ready for ABGS reviewers. ABGS Reviewer comments: -Low to modest demand. Has department considered offering as dual-level to increase enrollment rather than create a course with anticipated low enrollment? -How are the oral presentations judged for DE students? How to DE students present? Course Reviewer Comments allloyd (Thu, 03 Sep :03:34 GMT): Rollback: Edits/consults, as per allloyd (Mon, 07 Dec :06:56 GMT): Positive vote of college committee, 12/3/2015, pending edits, as discussed by . allloyd (Mon, 07 Dec :07:37 GMT): Rollback: rolled back for edits, as discussed allloyd (Thu, 10 Dec :52:10 GMT): Rollback: syllabus needs edits, as discussed cohen (Tue, 15 Dec :23:24 GMT): Rollback: Rollback as requested by the committee chair. Key: 7298