Climate Studies Research Faculty

RSM 520 Climate & Society: a multidisciplinary approach (Spring 2006)
MPO 632 Climate Dynamics (Fall)
RSM 571 Climate and Society (Spring)
RSM 572 Carbon and Climate (Spring)
MGG 676 Paleoclimate (Spring)

This course is designed to provide students from different disciplinary backgrounds with an overview of the underlying physical processes, general concepts, and policy debates surrounding current climate issues. Topics covered include: physical science principles related to climate issues; social science concepts relevant to understanding climate and society interaction; specific case studies addressing the interrelated physical, sociopolitical and economic issues; and a synthesis of cross cutting themes. Emphasis will be placed on various methodological approaches to studying climate related issues. Experts on specific topics will give guest lectures.

RESPONSIBLITIES/GRADING
30% - class participation (leading discussions, topic presentation)
30% - midterm
40% - project (30% written, 10% presentation)Updated syllabus available in Blackboard. Please check Blackboard regularly for updated schedules, assignments and announcements.

COURSE OUTLINE
I. Science and Society overview
Readings (for Thurs. Jan 19, 2006):
1. Chpt. 1 in: Kates, R. W., J. H. Ausubel, et al., Eds. (1985). Climate Impact Assessment: Studies of the Interaction of Climate and Society, SCOPE 27. Chichester, England, John Wiley & Sons.
2. Stern, P (1993). “A second environmental science: Human-environment interactions.” Science, 260,1897-1899.
3. Hart, D. M. and D. G. Victor (1993). "Scientific elites and the making of US policy for climate change research, 1957-74." Social Studies of Science 23: 643-80.
II. Global Warming
III. Ozone
IV. Climate Variability
V. Extreme Events
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MIDTERM EXAM
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PROJECT SELECTION
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CASE STUDIES:
VII. Climate and Marine Ecosystems
Readings:
Guest Speakers: Vera Agostini
VIII. Risk
Readings:
IX. Climate and Human Health
Readings:
Guest Speakers: Lora Fleming
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FINAL PROJECTS AND PRESENTATIONS
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Academic honesty: Students are expected to know and follow all UM policies regarding academic honesty. If you are not familiar with these policies we recommend you review the appropriate sections of your UM student handbook.
Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities should identify themselves to us during the first week of classes. Arrangements for your needs will be made in cooperation with UM’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) as necessary to provide you with an effective learning experience in this course. All such arrangements related to your disability will be kept confidential. You may contact ODS at 284-2800, or visit them in the Academic Development Center, Suite N201, University Center between 8:30am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

RSM 572 Carbon and climate

Syllabus

Topic (order tbd)	Possible lecturer	(2 - 90min lectures/week)
1. Introduction	Drennan	1 lecture
2. How carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) affect climate	Clement	1 lecture
3. Paleoclimate	Clement, Peterson, Swart	2 lectures
4. Local ocean processes	Hansell	2 lectures
5. Global ocean processes	Millero, Fine	2 lectures
6. Carbon exchange physics	Drennan	2 lectures
7. Biological processes	Bakun	2 lectures
8. Land processes, including land use changes	Guest lecturer	2 lectures
9. Modeling climate	Soden	2 lectures
10. Policy	Broad, Letson	4-6 lectures
Student presentations		2-4 lectures
		(estimated)

Grading: Student presentations, 40%

- Each student will choose an article from a predetermined list and present a summary of the article to the class. The presentation is to include an evaluation of the scientific arguments presented in the article (accuracy, completeness), as well as a discussion of policy implications.

The articles have been or will be chosen from popular media sources such as Time, Guardian Weekly, NY Times, etc.

Biweekly homework, 40%

- Following each topic, homework will be assigned

Class participation, 20%

- Possibly to include students debating various climate-related statements/positions given by government, business and environmental groups.

Text: IPCC (2001) Working group I report, The Scientific Basis.

