ENSC 182 Atmospheric Environment and Climate Change

Causes, consequences, geologic history and science of climate change and atmosphere. Topics and labs include weather, sun-Earth cycles, air pollution, ozone layer, greenhouse effect, ocean/atmosphere/ice systems, climate models and data, predictions, feedbacks, tipping points, carbon sequestration, energy options. Lab included. ENSC 181-182-183 can be taken in any order

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Evaluate and perform scientific procedures and methods. Make detailed observations, gathering and assessing information, formulating hypotheses, and thinking creatively about weather, atmospheric chemistry and climate variables and climate changes over time
2. Interpret and compare some basic characteristics of the atmosphere and processes that influence weather and climate
3. Conduct experiments and make measurements of atmospheric variables such as temperature, pressure, relative humidity and calculate or estimate other atmospheric variables from these
4. Summarize weather hazards and compare their effects on advantaged and disadvantaged human populations
5. Describe the natural and "enhanced" greenhouse effect and its causes
6. Predict potential consequences of global warming to ecologic, hydrologic, marine, meteorological, and human systems
7. Analyze the complexity of the Earth’s climate system including the carbon cycle and explain many of its feedbacks and the possibility of tipping points
8. Describe and analyze the varied evidence for past climate change and assess the reliability and range of error of these data
9. Evaluate her or his contribution to climate change and personal role in mitigating that contribution
10. Apply analysis of methods of climate stabilization wedges, carbon sequestration and carbon accounting to assess the potential for easing the collective effect of humans on the climate
11. Explain the chemistry of the ozone layer and its depletion and analyze the possible consequences of increasing ozone-destroying gases in the atmosphere
12. Distinguish the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion from each other, and elucidate their commonalities