COURSE OUTLINE: GEOG 331b  HUMAN IMPACTS ON WEATHER AND CLIMATE

 

Instructor: James Voogt                                                                  Telephone: 661-2111  Ext. 85018

Office: 2401 SSC                                                                           E-mail: javoogt@uwo.ca

 

Office hours: (winter term 2007):  Tues. and Thurs. 2:00-3:00 pm or by appointment

 

Objectives

This course examines intentionally and unintentionally modified weather and climates due to anthropogenic activities on scales ranging from local modification of microclimates in urban areas to global climate change due to changes in atmospheric composition.  The processes underlying the changes are examined as well as the methods of detecting the changes.  Surface modifications and alterations of the surface-atmosphere exchange processes will be discussed using the framework of surface radiation and energy balances.  The course also explores how individuals, communities, businesses and governments may choose to respond to issues surrounding weather modification and climate change.  


Course Prerequisites

Geography 208a/b, Physics 104a/b, or permission of the instructor.

The fine print: Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

 

Format

Instruction is through three lecture hours and one tutorial hour per week.  Class times are Mondays 3:30-5:30 pm (SSC 3018), Wednesday 3:30-4:30 pm (SSC 3018), with an additional Wednesday 4:30-5:30 pm (SSC 3010) slot that may be used for discussion or additional lecture time as needed, although discussion will also be part of the regular lecture hours.  Participation in class discussions and group tasks is part of the overall course evaluation.

 

Evaluation

There will be four marked assignments and a final exam.  Marks will be awarded for class participation (including some individual and group tasks).  Assignments handed in late without prior notification (1 week required) will have marks deducted, except for medical or other extraordinary circumstances, at the rate of 10% per day (including weekend days).

                        Assignments                                                                50%

                        Final Exam                                                                  40%
                        Participation                                                                10%

 

Statement on Use of Electronic Devices

No electronic devices will be allowed during tests and examinations.

 

 

Statement on Academic Offences

Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site:

http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf .”

 

Support Services

Registrarial Services: http://www3.registrar.uwo.ca/index.cfm

Student Development Services: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/

 

Course Web Site

The course web site is located at http://instruct.uwo.ca/geog/331b/ 

It will contain the most recent versions of the course outline, readings, assignments and other relevant course information.

 

Course Texts

There is no required course text.  I do recommend either

Oke, T.R. 1987. Boundary Layer Climates, Routledge, London. or Bailey, W.G, T.R. Oke, and W.R. Rouse (1997) The Surface Climates of Canada. McGill-Queen’s University Press, Montreal.  

For the first part of the course.  For the last half of the course (large scale climate change) I recommend

Maslin, M. 2004. Global Warming: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

The following texts also provide useful overviews for large scale climate change

O’Hare et al. 2005.  Weather, Climate and Climate Change: Human Perspectives. Pearson/Prentice Hall, Harlow.

Coward, H. and Weaver, A.J. 2004. Hard Choices: Climate Change in Canada. Wilfred Laurier Press, Waterloo, Ont.

A previous course text may be available from the used book store.  It is useful for the intentional weather modification section and provides one text that includes all scales covered in this course, but is now a little dated.

Cotton, W.R. and Pielke, R.A. 1995.  Human Impacts on Weather and Climate. Cambridge University Press, New York.

Other relevant texts include

Brown, R.D. and Gillespie, T.J. 1995. Microclimatic Landscape Design. J. Wiley & Sons, New York .

Houghton, J.T. et al. 2001.  Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.  (Will be superseded in Feb. 2007 by the next IPCC formal report).

Ruddiman, W.F. 2001. Earth's Climate, Past and Future, W.H. Freeman.

 

Where available I will request to be on reserve at Weldon Library.

 

 

 

Weekly Science Journals

The most recent developments in climate change are often announced in the journals Nature, and Science.  These are available in the Taylor Library, and also via the Internet. Consult library staff for more information.

Nature, Macmillan Publishers. Q1.N2  Taylor Library

Science, The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Q1.S35  Taylor Library

 

Internet Resources

In addition to online journals, many scientific and other institutions maintain web sites with information of use to this course. Be aware of the non-peer reviewed content on these sites, and use with care. If you choose to use material obtained from the internet in assignments, they must be properly referenced, and should be used in addition to other published, peer-reviewed sources!

