2017-2018 Catalog

GEO 245 Earth's Climate: Past and Future

An introduction to Earth's climate system and the geological record of its change. Topics covered include: Earth's radiative balance and the role of greenhouse gases, poleward transport of heat by the atmosphere and ocean, climate change on the plate tectonic timescale, the Cenozoic cooling, astronomical control of Pleistocene glacial cycles, rapid millennial-scale climate change, and the future of Earth's climate. Includes one three-hour laboratory per week.

Credits

4 units

Prerequisite

GEO 105 or GEO 106, or permission of instructor

Corequisite

GEO 245L

Core Requirements Met

  • Laboratory Science