12.340 | Spring 2012 | Undergraduate

Global Warming Science

Readings

Reading assignments are from the course textbooks:

Archer, David. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast. Wiley, 2011. ISBN: 9780470943410. [Preview with Google Books]

[IPCC] Climate Change 2007—The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780521880091.

LEC # TOPICS READINGS
1 Introduction Chapter 1 in [IPCC].
2 The Origin of Earth’s Atmosphere and Oceans <no readings>
3 Paleoclimate I & Paleoclimate 2 Chapter 6 in [IPCC].
4 The Instrumental Record Chapters 3.2 & 6 in [IPCC].
5 Atmospheric Composition and Greenhouse Gases Chapters 3 & 4 in [Global Warming].
6 Radiative Transfer I Chapters 3 & 4 in [Global Warming].
7 Radiative Transfer II Chapters 3 & 4 in [Global Warming].
8 Radiative-Convective Equilibrium I Chapter 5 in [Global Warming].
9 Radiative-Convective Equilibrium II Chapter 5 in [Global Warming].
10 The Circulation of the Atmosphere and Oceans I Chapter 6 in [Global Warming].
11 The Circulation of the Atmosphere and Oceans II Chapter 6 in [Global Warming].
12 Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases Chapter 4 in [Global Warming].
13 The Earth’s Carbon Cycle Chapter 8 in [Global Warming].
14 Aerosols Chapter 2.4 in [IPCC].
15 Climate Sensitivity, Forcings, and Feedbacks <no readings>
16 Solar and Orbital Variability Chapters 8 & 10 in [Global Warming].
17 Cloud, Water Vapor, Ice Albedo, and Other Feedbacks Chapter 2.4 in [IPCC].
18 Climate Models I: General Concept, History, and Design Chapters 8.1 & 8.2 in [IPCC].
19 Climate Models II: Parameterizations Chapters 8.3 & 9 in [IPCC].
20 Climate Models III: Predictions and Projections Chapter 10 in [IPCC].
21 Climate Change Mitigation and Some Links to Adaptation <no readings>
22 Geoengineering Robock, Alan. “20 Reasons Why Geoengineering May be a Bad Idea.” (PDF) Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 64, no. 2 (2008): 14–8, and 59.

Extra Readings

Crutzen, P. J. “Albedo Enhancement by Stratospheric Sulfur Injections: A Contribution to Resolve A Policy Dilemma?Climatic Change 77, no. 3–4 (2006): 211–20.

Robock, Alan. “20 Reasons Why Geoengineering May be a Bad Idea.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 64, no. 2 (2008): 14–8.

Collins, William D., Friedlingstein, Pierre, et al. “Global Climate Projections.” Chapter 10 in Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780521880091.

Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing (PDF)” Chapter 2 in Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780521880091.

Shakun, Jeremy D., Peter U. Clark, et al."Global warming preceded by increasing carbon dioxide concentrations during the last deglaciation." Nature 484 (2012): 49–54.

Zahnle, Kevin J. “Earth’s Earliest Atmosphere.” Elements 2, no. 4 (2006): 217–22.

Kump, Lee R. “The Rise of Atmospheric Oxygen.” Nature 451 (2008): 277–8.

Kasting, James F., and David Catling. “Evolution of a Habitable Planet.” Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics 41 (2003): 429–63.

Solanki, Sami K. “Solar Variability and Climate Change: Is There a Link?Astronomy & Geophysics 43, no. 5 (2002): 5.09–5.13.

Pierrehumbert, Raymond T. “Infrared Radiation and Planetary Temperature.” Physics Today 64, no. 1 (2011): 33–8.

Archer, David, Michael Eby, et al. “Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide.” Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 37 (2009): 117–34.

Pacala, S., and R. Socolow. “Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies.” Science 305, no. 5686 (2004): 968–72.

Sterman, John D. “Risk Communication on Climate: Mental Models and Mass Balance.” Science 322, no. 5901 (2008): 532–3.

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