Date	Date	Topic	Readings
Jan 13	Tu	Overview of the climate system	Chapter 1 Select an Introductory Oceanography text and read sections on a) properties of water, b) atmospheric structure and c) circulation and ocean currents
Jan 15	Th	Radiation and the atmosphere	Chapter 2
Jan 20	Tu	Heat transfer in the atmosphere and oceans	Chapter 8, 2001, Aguardo E., and J.E. Burt, Understanding weather and Climate, 2nd Ed., Prentice Hall, 505 p.
Jan 22	Th	Deep water, ice and vegetation
Jan 27	Tu	Climate archives (1) (2)Climate Models	Chapter 3 Climate Model Primer
Jan 29	Th	Faint young Sun	Chapter 4 1989, Berner, R.A., and A.C. Lasaga, Modeling the geochemical carbon cycle, Sci. Amer. 260(3):74-81, 1999, Berner, R.A., A new look at the long-term carbon cycle, GSA Today 9(11):1-6, 1988, Kasting, J.F., Toon, O.B. and Pollack J.B., How climate evolved on the terrestrial planets, Sci Amer. 258(2):90-97.
Feb 3	Tu	The BLAG theory: CO2 input	Chapter 5
Feb 5	Th	The uplift weathering theory: CO2 removal Topic of research due!	2003, Shaviv, N.J., and J. Veizer, Celestial driver of Phanerozoic climate, GSA Today 13(7):4-10.  See also Rahmstorf et al., Cosmic rays, carbon dioxide and climate, EOS, 85(4) 38-41. Royer et al., CO2 as a primary driver of Phanerozoic climate, Geology Today, 14(3) 4-10.
Feb 10	Tu	Climate on the supercontinent Pangaea
Feb 12	Th	The Cretaceous greenhouse climate	Chapter 6 1995, Larson, R.L., The mid-Cretaceous superplume episode, Sci. Amer. 272(2):82-86., 2000, Kring, D.A. Impact events and their effect on the origin, evolution, and distribution of life. GSA Today 10(8):1-7.
Feb 17	Tu	Tectonic-scale changes in sea level
Feb 19	Th	Oxygen isotopes	Chapter 7
Feb 24	Tu	Causes of cooling during the last 55 million years
Feb 26	Th	EXAM I (100 points)
Mar 2	Tu	Orbital variations and changes in insolation received on Earth	Chapter 8
Mar 4	Th	Orbital changes in monsoons	Chapter 9
Mar 9	Tu	Orbital changes in ice sheets	Chapter 10 1997, Petit, R.J. et al., Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Nature, 399:429-436.
Mar 11	Th	Ice core records: CO2, CH4, dust	Chapter 11
Mar 16	Tu	Carbon isotopes and orbital changes in the climate system	Optional Reading: 2004, Sigman et. al., Polar ocean stratification in a cold climate, Nature, 428:59-63; 2004, Francois, Cool stratification, Nature, 428:31-32.
Mar 18	Th	Orbital-scale forcing and response (continued)	Chapter 12
Mar 23	Tu	HOLIDAY: Spring Break
Mar 25	Th	HOLIDAY: Spring Break
Mar 30	Tu	The last glacial maximum	Chapter 13 1995 Broecker, W.S., Chaotic Climate, Sci. Amer. 273(5):62-68.
Apr 1	Th	Exam II (100 points)
Apr 6	Tu	The last deglaciation	Chapter 14
Apr  8	Th	Millennial scale oscillations	Chapter 15
Apr 13	Tu	Historical changes in climate	Chapter 16 1999, Broecker, W.S., What if the conveyor were to shut down? Reflections on a possible outcome of the great global experiment. GSA Today, 9: 1-7.
Apr 15	Th	Historical changes in climate (continued) Research paper due (100 points) Earthinquiry problem set due (100 points) Final exam handed out.  This take home exam is due Thursday May 14 before noon.
Apr 20	Tu	Humans and climate change (Richard Wallsgrove)	Chapter 17
Apr 22	Th	No Class
Apr 27	Tu	Coral reefs and climate (Donovan Steutel)
Apr 29	Th	Climate in the 20th century (Marian Westley)	Chapter 18
May  4	Tu	Future climate and policy (Marian Westley)	Chapter 19

Thursday May 13, 2004 9:45-11:45 Final exam (200 points) & revised research paper due.

Grading:

                Earthinquiry long-term climate problem set – 100 points
                Exams – two exams each worth 100 points
                Final comprehensive take-home exam – worth 200 points
                Research paper – ~15 page paper worth 100 points

Research Paper:

This course requires an in-depth library/web-based research paper on some aspect of global climate change.  Some examples might include an update of the “cool-tropics paradox”, the causes and consequences of the late Paleocene thermal maximum, or the role of the Southern Ocean in regulating glacial-interglacial variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.  Alternatively, the paper may instead be focused on current climate trends such as the role of sulfate aerosols on greenhouse warming or of how CFC concentrations in the atmosphere are influencing stratospheric ozone levels.  I expect the papers to be approximately 15 pages in length (single spaced), well written and fully referenced.  Diagrams, figures and tables are encouraged.  The topic of the paper is due on February 5, 2004.  I expect a brief 1-paragraph summary of the topic that you expect to research.  The 1-paragraph summary is worth 10 of the 100 points.

If the paper is not turned in on February 5, you will lose 10 points.  I will exercise the option to approve or not approve/modify the topic.