Topics in Global Environmental Change (U01786)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : GEO-4-GEC

This is a student-seminar based course, discussing hot topics in Global Environmental Change. These topics will be introduced by the lecturer, read about by all students, using recent articles in the literature, then will form the basis for student seminars and general group discussion.

Themes will vary with year, depending on what is topical. Examples of topics from past years are:
1. Orbital forcing and glacial-interglacial cycles
2. Climate stability and climate change on geologic timescales
3. Carbon and climate
4. What caused the glacial-interglacial changes in CO2?
5. Orography and climate change
6. Mechanisms of abrupt climate change
7. Recent climate variability
8. Future climate change predictions
9. Biomarker applications in palaeoenvironmental studies

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : None.

? Costs : None.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Earth Science, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 5 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 1 hour(s) per week for 1 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	09:00	12:00	KB

? Additional Class Information : Weeks 1-6 (one hour introductory lecture in week 1, 11.00-12.00).

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The objective is to develop an understanding and recognition of the principal agents of environmental change, the subject areas of continued uncertainty, the strengths and weaknesses of specific tracers, and, importantly, to help further develop the student's skills in critical assessment of scientific literature, as well as seminar presentation and debate.