THE ANTHROPOCENE: DETECTION AND ATTRIBUTION OF CURRENT CLIMATE CHANGES IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

This course aims to provide the tools to understand the climate system and the more recent changes through a global perspective. The more recent definition of a novel epoch, named "the Anthropocene", underlines the importance of the anthropogenic influence on the climate. The comprehension of these dynamics will give to the student the ability to better comunicate, promote and participate to the global discussion about climate changes.

At the end of this course, it expected that the student will have a clear comprehension of the meaning of the Anthropocene, defined as a novel epoch. Moreover, it is expected that the stundent will acquire the knowldege of the past climate dynamics and he/she is aware of the future scenarios provided by the climatic models.

This course is a required/elective course offered to students enrolled in the Master Degree in the Environmental Humanities. No prior background in the subject is required.

Lesson 1 Defining the Anthropocene
Evidence of markers that could be used to define a new geological time unit, the Anthropocene Epoch.
Horizons for the Holocene−Anthropocene boundary.
The onset of the Anthropocene

Lesson 2 The Last Glacial Maximum
Glacial World: More Ice, Less Gas
Testing Model Simulations Against Biotic Data
Data-Model Comparisons of Glacial Maximum Climates
How Cold Were the Glacial Tropics?

Lesson 3 Climate During and Since the Last Deglaciation
Fire and Ice: A Shift in the Balance of Power

Lesson 4 – Millennial Oscillations of Climate
Millennial Oscillations During Glaciations

Lesson 5 Millennial Oscillations During the Present Interglaciation
Lesson 6 – Humans and Preindustrial Climate
Climate and Human Evolution
Lesson 7 - The Impact of Climate on Early Farming
Sea level Rise and Flood legends
Early Impacts of Humans on Climate
Lesson 8 Climate Changes During the Last 1,000 Years
The Little Ice Age
Proxy Records of Historical Climate
Reconstructing Hemispheric Temperature Trends
Lesson 9 Proposed Causes of Climate Change from 1000 to 1850
Lesson 10 – Climatic Changes Since 1850
Reconstructing Changes in Sea Level
Other Instrumental Records

Lesson 11 - Satellite Observations
Sources of the Recent Rise in Sea Level Internal Oscillations

Lesson 12 – Causes of Warming over the Last 125 Years
Natural Causes of Recent Warming
Anthropogenic Causes of the Recent Warming

Lesson 13 Earth’s Sensitivity to Greenhouse Gases
Why Has the Warming Since 1850 Been So Small?

Lesson 14 – Future Climatic Change (5h)
Future Human Impacts on Greenhouse Gases
Effects of Future CO2Increases on Climate and the Environment

Lesson 15 Greenhouse Surprises?
Climate Modification?
Epilogue

Earth's climate - past and future : W. Ruddiman
Scientific papers provided by the teacher and availbe in Moodle

The exam consists in a multiple choice test. The test will include 30 questions. The exam will be passed with a minimum score of 20/30 correct answers.

The course will be carried out in Dual-modality.
Par of the students will be present in class, while the rest will attend the class on-line.
All the lectures will be recorded and available in the Moodle platform.

English

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development