Date

Lecture / Lab

Reading / Handouts

Mon
Jan. 5

Starting out: What is Earth System Science anyway?

Syllabus [link]

Tues
Jan. 6

Lab: Fun with numbers

Lab write-up due Tues Jan. 13 [link]

Wed
Jan. 7

The heat of life: Blackbody radiation

Read Chapter 3 (Kump)

Mon
Jan. 12

Trapped: The greenhouse effect

-

Tues
Jan. 13

Lab: Radiometric determination of temperature

Read for lab discussion The principle elements of the nature of science: Dispelling the myths [link]
Lab #2 write-up due Tues Jan. 20
Problem set #1 due Tues Jan. 20 [link]

Wed
Jan. 14

Beyond the glass: Other controls on surface temperature

-

Mon
Jan. 19

MLK Holiday

-

Tues
Jan. 20

Lab: Heat Content

Read Lovelock [link], Chapter 2 (Kump), and Climate Feedbacks (p. 51-53 Kump)

Wed
Jan. 21

Far-out ideas: Daisyworld and Gaia

Read Chapters 4 and 5 (Kump) for next week

Mon
Jan. 26

Spinning envelopes: Structure and circulation in the atmosphere

-

Tues
Jan. 27

Demo Day: Ocean circulation in a box

Lab #3 write-up due Tues Jan. 27
Problem set #2 due Tues Jan. 27 [link]

Wed
Jan. 28

Spinning envelopes: Structure and circulation in the ocean

Problem set #3 due Wed Feb. 4 [link]

Mon
Feb. 2

Ocean circulation continued

Read Chapter 8 (Kump) for Tuesday

Tues
Feb. 3

Lab: The Ocean Carbon Cycle

Problem set #4 due Tues Feb. 10 [link]
Term paper topic due Tues Feb. 10 [Paper Guidelines]

Wed
Feb. 4

The geological regulator: The carbon cycle

Read Chapter 14 (Kump) for next week

Mon
Feb. 9

Mammoth changes: The Quaternary ice ages/Who was Milankovich?

-

Tues
Feb. 10

Lecture & Isotope Lab Tour: Basics of ice-core and ocean proxies

Problem set #5 due Tues Feb. 17 [link]

Wed
Feb. 11

The holy grail: Carbon dioxide through the Quaternary

PS #1 solutions [page 1] [page 2] [page 3]
PS #2 solutions [page 1] [page 2] [page 3]
PS #3 solutions [page 1] [page 2]
PS #4 solutions [page 1] [page 2]

Mon
Feb. 16

Presidents' Day Holiday

-

Tues
Feb. 17

MIDTERM EXAM

-

Wed
Feb. 18

Icecapades: Pre-Quaternary ice ages

Read Chapter 15 (Kump) for next week

Mon
Feb. 23

Wiggles in the mud: Millennial scale variability

Read IPCC Scientific Working Group Summary for Mon March 2 [link]
Term paper sources due Tues March 3
Read IPCC Impacts and Adaptation Working Group Summary for Mon March 9 [link]

Tues
Feb. 24

Lab: Pulling signals from the mud, Milankovich, and red noise

-

Wed
Feb. 25

In a blink: Rapid climate change

Read Chapter 6 (Kump) for next week

Mon
March 2

The glaciers return: The "Little Ice Age"

-

Tues
March 3

Lab: Climate Modeling

Meet in Computer Lab (JHN 021)
Energy Balance Model Matlab Code [zip file], writeup due Friday March 6

Wed
March 3

What on Earth have we done? Recent climate change

Additional readings for Mon March 9 [link] and [link]

Mon
March 9

Climate change predictions

Questions/comments from readings due

Tues
March 10

Discussion: Observations, predictions, controversies

-

Wed
March 11

Discussion continued

-

Friday
March 13

FINAL PAPER DUE

By 5 pm in Gerard's mailbox (JHN 062)