CLIMATE OF THE PAST

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the methods and applications of paleoclimatology, including data collection and analysis, modeling, and interpretation of climate records from the past. The course will cover various proxy records, such as ice cores, tree rings, and sedimentary archives, and their use in reconstructing past climate changes, including those associated with glacial-interglacial cycles and abrupt climate events. Students will also gain an understanding of the tools and techniques used in paleoclimate modeling, including how to assess model performance and uncertainty.
• methods for detecting climate change, including proxies, ice cores, instrumental records, and time series analysis
• physical and chemical processes in climate, including primordial atmosphere, ozone chemistry, carbon and oxygen cycles, and heat and water budgets
• internal feedback mechanisms, including ice, aerosols, water vapor, clouds, and ocean circulation
• climate forcing, including orbital variations, volcanism, plate tectonics, and solar variability
• climate models and mechanisms of variability, including energy balance, coupled models, and global ocean and atmosphere models.