625-334 Climate Variability

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Earth Sciences 625-101 and one of 625-333 or 625-227.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Climate variability on various time scales, climate shifts and global warming. El Niño-Southern Oscillation in the historical period and relationships with longer time scale variability.

Introduction to processes associated with climate variability and feedbacks operating within the climate system as a whole. Role of ice-sheets, Antarctic mass balance, large scale water mass formation, internal variability, and the potential for rapid climate shifts. Centennial and decadal scales, sea ice-ocean-atmosphere interactions and feedbacks.

On completion of this subject, students should have an understanding of climate variability on a range of time scales, and of related processes and interactions between the various components of the climate system.

Assessment

A 2-hour written examination. Practical work and assignments will also be assessed.