Unit name | Extreme Climates |
---|---|
Unit code | GEOG30028 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Richards |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites. Students will find completion of GEOG20003 The Earth System useful. |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
Faculty | Faculty of Science |
In this unit we evaluate natural climate variability and forcings by considering data from the recent past and deeper geological time, focusing particularly on extreme warm or cold episodes in Earth history and periods of rapid change.
Aims:
Element 1 : Quaternary Climate
The main focus of this element is how the Earth System behaved during the Quaternary period, when there were extensive ice sheets in both hemispheres and rapid shifts between Earth system states. The lectures and practicals introduce students to a variety of archives with proxy data that are used to test climate models and constrain climate forcings. Major themes include rate of change, leads and lags in the climate system and climate teleconnections.
Element 2: Modern atmospheric gases
The main focus of this element is understanding how we quantify sources and sinks of greenhouse gases using modern day (or recent) datasets, the results of which inform climate policies such as the Paris Agreement. The lectures and practicals introduce students to the datasets and how they are used to “fingerprint” sources and sinks, and to satellite data which provide the most detailed picture on greenhouse gases in the observational record.
On completion of this Unit students should be able to:
The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:
The unit will be taught through a blended combination of online and, if possible, in-person teaching, including
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. GEOG30028).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.