Frontiers in Physical Geography 1 (U02529)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : GEO-3-PFRONT1

This course examines the operation of Earth's Climate System in the past, present and future with a focus on the Quaternary. It will consider the complex interactions of the Atmosphere, Oceans, Ice Sheets and Lithosphere as revealed by past records and models.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Geography, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

A goal is to help you better understand the global climate system. For example, have you ever wondered what the earth looked like 100 years ago? How about 20,000 years ago, when Scotland was covered by thousands of feet of glacier ice? Furthermore, a variety of "timely" topics will be touched upon or discussed. "Global warming" and "climate change" are frequently in the news, with sometimes dire predictions about rapidly rising sea levels, flooded cities, and mountains without snow. So, what is this "global warming" business all about, and whom should you believe, the optimists or the pessimists? Evaluating independently the range of views of corporations, political candidates, and environmental organisations on environmental issues such as global warming requires an understanding of the science behind climate change, including future climate change.

Students should improve on their transferable skills such as reading and thinking about scientific literature, writing and seminar presentation.