NSCI 538 - Climate Change

This course explores the science of climate change. Students will learn how the climate system works; what factors cause climate to change across different time scales and how those factors interact; how climate has changed in the past; how scientists use models, observations and theory to make predictions about future climate; and the possible consequences of climate change for our planet. The course explores evidence for changes in ocean temperature, sea level and acidity due to global warming. Students will learn how climate change today is different from past climate cycles and how satellites and other technologies are revealing the global signals of a changing climate. Finally, the course looks at the connection between human activity and the current warming trend and considers some of the potential social, economic and environmental consequences of climate change.

During each week of this six-week course, participants will utilize essays, multimedia, other websites and online discussion forums to  explore a facet of climate science. A weekly case study will focus on contemporary research on some aspect of the climate system. These include biologist Gretchen Hofmann, who studies the effect of ocean acidification on sea urchins; geologist Dorte Dahl-Jensen, who analyzes Greenland ice cores to reconstruct climate history; and meteorologist Alan Robock who investigates the effects of volcanic eruptions, nuclear weapons, and other human activity on the climate system. Offered online by the American Museum of Natural History. For more information about this course and associated fees, please contact the College of Graduate Studies.