MT4YB-Climate Change

Module Provider: Meteorology
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: MT24A Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics MT24B Atmospheric Physics
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded: MT38B Climate Change
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof Bill Collins
Email: w.collins@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
Climate change over the past century and coming century, and its likely courses.

Aims:
This module aims to develop an understanding of the fundamental physics of climate change, an understanding of observations of changes in atmospheric composition and climate change in the recent past, quantify the extent to which these changes are understood, examine the degree to which these changes are due to human activity and natural variations, and investigate predictions of future climate change.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of this module, a student should be able to:

• Explain how the Earth's climate has changed in the recent past;


• Explain how human activity has caused a change in atmospheric composition, and the sources of uncertainty in our understanding;


• Describe the contribution of atmospheric chemistry and the carbon cycle to climate change;


• Describe the hierarchy of climate models and their limitation;


• Demonstrate how these are used to understand the observed changes and the degree to which past changes can be attributed to human and natural causes;


• Calculate temperature changes using simple climate models;


• Demonstrate knowledge of predictions of future climate and the causes of uncertainty in these predictions;


• Explain the context of climate issues from their appreciation of the current scientific understanding in the field.

This module will be assessed to a greater depth than the excluded module MT38B.

Additional outcomes:

The computer practical will develop skills in using simple models to compare to measurement data.

Outline content:

• Observations of recent climate change;


• Observations of recent changes in atmospheric composition including an elementary introduction to atmospheric chemistry;


• Radiative forcing and simple models of climate change;


• Sophisticated climate models Key uncertainties in climate models, with a special focus on cloud feedbacks;


• Detection and attribution of past climate change;


• Prediction of future climate change including brief discussion of impacts.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Two 50-minute sessions per week, which will include conventional lectures and computer based practicals. Students will be encouraged to attend relevant seminars from the Department's internal and external seminar programmes (typically 4 in the spring term).

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		18
Practicals classes and workshops		2
Guided independent study:		80
Total hours by term		100
Total hours for module	100

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	70
Set exercise	30

Summative assessment- Examinations:

One 1.5 hour University examination. Students are asked to answer 2 out of 3 questions.

The examination for this module will require a narrowly defined time window and is likely to be held in a dedicated exam venue.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Set Exercise 1:

Volcanic eruptions and climate: using the simple analytical model. A large explosive volcanic eruption can place sulphur gases into the stratosphere, which readily form small sulphuric acid aerosols that reflect sunlight. For the purposes of using an analytical model, we will represent the time varying radiative forcing from a volcanic eruption as DF(t) = A exp (-t/ta).

Set Exercise 2: A simple climate model : simulating the climate over the last 150 years: The model simulates the global-mean temperature variations by representing the climate system by a two-layer ocean.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

50% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:
Resit examination paper only in August/September.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 30 March 2023