Course Syllabus

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DRAFT Understanding Climate Change Lab

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Semester & Location:

Summer 2021 - Session 1 - 2 DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:

 6 credits
Major Disciplines:

Environmental Science, Geography, Geology 
Faculty Members:

Inger Kathrine Seierstad
Program Director:

Neringa Vendelbo - nb@dis.dk
Time & Place:

Every day. Primarily 3 pm - 6 pm, but some days we will meet earlier.

 

Description of Course

Current climate change is daily featured in the news and in the media. In this course we seek to understand the mechanisms and processes behind natural and anthropogenic climate change. We will briefly walk through the climate history of the Earth before we dive into some of the driving forces behind climate change and look at some of the feedback processes that can amplify or reduce a given change in climate.

The theory provided in the lectures will be supported by experiments in a well-established lab at the University of Copenhagen. In the lab you will simulate and explore the physical mechanisms of Earth’s dynamic climate system through experiments on e.g. ocean circulation, energy balance, greenhouse gases and ice core and sediment analyses. You will be given the opportunity to design your own experiments and acquire lab-skills. An important learning objective of the course is that students show independent thinking and ability to apply the theory from lectures and readings when performing experiments in the lab. A significant part of the course is a student project where you will be working in small groups.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to

  • Identify the components of the Earth’s climate system and understand the underlying processes of our climate system.
  • Explain the main forcings behind natural climate change and which feedbacks are at play.
  • Understand the implication of enhanced greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic emissions.
  • Use evidence of past climate change in order to contextualize current and projected climate change.
  • Design and conduct experiments that simulate basic mechanisms and processes of Earth’s climate system together with fellow students.
  • Formulate a hypothesis, test the hypothesis through experiments, conclude on your results, compare your findings to existing literature and write a report.
  • Communicate your scientific work to an audience.
  • Translate theoretical knowledge from lectures and readings into practical experiments in the lab.
  • Collaborate with fellow students and show ability to work as a team when addressing scientific questions and performing lab work.
  • Show independent thinking when setting up experiments in the lab.

Faculty

Inger Kathrine Seierstad, MSc in Geology-Geophysics (University of Copenhagen). Educated within glaciology at Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute. Research on ice cores, past climate change, volcanic deposits in ice, stable isotopes and stratigraphic dating of ice cores. Participated in ice-core drillings in Greenland and Antarctica multiple times. With DIS since 2018.

Readings

F. Ruddiman: Earth’s Climate Past and Future, 3rd edition, 2014

Turney: Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past, 2008.

T. Farmer and J. Cook: Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis. Volume 1 - The Physical Climate, 2013

Marshall and R. A. Plumb: Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: An Introductory Text, 2007

Taylor: An Introduction to Error Analysis, 2nd edition, 1997

Rahmstorf: Thermohaline Ocean Circulation. In: Encyclopedia of Quaternary Sciences, Edited by S. A. Elias. Elsevier, Amsterdam 2006.

IPCC: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (AR5WG1), 2013

Field Studies

Field Studies are part of this course. Students will be visiting an Earth Science lab to interact with scientists who do research on climate-related topics. Students will also be visiting a geological site nearby Copenhagen with the purpose of observing past climate of the locality.

Approach to Teaching

The plan of topics, readings, etc. is updated on the Canvas course pages. Assigned readings and other details on the meetings are subject to change but will be updated online no later than 3 days before each meeting.

Format

Lectures, group work, experiments, discussions, field studies, student projects and presentations.

Lab

Class meetings will be divided between the lab and normal class-room lectures at a ratio of about 40:60 to allow a good balance between theory and experiments. The lab work will be supported by theoretical lectures, discussions, student presentations and wrap-ups.

Expectations of the Students

Students are expected to participate in all classes and field studies. Furthermore, active participation in class is required in order to get a good grade for participation. Please see details under Grades.

Evaluation

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work. The overall grade will come from the following:

Grading

Participation (20%): Active participation in class is required in order to get a good grade for participation. Examples of active student participation: volunteer to sum up key points from last class (2-3 min), ask questions about readings, lectures etc., start and/or participate in class discussions relating to the subjects treated, actively engage in setting up and testing experiments and actively contribute to a constructive and inspiring team work with your fellow students.

Quiz (10%): Students will conduct one Quiz with multiple choice questions and short text questions based on assigned reading and class discussions.

Experiment Portfolio (20%): Students will hand in one Experiment Portfolio during the course. The portfolio consists of a compilation of lab reports from the experiments conducted in class.

Student Project (50%): Student projects will be carried out in small groups. Each group will choose a subject, formulate a hypothesis and design an experiment to investigate the problem. The final product will be a report and an oral presentation of the project results. Required elements of each project is that students familiarize themselves with the theoretical background and the methods they are using, give a thorough description of the experiment, its purpose and the results.

 

Assignment

Percent
Participation

20%
Quiz

10%
Experiment Portfolio

20%
Student Project

50%

 


Academic Regulations 

Use of electronic devices: Laptops, phones and other portable electronic devices can be used for taking notes if in silent mode, but please refrain from writing or checking e-mail and text messages, browsing, or using social networks during class hours. During student presentations and group work, we kindly ask you to turn off or put electronic devices away.

Engaged Participation: Focused and constructive contribution in class discussions is encouraged and expected. If you feel tired, feel free to get up and walk around in the back of the classroom.

Late papers will not be accepted.

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due