To solve the environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic issues that climate change is causing, a scientific understanding of the changing climate is necessary.

Since the Industrial Revolution, climate change has become a major issue. The impacts of it are experienced worldwide: sea level rise, intensifying heat waves and storms, and increasing drought, floods, and wildfires. Human development has already raised global temperatures by 1° Celsius compared to pre-Industrial times and is projected to increase to 2° by 2050. Backing this prediction is the work of atmospheric scientists.

This course will provide the principles of atmospheric science and climate modeling, presenting the trends that climate data shows and how to analyze them. This course will teach basic computations and theoretical climate models. It will analyze the impacts of climate change on both natural and human systems and present solutions to the crisis from a scientist’s perspective. In order to understand climate change and the range of ramifications it has on the environment and social and economic systems, we must first understand the science.

Target Audience
Undergraduate and graduate students in environmental fields, particularly those interested in climate modeling, policymakers, and interested members of the private sector and general public.

Learning Objectives
To learn the scientific background of climate change, express how and why climate change is occurring, and to understand the impacts of climate change on both natural and human systems.