Unit information: The Earth System in 2018/19

Unit name	The Earth System
Unit code	GEOG20003
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Dan Lunt
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	All units in Single Honours Geography Year 1
Co-requisites	N/A
School/department	School of Geographical Sciences
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This unit is concerned with understanding the components of the large-scale climate system: atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere, and the feedbacks and interactions between the systems. Through a series of lectures and practicals, the students will investigate the processes that influence the structure of each sphere of the climate system, and how they interact. The course will also provide an introduction to how and why we use climate models to inform our understanding of the climate system.

Aims: To introduce students to study of the mechanisms of natural climate and environmental variability, through an 'Earth System Science' approach, which stresses the complex interactions between the oceans atmosphere, ice sheets; biosphere, and how and why scientists model the climate system

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of this Unit students should be able to:

1. outline the major inter-connectivity and feedbacks between the major components of the global Earth System as they relate to global climate change
2. develop a critical understanding of methods used to model the climate system

Teaching Information

Twelve 1 hour lectures; Fourteen hours of practicals; Two 1 hour tutorials; Mock exam and feedback sessions (2 hours); Revision Q&A session (1 hour).

Assessment Information

Practical assessment: design a climate model (50% of total).

Unseen 2-hour examination at the end of the unit (50% of total)

Both assessments test all of the ILOs.

Reading and References

Essential reading:

1. McGuffie K. and Henderson-Sellers A. (2005). A Climate Modelling Primer. 3rd Ed. Wiley.
2. Kump L.R., Kasting J.F., Crane R.G. (2013). The Earth system: an introduction to Earth systems science. 2nd Ed.Prentice Hall.
3. Ruddiman W.F (2013). Earth’s climate : past and future. W.H. Freeman and Company (3rd edition).