GEO 112 - Global Climate Change

3 Credits

For the average person, the global climate change debate can be very confusing. In this class you will examine the physical evidence for climate change, and how the scientific method is applied to studying the Earth’s climate system. You will investigate current and future impacts of a warming climate and explore environmental, social, economic and political aspects related to this important issue.

FeesSC

Quarters Typically Offered
Designed to Serve Non-science majors, students working towards degrees in geology, environmental science and environmental studies; other interested persons
Active Date 20210403T10:08:53

Grading Basis Decimal Grade
Class Limit 28
Contact Hours: Lecture 33
Total Contact Hours 33
Degree Distributions:
AA

Science

Course Outline

The Changing Climate – Is This Normal?

This section begins with the modern global warming debate and presents the physical evidence for climate change and the human-made factors that drive recent changes.

The Science Behind Climate Change: Follow the Energy

This section focuses on the physical science of the Earth’s Climate System and the complex interactions between the sun, the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere that determine how Earth’s climate changes. It covers the flow of energy through the climate system and develops an understanding of weather and climate and how they differ.

Deep Time - Revealing Ancient Climate Change

This section introduces that tools that scientists use to investigate the history of ancient climate change – reconstruction of ice sheet growth, the use of ice core data, oxygen isotopes, tree rings, corals, cave deposits, rocks, and fossils to provide information about Earth’s surface temperature through time, and how to distinguish natural change from man-made impacts.

Global Impacts of Climate Change

The signs of climate change are visible around the world and people and ecosystems are threatened. This section explores how climate change will impact the environment over the next century and why it is a growing threat to national security and political stability.

Global Solutions: Managing the Crisis

This section focuses on the economic factors that drive the global demand for energy, the main political issues involved in the use of different energy sources, and investigates how it is possible to meet rising demand for energy with clean, renewable sources of power. It also discusses potential actions/solutions to the climate crisis from meeting emission standards to carbon wedges to geoengineering.

Student Learning Outcomes
Students will describe the structure, composition, and flow of energy through the Earth's atmosphere and how changes in the balance of incoming and outgoing energy impact Earth’s climate.

Students will explain and evaluate the natural causes of climate change through Earth's history and the evidence for anthropogenic contributions to recent climate warming.

Students will describe the tools that scientists use to study ancient climate and how the scientific method is used in their interpretation.

Students will evaluate the risks associated with climate change, including the impacts on ecosystems and social/economic systems.

Students will critically evaluate the competing needs of climate change prevention with an increasing demand for energy and economic growth.

Students will discuss ways to minimize climate change impacts and identify solutions to the climate-energy crisis.

Students will distinguish between observation and interpretation, collect and analyze data, interpret complex graphs and climate models, and critically examine course content.