We know that climate has natural variability, has changed dramatically in the past, and will change in the future. We also know that humans are altering the global environment, particularly through changes to the carbon cycle, but also in other ways too. The question that we will begin to answer is this class is: How does the current climate system work? How can we predict how it will change in the future? The central underlying theme of the class will be the relative roles of the atmosphere, ocean, land surface, and cryosphere in driving climate variability and change at different time and space scales.  The topics we will cover are listed below.  

Introduction to physical climate and feedbacks
Overview of climate on different timescales, radiative balance, feedbacks and time dependence of response, red noise processes, energy balance model, influence of transport on energy balance.

Introduction to Dynamics
Hydrostatic balance, Coriolis effect, geostrophy, thermal wind

Ocean Circulation
General circulation of the world ocean, air-sea fluxes of heat, fresh water and momentum.  Ekman flow, western boundary currents, Sverdrup relation.  Deep ocean properties.  

Atmospheric Circulations
Atmospheric stability, surface energy balance, seasonal cycle, basis of thermal wind in atmosphere, jet stream, Hadley circulation, Rossby waves, eddies, stationary waves, components of the mean meridional circulation, storms tracks.

Cryosphere and Land Surface
Sea ice, soil moisture, snow cover.  

Climate Variability
ENSO, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation/Northern Annular Mode

Climate Change
Observation of 20th century climate change.  Mechanisms that control climate change and predictions for the future.  Areas of uncertainty in climate predictions.

Learning objectives

By the end of the course students will be able to identify the primary processes responsible for the structure of the earth's climate both in the past and in the future.  The student will be able to explain to a lay-person what controls the climate system and what role each of the components, the atmosphere, the ocean and the cryosphere plays.  The student will also be able to evaluate the importance of uncertainties in climate prediction.  The student will be able to critically read popular science articles on climate change and to understand seminars on climate dynamics and climate change.

There will be occasional homework assignments to reinforce quantitative understanding of the lecture and reading material.  There will also be two group projects to apply concepts.  There will be no final. Relative weights for grading are as follows: Projects 40%, Homework 40%, 20% participation (i.e. preparation for paper discussions, see below).

The class is aimed at first and second year graduate students in all areas of the earth sciences and we will assume a familiarity with mathematics though ordinary differential equations. Format will be primarily lectures, but will also involve group projects and discussions.  Class meetings will be composed of lectures and discussions.  It would be helpful if you do the week's reading before the lecture.  Lecture notes will be available after class and copies of the figures from the lectures will be available in class.  There will be several class periods devoted to discussion of papers and it is expected that you will read the papers before coming to class.  For each paper that will be discussed, we require that you send in two questions to both the instructors by 10AM the day of the class discussion.

Strategies for Success
The background of students is diverse in this class.  This requires that students take the initiative to find help for particular topics if they find them unfamiliar and confusing.  Both instructors are available for individual appointments, and we encourage students to work together, particularly on the projects.  After class is a good time to catch both instructors.  You can learn a lot from your fellow students.  Do the reading, keep up on the homework, and use the other texts when you want to know more. 

Hartmann, D.L. Global Physical Climatology, 1994; Academic Press.

Other useful texts to be used when you want more information than is available in Hartmann or the lecture notes:
Holton, J.R. An Introduction to Dynamic Meterology, (1992) Academic Press.
Wallace & Hobbs, Atmospheric Science: An Introductory Survey (2006) Academic Press.