GEOG 3900.02 is a research intensive version of this science class open to all majors that will develop an advanced understanding of how Earth’s climate functions and changes over different time scales both naturally and as a result of human activity. The climate system is vitally connected to sustainability. Students will critically examine the key evidence of how climate is changing, gain experience with real climate data, and learn directly from climate researchers how they conduct their science. We will explore the diverse consequences and implications of our presently altered climate and how it will likely continue to change into the future. By the end of this class, students will be able to describe the fundamental processes of Earth’s climate and the carbon cycle, be familiar with energy units used in everyday life, appreciate broader economic, policy and legal dimensions of climate change, and have experience identifying creative solutions.
There are no prerequisites for the class. We will use basic arithmetic and some algebra, but no calculus.

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