<p>Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 1. Survey of Earth’s climate system and factors that cause globe’s climate to change. Study of most important properties of climate, and how they vary and connect geographically and over time. Explanation of physical laws governing climate variations and interconnections to build basic-level understanding of natural climate phenomena and impacts of human industrial and agricultural activities. Explanation of source of Earth’s heat energy, determinants of temperature near surface and throughout atmosphere, and how observed seasonal and spatial variations are created. Introduction to various motion systems in atmosphere and ocean and their governing physical laws. Exploration of nature and causes of past changes in global climate evident in paleo-records. Survey of current understanding of ongoing human-caused climate change event, and how climate models are used to develop projections of future climate change. P/NP or letter grading.</p>

General Catalog

Global Climatology and Climate Change

GEOG 119

4 units