 

Assignments

Assignments will include a range of tasks, including practical (observations, measurements), theoretical, quantitative, research and writing.  Some assignments may involve group work. There will be time during scheduled class time to work on the assignments.  Assignment due dates are specified in the schedule provided. 

Surface Radiation and Energy Balances

Urban Heat Island

Climate Change: Emissions and Radiative Forcing Greenhouse Fundamentals

Canada and Climate Change

 

Participation

Since this is a smaller enrollment class, I include a small portion of the mark to participation.  Participation will include consideration of: lecture attendance, class participation in discussions (quality and/or quality), participation in individual or group tasks. 

 

 

Course Schedule

 

BLC = Boundary Layer Climates, SCC = Surface Climates of Canada.

Week

Date

Lecture Topics

Readings

1

Jan. 8

Introduction.
Intentionally and unintentionally modified climates – overview.  The PBL/ABL and layers.
Surface Microclimates I: Near-surface atmosphere: introduction to surface microclimates.  Surface radiation and energy balances. 

BLC (Chp 1)
SCC (Chp 2.)

 

Jan. 10

Lecture 1, continued.  Introduce Assignment #1

 

2

Jan. 15

Surface Microclimates: Manipulation of surface radiation balance to effect change in surface climates: albedo, geometry, surface emissivity, moisture control. 

BLC (Chp 1, 2 and 7)
SCC(Chp 2.)

 

Jan. 17

 

 

3

Jan. 22

Surface Microclimates III: Surface and subsurface modifications for crops. Mulching. Frost protection.  Wind breaks.

BLC (Chp 7)
SCC (Chp 13).
Brown and Gillespie (1995).

 

Jan. 24

 

 

4

Jan. 29

Urban Climates I: Surface modifications and the urban radiation and energy balance.

BLC, SCC (Chp. 13), Oke (1988)
 

 

Jan. 31

Urban Climates I: continued.

Assignment #1 due.

 

5

Feb. 5

Urban Climates II: The Urban Heat Island

Mills 2004, Voogt 2002, Lowry 1977

 

Feb. 7

Assignment #2: The urban heat island

 

6

Feb. 12

The UHI and Urban Planning Responses
Green and White roofs

Golden 2004  Rosenfeld et al. 1995

 

Feb. 14

Urban Climates III: Urban Air Quality .
Discussion of Assignment #5

Crutzen 2005

7

Feb. 19

Urban Climates IV: Urban Weather and linking urban climates to larger scale climates.

Lowry 1998, Oke 1997, Changnon 1992

 

Feb. 21

Assignment #2 due. 
Discuss Assignment #3

 

8

Feb. 26

Reading Week: no lectures

 

 

Feb. 28

Reading Week

 

9

Mar. 5

Intentional Weather Modification
Static mode and dynamic modes of cloud seeding.

Cotton and Pielke 1995 Bruintjes 1999, NAS 2003.

 

Mar. 7

Intentional Weather Modification: Fog Modification. Hail Suppression

Cotton and Pielke 1995 NAS 2003 WMO 2005.

10

Mar. 12

Global Climate Change I:  Climate System and Physical Basis of the Greenhouse Effect. 

Maslin 2004, O’Hare et al. 2005  Ruddiman 2001

 

Mar. 14

Climate System: continued.  The New IPCC report Discuss Assignment #3 Due, discuss Assignment #4

IPCC 2007

11

Mar. 19

Prediction of Future Climates: Climate Models and Emissions Scenarios, Stabilization Scenarios

IPCC,  Maslin 2004, O’Hare et al. 2005 Giorgi 2005

 

Mar. 21

Climate Change Web Sites

 

12

Mar. 26

Global Climate Change: Impacts
Global Climate Change: Climate Change Detection

Maslin 2004, O’Hare et al. 2005 
Kalnay and Cai 2003, Ruddiman 2005

 

Mar. 28

Global Climate Change: Climate Surprises and Climate Change in the Popular Media

Alley 2005

13

Apr. 2

Human Response to Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation

Maslin 2004

 

Apr. 4

Human Response to Climate Change: General International Scales
Assignment #4 due.

IPCC

14

Apr. 9

Human Response to Climate Change: Local Scales

Oke (1997) Changnon (1992)

 

Apr 11.