E-learning Course: Climate Science: An Introduction

An e-learning course by Andreas Schmittner, Oregon State University  titled ‘Introduction to Climate Science’ that discusses Earth’s climate and climate change. This course contains  lecture videos, exercises, references and various additional resources. It includes the following topics:-

1. Weather
   1. Weather and Climate
   2. The Climate System
   3. Processes
2. Observations
   1. Atmosphere
   2. Cryosphere
   3. Ocean
   4. Biosphere and Carbon Cycle
3. Paleoclimate
   1. Methods
   2. The Last Two Millennia
   3. The Holocene
   4. The Ice Ages
4. Theory
   1. Electromagnetic Radiation
   2. The Greenhouse Effect
   3. Earth’s Energy Budget
   4. Radiative Forcings, Feedback Processes, and Climate Sensitivity
5. Carbon
   1. The Natural Carbon Cycle
   2. Anthropogenic Carbon
   3. Carbonate Chemistry and Ocean Acidification
6. Processes
   1. Atmospheric Circulation
   2. The Hydrologic Cycle
   3. Ocean Circulation
7. Models
   1. Construction
   2. Evaluation
   3. Applications
8. Impacts
   1. Projections
   2. Ecosystems
   3. Long-Term Changes
   4. Regional Changes
   5. Extremes
   6. Impacts on Humans
9. Economics
   1. Economics and the climate change challenge: Understanding incentives and policies
10. Ethics
    1. Do We Have a Moral Responsibility to Stop Global Temperature Rise? Adapted from Moore and Nelson (2010, 2012)
11. Solutions
    1. Technology
    2. Politics
    3. Personal Actions
    4. Adaptation

Students will be introduced to climate science and learn about the different aspects of past and present climate change – including natural and human-induced climate change. 

Use this tool to help your students find answers to: 

1. What is climate science?
2. How does weather differ from climate?
3. What is the Greenhouse effect?
4. How to differentiate between natural and human-induced climate change?
5. State some impacts of climate change.

About the Tool 

Tool Name	Introduction to Climate Science
Discipline	Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline	Climate Change Overview, Climate Science, Global Warming, Climate History, Climate Physics, Climate Economics, Climate Politics
Climate Topic	Introduction to Climate Change
Type of tool	Teaching Module
Grade Level	High School, Undergraduate
Location	Global
Language	English
Translation
Developed by	Andreas Schmittner
Hosted at	Oregon State University
Link	Link
Access	Online/Offline
Computer Skills	Basic