Course synopsis
Climatic change has and continues to be undoubtedly
one of the major global environmental concerns over the last two decades. The
course will look at the likely causes of climate change, natural and manmade,
as well as the methods used for establishing past palaeoclimates. The course
will investigate the enhanced greenhouse effect and associated global warming,
and alternative theories such as the switching off of the Thermo Haline
Conveyor or Gulf Stream. Time will also be allocated to investigating the last
Ice age in the UK, the Pleistocene, as well as climatic changes in more recent
times such as the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The most recent
thoughts on global climatic change, global weirding, and its associated extreme
weather events will also be analysed. Finally, solutions to climatic change and
global warming phenomena will be studied. The course will include discussion
within the group as well as viewing data and relevant climatic documentary
clips.
WEEK1: WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF CLIMATIC CHANGE? The
earth's orbit, the sun, volcanoes, feedback loops, ocean circulations.
WEEK 2: WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE THAT CAN BE USED TO
ESTABLISH CLIMATIC CHANGE? Ice cores, tree rings, pollen analysis, glaciers,
and historical documents.
WEEK 3: THE ICE AGES: in the context of the
geological time scale, the most recent one in the UK, the Pleistocene, glacial
and interglacials.
WEEK 4: WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING AND THE GREENHOUSE
EFFECT? What is the evidence for global warming? An analysis of the mechanism of
how the greenhouse effect works.
WEEK5: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. A case study into the
work and career of Al Gore and his life time's work into drawing attention to
the effect of global warming.
WEEK6: WARMING UP FOR THE ICE AGE. The concept of
the Thermo Haline Conveyor. Could the Gulf Stream switch off? The Day after
Tomorrow.
WEEK 7: THE LITTLE ICE AGE IN EUROPE AND THE UK. An
analysis of the last 1000 years of climate, with special reference to climate
in the Middle Ages.
WEEK 8: EXTREME WEATHER AND GLOBAL CLIMATIC CHANGE.
How does this link to flooding, droughts, hurricanes, their severity and
frequency?
WEEK 9: GLOBAL WIERDING. The most recent thoughts
on global climatic change. The most recent work of meteorologists and climatic
scientists from around the world.
WEEK 10: THE FUTURE OF PLANET EARTH. What can be
done to control global warming and climatic change? Will we be able to modify
the weather?
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About the teacher
John King
I am a semi retired Head of Geography who has taught in Secondary Education for 32 years at 4 different schools. I established a keen interest in weather forecasting...
