GEOG20060

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module students will a) understand energy and heat exchanges within the earth-atmosphere system, b) have an awareness of the variables influencing climate and c) have become familiar with graphic representations of various climate components. They should have a good understanding of the basis for global climate change caused by human activities and an ability to link policies at national and international scales to climate actions.

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction: Concepts & Sources of weather information; Forms of energy and transfer mechanisms; Earth-Sun relationships & Atmospheric Composition; Earth’s Energy Budget; Atmospheric Properties: Temperature/Humidity, stability, clouds & precipitation, pressure & wind; The Global circulation & weather systems: mid-latitude frontal cyclones, severe weather; Climates of the world; Climate change and its impacts.

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

This module assumes a minimal knowledge of the atmopsheric sciences and uses day-to-day weather experiences to link relatively abstract information on climate processes to the observations and physical reactions of individuals to the outdoor weather. I place a strong emphasis on the lectures which draw heavily on current weather events and as such are not part of the online notes. A major part of my teaching is the use of handouts and weather websites in class to illustrate the subject.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

The module outlines the basis of climate processes and each week builds on the materials of previous weeks. The online exams are an opportunity to test basic knowldge of these processes and to link ideas in the class to broader concepts. Students ra encouraged to meet with me in office hours to discuss the course materials and prepare for the within module tests and the final exam, which is essay based.

Roger G. Barry and Richard J. Chorley (2009) Atmosphere, Weather and Climate, 9th editionis a comprehensive climatology textbook but there are a great number of books on Climatology and Introductory Meteorology that cover the material on this course. The are also a great many only textbooks including those published by the IPCC on Climate Change.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.