Unit name | Climates and Ecosystems |
---|---|
Unit code | EASC30058 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1A (weeks 1 - 6) |
Unit director | Professor. Schmidt |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
N/A |
Co-requisites |
N/A |
School/department | School of Earth Sciences |
Faculty | Faculty of Science |
The unit focusses on the link between climate and ecosystems both today and in the geological record. The unit will assess how life on our planet respond to - and shape - climate. It will cover the main system, open ocean, deep ocean, coastal, terrestrial, and freshwater with a focus on current debates in the context of climate change impacts, adaptations and vulnerabilities.
The main aims are
On completion you should have:
15 lectures and 5 practicals
Coursework (25%) comprising a presentation in the 5th practical session on a topic discussed during the course.
2 hour written exam (75%)
There is no single recommended text for the course. The students will draw a lot of information out of the 2014 IPCC report. Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, IPCC Working Group II Contribution to AR5, 2014.
Students should read widely in the current literature, including the most recent report of the WG II of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.