Admission requirements
Required course(s):
The Earth System Science is highly recommended.
Description
We are witnessing the undeniable signs of climate change: extreme temperatures, erratic precipitation, unpredictable seasonal weather, and the loss of species and ecosystems. The rise in global temperatures is one of the most critical challenges of our time, affecting human life worldwide. Climate change stresses natural systems, leading to disruptions in agriculture, ecosystem dynamics, and water resources. Additionally, the frequency of extreme events like droughts, floods, and wildfires, which are linked to climate change, results in significant loss of life and economic damage globally.
To effectively combat climate change, it is essential to understand the physical processes that drive our climate system. The impacts of climate change are unevenly distributed across the globe, making regional mitigation and adaptation strategies crucial. This requires a deep understanding of both the climate system and the specific regional contexts. Addressing climate change also involves more than just technological advancements or policy initiatives. Effective communication and our relationship with the Earth are equally important.
This course aims to equip students with a comprehensive scientific understanding of the climate system, engage them in current climate change debates, and explore strategies to address this global issue. Key topics include:
Atmospheric processes that create different climate zones on Earth.
Main drivers of natural climate variability and methods to study past and current climate change.
Impacts of natural climate variability over the last 11,000 years.
Evidence and effects of human-induced changes to the climate system.
Role of climate models and projections in climate change research.
Impacts of climate change on local environments and human societies.
Course Objectives
Skills:
Students can critically reflect on the scientific literature regarding climate change and on the methods that are used to study the climate system, such as models and paleo data.
Students can perform simple data analyses on climate data to assess the regional impacts of climate change and can synthesize this information in a report or presentation.
Knowledge:
Students can explain basic meteorological/ atmospheric/ oceanic processes that are important to understand the impact of natural and anthropogenic climate change.
Students can describe drivers of natural climate variability and explain how recent human activity forces the climate system.
Students can describe the regional impacts of climate change such as floods, droughts, heat waves and hurricanes.
Students understand and can formulate research questions in current climate change research.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
This course will cover various aspects of climate change research through lectures, class discussions, and lab sessions. We will also engage in practical exercises and data analysis related to climate dynamics, utilizing the R programming language and online tools. No prior knowledge of R is required. I also intend to incorporate a field trip into the course, but we will discuss the details of this at the start of the course.
Depending on the number of students, you will explore the local impacts of climate change on specific regions in pairs. Each week, students will apply the course concepts to their assigned region and synthesize their knowledge into a comprehensive report. To complete the report, students will be responsible for identifying and thoroughly reading a sufficient number of scientific papers related to the selected region, as well as other suitable academic sources of information. The report will be used by students from another class to aid there assignments.
Finally, we will delve into ideas proposed by prominent thinkers and artists regarding "solving the global challenge of climate change". This might mean watching a documentaries, hikes or shared reading sessions together outside of regular class hours – students can also do these individually when their schedule does not allow for it.
Assessment Method
Participation (10% weightage of final grading)
Weather report (15% weightage of final grading – week 3)
Climate data assignment (15% weightage of final grading – week 4)
Simulation report (15% weightage of final grading – week 6)
Regional climate report (25% weightage of final grading – week 8)
Take Home Exam (20% weightage of final grading – week 8)
Reading list
- Earth’s Climate: Past and Future by William F. Ruddiman (Third Edtion)
A reader with papers will be made available at the start of class.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Dr. Joeri Reinders,j.b.reinders@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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