Climate Change

Module Provider: Meteorology
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: MT24A Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics MT24B Atmospheric Physics
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Module version for: 2016/7

Summary module description:
Climate change over the past century and coming century, and its likely causes.

Aims:
This module aims to develop an understanding of the fundamental physics of climate change, an understanding of observations of changes in atmospheric composition and climate change in the recent past, to quantify the extent to which these changes are understood, examine the degree to which these changes are due to human activity and natural variations, and to investigate predictions of future climate change.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of this module, a student should be able to:
Explain how the Earth?s climate has changed in the recent past
Explain how human activity has caused a change in atmospheric composition, and the sources of uncertainty in our understanding
Describe the contribution of atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle to climate change
Describe the hierarchy of climate models and their limitation. Demonstrate how these are used to understand the observed changes and the degree to which past changes can be attributed to human and natural causes
Calculate temperature changes using simple climate models
Demonstrate knowledge of predictions of future climate and the causes of uncertainty in these predictions.
Additional outcomes:
The computer practical will develop skills in using simple models to compare to measurement data.

Outline content:
Observations of recent climate change Observations of recent changes in atmospheric composition including an elementary introduction to atmospheric chemistry Radiative forcing and simple models of climate change Sophisticated climate models Key uncertainties in climate models, with a special focus on cloud feedbacks Detection and attribution of past climate change Prediction of future climate change including brief discussion of impacts

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Two 50-minute sessions per week, which will include conventional lectures and computer based practicals. Students will be encouraged to attend regular seminars from the Department's internal and external seminar programmes (typically four in the spring term).

Contact hours:
Lectures- 18
Practicals classes and workshops- 2
Guided independent study- 80
Total hours by term- 100
Total hours for module- 100

Summative Assessment Methods:
Written exam- 70%
Set exercise- 30%

Other information on summative assessment:
Formative assessment methods:

Length of examination:
One 1.5 hour University examination. Students are asked to answer 2 out of 3 questions

Requirements for a pass:
40% overall

Reassessment arrangements:
Resit examination paper only in August/September.