CLIM 101: Weather, Climate, and Global Society
New Class for Fall 2008
The signs of global climate change can be seen all over the Earth. Some regions are already experiencing particularly dramatic changes and more changes are expected in the future. The costs in terms of degraded infrastructure, loss of livelihood, and loss of habitat, as well as the potential major disruptions to the world economy, global political relations, and the society at large are huge. Consequently, information about current and future climate changes is immensely valuable, and a public educated about the scientific basis for these changes is essential.
This course provides a survey of the scientific and societal issues associated with weather and climate variability and change. The course will examine physical phenomena observed in the Earth's weather and climate, providing sufficient scientific and technical background to enable students to critically examine arguments being discussed by policy makers and the public at large. The course will also review the current debate on climate change from a scientific point of view, with a focus on those aspects that have the largest potential impact on global society.
The Washington, DC, area is home to important weather and climate research centers as well as major agencies and organizations which must respond to climate changes. Just minutes from Washington, George Mason University is uniquely situated to educate the future leaders of the Commonwealth and the Nation on this important set of weather and climate issues.
Instructors
- Jagadish Shukla
- James L. Kinter III
- Emilia K Jin (Kyung Chin)
Course Description
Through this course, you can get the answers of these questions and draw a prospect of future environment where you will live.
- What determines the climate of a planet?
- Why do different planets in our Solar System have different weather and climates?
- What are biogeochemical cycles and how do they interact with the physical climate system?
- What determines the weather on planet Earth?
- Is it possible to make perfect weather prediction?
- What is the climate of the Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surface?
- How do meteorologists forecast the weather?
- What is the role of satellites and supercomputers in forecasting weather?
- What causes floods and droughts
- What is the nature of El Ni–o and how is it predicted?
- What is the evidence to show that the Earth's climate is changing? What is the evidence of a human role in climate change?
- What are the predictions for the future of Earth's climate?
- What will be the major impacts of climate change on society?
- What will be the changes in hurricanes, extreme weather events and droughts due to climate change?
- What is the impact of climate change on diseases and human health, agriculture and economy?
- What can we do to reverse the human induced climate change?
Related Links
- Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Climate Program Office / NOAA
- National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)
- National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)
- US NSF - National Science Foundation