EPS 7, Introduction to Climate Change, Fall 2017

Overview

This course covers the physical processes that determine Earth's past, present, and future climate, with a particular focus on the essentially irreversible climate change (a.k.a., global warming) caused by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Topics will also include the estimation of future warming and impacts, the Earth resources that can be used to combat climate change, and the policies being used to shift towards the use of those resources.

Time

M W F, 2:00-3:00

Location

245 Li Ka Shing

Required text

None

Readings will be posted online.

Prerequisites

None

Grading

Homework 30% (due weekly)

Midterm I 20% (September 27, in class)

Midterm II 20% (November 3, in class)

Final 30% (December 12, 11:30-2:30, 245 Li Ka Shing)

Professor

David Romps (romps@berkeley.edu)

Readers

Jake Seeley (jseeley@berkeley.edu)

Ben Fildier (benjamin.fildier@berkeley.edu)

Reader office hours

Last names A-L: Tuesdays, 1-2, 265 McCone Hall

Last names M-Z: Fridays, 11-12, 265 McCone Hall

Professor office hours

Mondays, 3-4, 377 McCone Hall

Syllabus

08/23, Joule and Watt: A tale of two Jameses

08/25, Energy on the move: How it gets from A to B

08/28, Fun with units: Meters and thermometers

08/30, Wien's law: The color of light

09/1, Stefan-Boltzmann law: You are glowing, literally

09/6, Mercury: Warm and toasty

09/8, Mars: A little chilly

09/11, Earth's atmosphere: What is it?

09/13, Clausius-Clapeyron: Water, water, everywhere

09/15, Lapse rate: It is cold up here!

09/18, Radiative transfer: Gases glow, too

09/20, Greenhouse gases: The Earth's clothing

09/22, Discovery of global warming: A short history

09/25, Forcing and feedback: Your best life now

09/27, Midterm I

09/29, Earth's feedbacks: Calculating climate sensitivity

10/2, Cloud taxonomy: Name that cloud

10/4, Fossil fuels: Where did this stuff come from?

10/6, Drill baby drill: How much have we burned?

10/9, Evidence of warming: Is it getting hot in here?

10/11, Ocean acidification: Where does the carbon go?

10/13, Climate models: Supercomputers to the rescue

10/16, The IPCC: How to win a Nobel Prize

10/18, Other gases: Laughing gas and hairspray

10/20, Scary feedbacks: Stuff that could burn

10/23, Paleoclimate: The past as guide to the future

10/25, Ice and sea level: Where to invest in property

10/27, Superstorms: The revenge of Clausius-Clapeyron

10/30, Future Earth: Spacesuits required

11/1, Biomass power: Enough room for food and fuel?

11/3, Midterm II

11/6, Hydro power: What is left to harness?

11/8, Nuclear power: Too costly and dangerous?

11/13, Wind power: Mining the sky

11/15, Solar power: Ready to save the day?

11/17, Domestic policy: CPP, ITC, PTC, alphabet soup

11/20, International agreements: Rio, Kyoto, and Paris

11/27, Carbon tax: The simple policy solution

11/29, Who obstructs action: Follow the money

12/1, Climate rights movement: What will your role be?