11:670:461 Climate Dynamics
http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/climdyn2017/

Prerequisites: 11:670:324 DYNAMICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE and 11:670:431 PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY

Required Text:

Goosse, H., P.Y. Barriat, W. Lefebvre, M.F. Loutre, and V. Zunz, 2010:  Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling.  Online textbook available at http://www.climate.be/textbook

or buy the updated text:

Goosse, Hugues, 2015: Climate System Dynamics and Modelling, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK), 378 pp.

Reference Texts:

IPCC

The Copenhagen Diagnosis

Other climate textbooks:

Hartmann, Dennis L., 2016: Global Physical Climatology, 2nd Edition (Elsevier, Amsterdam), 498 pp.
       Home page for Physical Climatology at the University of Washington, taught by Prof. Hartmann using this book.

Pierrehumbert, Raymond T., 2010:  Principles of Planetary Climate, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK), 680 pp.

Neelin, J. David, 2011:  Climate change and climate modeling, (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge), 282 pp.

Archer, David, and Raymond Pierrehumbert (Editors), 2011:  The Warming Papers, The Scientific Foundation for the Climate Change Forecast, (Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK), 419 pp.

Peixoto, José P., and Abraham H. Oort, 1992: Physics of Climate, (American Institute of Physics, New York), 520 pp.

Trenberth, Kevin E., Ed., 1992: Climate System Modeling, (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge), 788 pp.

For links to other important global warming source material, visit the US Global Change Research Program web page, http://www.globalchange.gov/

Learning Goals:

Upon completion of this class, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of anthropogenic impacts on atmospheric chemistry and climate and their potential environmental and societal consequences.
  2. Exhibit critical thinking when confronting new information.
  3. Communicate clearly orally and in writing, including by electronic means.
  4. Apply the mathematical and physical foundations of meteorology and climatology to solve problems using analytical and computational methods.

 

Professor Alan Robock
Room 225, Environmental and Natural Resources Building
Phone: 848-932-5751, E-mail: robock@envsci.rutgers.edu

Classes in Room 223, Environmental and Natural Resources Building
Monday and Thursday, 12:35 p.m. to 1:55 p.m.

CLASS SCHEDULE [Revised]

Date

Subject

Reading*

Sept. 7

Introduction

IPCC WG I Summary for Policymakers

Sept. 11

Climate System - Atmosphere

G1

Sept. 14

Climate System - Ocean

G1

Sept. 18

Climate System - Ice and Land

G1

Sept. 21

Climate Variability, El Niño, ENSO, QBO, AO

G5, Hansen et al. (2010), McPhaden et al. (2006), McPhaden (2015)

Sept. 25

IPCC, Reconstructing Past Climates

G5, NAS report, IPCC, Vinnikov et al. (2002), Vinnikov et al. (2004)

Sept. 28

IPCC, Reconstructing Past Climates

G5, NAS report, IPCC, Vinnikov et al. (2002), Vinnikov et al. (2004)

Oct. 2

Energy Balance  Term Paper Topic Due

G2

Oct. 5

Energy Balance

G2

Oct. 9

Agricultural Modeling [Lili Xia]

 
Oct. 12

Exam 1 

 

Oct. 16

Water and Carbon Cycles

 G2, Oki and Kanae (2006), Robock et al. (2000), Robock et al. (2003a)

Oct. 19

Water and Carbon Cycles

G2

Oct. 23

Climate Modeling

G3

Oct. 26

Radiative Forcing, Climate Feedbacks 

G4

Oct. 30 Long-range Weather Forecasting see handouts
Nov. 2 Future Climate Scenarios, Global Warming  Term Paper Outline Due G6, AR5 WG I Technical Summary

Nov. 6

Global Warming

G6

Nov. 9

Geoengineering

Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering

Nov. 13

Geoengineering

Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering

Nov. 16

Policy Debate

AR5 WGII, Poland Coal, Carbon Offsets, Exxon report

Nov. 20

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate 

Robock (2000)

Nov. 21 TUESDAY

Volcanic Eruptions and Climate  Term Paper Due

 
Nov. 23 THANKSGIVING

 

Nov. 27

Ozone Hole 

Montreal Protocol, YouTube

Nov. 30

Nuclear Winter

http://climate.envsci.rutgers.edu/nuclear/

Dec. 4

Term Paper Presentations

 

Dec. 7

Term Paper Presentations  
Dec. 21, noon - 3pm Final Exam  

*G = Chapter in Goosse

Course grade will be determined by:

Homework

    25%

Term paper

    25% (paper 15%, oral 10%)

Exam

    20%

Final exam

   30%

 

  100%


Prepared by Alan Robock (robock@envsci.rutgers.edu) - Last updated on October 1, 2017