Climate Dynamics (NS-264B)
A course on the theory of the dynamics of climate
This is an optional course (7.5 ects) within the third year of the Bachelors program in Physics at the Utrecht University (UU).
Given by Roderik van de Wal, and Aarnout van Delden until 2013 as a third year bachelor course
After 2015 this course has become a second year bachelor course
Since 2014 the course is given by Carleen Tijm Reijmers and Roderik van de Wal
Description
Information about Climate Dynamics on Osiris: link
The report of the "Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" (IPCC) that appeared in 2007 and Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" have put Earth's climate within the spotlight. There is no doubt about the strong human influence on the composition of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is still not clear what the exact consequences of this will be for the climate on Earth. This course is devoted to the many aspects of the theory behind this influence. The following topics will be treated: paleo-climate (climate history), the greenhouse effect, energy balance climate models, climate on other planets, ice-albedo feedback and ice-ages, atmosphere-biosphere interaction and the carbon cycle, oceans and climate, the hydrological cycle, tropical climate phenomena such as the Hadley circulation and El Niño, the ozon layer and the role of waves in heat and momentum transport from the equator to the poles. The practical exercises will be devoted to analyzing output from numerical climate models and looking at climate data-sets. We will also study several scientific debates on climate related topics that have been conducted in prominent scientific journals such as Science and Nature.
Lecture notes
by Aarnout van Delden
(first 7 lectures on the greenhouse effect, water cycle, role of clouds and water in the greenhouse effect and feedbacks in the climate system)
Introduction to the atmosphere:AtmosphericDynamics2015aCh1.pdf (April 2015)
Energy balance:AtmosphericDynamics2015aCh2.pdf (February 2015)
Lectures
given by Aarnout van Delden from 2004 until 2013
Lecture 1 (04022013): ClimDyn1_2013.pdf
Lecture 2 (06022013): ClimDyn2_2013.pdf
Lecture 3 (11022013): ClimDyn3_2013.pdf
Lecture 4 (13022013)>>(25022013): ClimDyn4_2013.pdf
Lecture 5 (04032013): ClimDyn5_2013.pdf
Lecture 6 (06032013): ClimDyn6_2013.pdf
Lecture 7 (27032013): ClimDyn7_2013.pdf
Essay
Students are required to write an essay. The essay should be about 750-1000 words. For examples see background articles in Nature or Science. These very readable short articles discuss the significance of a scientific paper in that particular issue of Nature or Science. The essay may be written in Dutch or English. Examples in "Nederlands" can be found in the following document: OpmerkelijkePublicatiesWeer&Klimaat.pdf. One example in English is WindowsOnTheGreenhouse.pdf.
Exercises
Problem 2.11 : AnswerPROBLEM2_11.pdf
Exam
Exams on first part of the course:
ANSWERS to the April 2011 test: ClimDyn_Test1_2011_Answers.
ANSWERS to the April 2011 test: ClimDyn_Test1_2013_Answers.