Other references:

Ocean processes:

Carlson, C.A., N.R. Bates, D.A. Hansell and D.K. Steinberg, 2001: Carbon Cycle. In Encyclopedia of Ocean Science. Eds. J. Steele, S. Thorpe, and K. Turekian, Academic Press, London, 390-400.

Coale, K.H., et al. 2005: Southern Ocean Iron Enrichment Experiment (SOFeX): Iron, silicon and light interactions in Antarctic waters.

Feely, R.A., C.L. Sabine, K. Lee, W. Berelson, J. Kleypas, V.J. Fabry, and F.J. Millero, 2004: Impact of anthropogenic CO2 on the CaCO3 system in the oceans. Science 305, 362-366.

Feely, R. A., C. L. Sabine, K. Lee, F. J. Millero, M. F. Lamb, D. Greeley, J. L. Bullister, R. M. Key, T.-H. Peng, A. Kozyr, T. Ono, C. S. Wong, 2002: In situ calcium carbonate dissolution in the Pacific Ocean, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 16(4), 1144, doi:10.1029/2002GB001866.

Fine, R.A., L. Merlivat, W. Roether, P. Schlosser, W.M. Smethie, Jr. and R. Wanninkhof. 2001. Observing Tracers and the Carbon Cycle, Chapter 4.2. In: Observing the Ocean in the 21st Century, C.J. Koblinsky and N.R. Smith (eds), GODAE Project Office and Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 361-375.

Sabine, C.L. R.A. Feely, N. Gruber, R.M. Key, K. Lee, J.L. Bullister, R. Wanninkhof, C.S. Wong, D.W.R. Wallace, B. Tilbrook, F.J. Millero, T.-H. Peng, A. Kozyr, T. Ono, and A.F. Rios, 2004: The Oceanic Sink for Anthropogenic CO2. Science 305, 367-371.

Sabine C.L., R.A. Feely, R.M. Key, J.L. Bullister, F.J. Millero, K. Lee, T.H. Peng, B. Tilbrook, T. Ono, and C.S. Wong, 2002: Distribution of anthropogenic CO2 in the Pacific Ocean. Global Biogeochem. Cycl. 16 (4), 1083, doi:10.1029/2001GB001639

Paleoclimate:

EPICA, 2004: Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core, Nature 429, 623-628.

Pearson, P.N., and M.R. Palmer, 2000: Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past 60 million years, Nature 406, 695 - 699

Petit, J.R., J. Jouzel, D. Raynaud, N.I. Barkov, J.-M. Barnola, I. Basile, M. Bender, J. Chappellaz, M. Davis, G. Delaygue, M. Delmotte, V. M. Kotlyakov, M. Legrang, V.Y. Lipenkov, C. Lorius, L. PŽpin, C. Ritz, E. Saltzman & M. Stievenard, 1999: Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica. Nature 399, 429-436.

Physics:

Fairall, C.W., J.E. Hare, J.B. Edson and W. McGillis, 2000: Parameterization and micrometeorological measurement of air-sea gas transfer. Bound. Layer Meteorol. 96, 63-105.

Jþhne B. and H. Haussecker, 1998: Air-water gas exchange, Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech. 30, 443-468.

Policy:

Socolow, R., R. Hotinski, J. B. Greenblatt, and S. Pacala (2004). Solving the climate problem: Technologies available to curb CO2 emissions. Environment, 46 (10), 8-19.

Sarewitz, D. and R. J. Pielke (2000). "Breaking the global warming gridlock." Atlantic Monthly 286(1): 54-64.

Chpt. 4 in: Kempton, W., J. Boster, et al. (1996). Environmental values in American culture. Cambridge, MIT Press.

Stavins, R. (2004). Forging a more effective climate treaty. Environment, 46 (10), 23-30.

Fogel, C. (2004). The local, the global and the Kyoto Protocol. In Earthly Politics. Local and Global in Environmental Governance. Eds. Jasanoff, S. and Martello.

M. Shogren, J. and Toman, M. (2000) Climate Change Policy. Resources for the Future book, Climate Change Economics and Policy, M. Toman (ed).