GEOL 432, Paleoclimatology
Professor:Donna Surge
Contact Info:225 Mitchell Hall,
Web Address:
Office Hours:By appointment
Course Description: Introduction to mechanisms that drive climate, including the interplay between oceanic and atmospheric circulation and fluctuation in Earth’s orbital parameters. Examination and analysis of past climate records ranging from historical documentation to ecological and geochemical proxies (e.g. tree ring analysis; O and C isotopes of skeletal carbonates and soils). Dating methods used to constrain and correlate climatic periods, utility of computer models to reconstruct past climates and predict future climate change. Emphasis placed on paleoclimatology and paleoecology of the late Quaternary (last ~1 million years).
Course Objectives: To provide an understanding of (1) what drives climate; (2) how ancient climates can be reconstructed; and (3) what are the important questions currently being asked in the field of paleoclimatology and their significance to present and future climate change.
Structure of Course: The class meets twice a week. Lectures will introduce topics for the majority of the semester. Several meetings during the semester will have part of the time devoted to discussion of journal articles related to various topics in paleoclimatology. Students will be required to hand in a 1-2 page written critique of each paper. Major, overriding concepts (notspecific details) from each paper are fair game for exam questions.
Readings: Lecture material will largely come from the following textbooks, which I will put on reserve in the Geology Library:
Bradley R. S. (1999) Paleoclimatology: Reconstructing Climates of the Quaternary, Vol. 68, International Geophysics Series, 2nd ed., Harcourt Academic Press, New York.
Ruddiman, W. F. (2008) Earth’s Climate Past and Future, 2nd ed., W.H. Freeman & Co., New York.
Journal articles to be discussed in class will be posted on Blackboard. Supplemental reading will be taken from the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which can be accessed on line at:
Term Papers: All students enrolled in the course will be required to write a 10-12 page term paper (double spaced, page length does not include figures and references) and submit an outline for topic approval. Students are required to present their findings orally during the last two days of classes. Undergraduates will work in pairs on the oral presentation, but submit individually written term papers. Graduate students will work individually on both the oral presentation and term paper.
Grading:
Undergrads
Exams (take-home midterm and final) 65 pts
Outline (5 pts), Term Paper (10 pts) and Presentation (10 pts) 25 pts
Participation and Critiques 10 pts
Grads
Exams(take-home midterm and final) 55 pts
Outline (5 pts), Term Paper (20 pts) and Presentation (10 pts) 35 pts
Participation and Critiques 10 pts
Some Important Dates
Tues&Thurs, 9/25&27Class canceled
Tues, 10/16/12Hand out take-home mid-term exam
Thurs, 10/18/12Fall Break
Thurs, 10/25/12Take-home mid-term exam due
Thurs, 10/30/12Outline for term-paper due
Tues, 11/6/12Class canceled: GSA
Thurs&Tues, 11/29&12/4Student Presentations
Tues, 12/4/12Term Paper due
Tues, 12/11/12, noonFinal Exam
Tentative Topics
Introduction, Geologic Time, the Climate System
Climate Archives and Dating Methods
Ice Cores
Marine Sediments and Corals
Non-Marine Evidence
Pollen Analysis
Dendroclimatology
Paleoclimate Models
Tectonic-Scale Climate Change
Orbital-Scale Climate Change
Deglacial Climate Change
Historical and Future Climate Change