UNST 232 Global Environmental Change

e-mail: ruzickaa@pdx.edu
 
 

Earth's atmosphere and climate controls habitats on Earth, and prevents our planet from looking like our airless, bombarded moon (center) or the hothouse of Venus or firigid desert of Mars.  Global climate has changed in the past and will certainly change in the future, with major implications for life on Earth.  Important questions that need to be addressed include how Earth's climate system works, what we can expect for future changes in climate, and what we should do, if anything, about it.  [All images by the instructor except center, courtesy of NASA.]
 

Course information & resources
 

• Syllabus (PDF) (Posted 10/25/12, revised 1/4/13)

• Figures from the book are available from the publisher.  These will be useful when you put together your oral presentations.  Click here for more information.  (Posted 10/25/12) 

Mentor section and other assignments

• Introduction of yourself. (Posted 1/4/13.  Electronic copy to mentor due noon, 1/14/13)

• Scrapbook.  (Posted 1/4/13.  Installments due in main section class 1/23/13, 2/20/13, 3/13/13) 

• Tree ring assignment.  (Posted 1/4/13. Electronic copy to mentor due noon, 2/4/13)

• Annotated bibilography.  (Posted 1/26/13.  Due in main section class 2/25) 

Instructor presentations
 

• Chapter 1, Overview.    [2.08 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 10/25/12)

• Climate Today, part 1.  (Chapter 2 from 1st Edition)  [4.9 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 10/25/12)

• Climate Today, part 2.  (Chapter 2 from 1st Edition)  [3.3 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 10/25/12)

• Chapter 2, Climate Archives.  [5.2 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 1/14/13)

• Chapter 3 - 6 highlights.  [7 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 1/26/13)

• Chapter 17, Climate Since the 1800s.  [7.6 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/20/13)

• Chapter 19, Future Climate.  [5.0 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/20/13)

Student presentations

• Oral presentation assignment.   (Posted 1/14/13)

• Oral presentation groups.   (Posted 1/19/13)

• Chapter 7, Astronomical controls on solar radiation.   [5.1 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 2/5/13)

• Chapter 10, Orbital scale changes in CO2 and CH4.   [9.7 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/6/13)

• Chapter 12, Last glacial maximum.  [2.6 Mb Powerpoint]  (Posted 2/13/13, Link 2/17/13)

• Chapter 13, Climate during last deglaciation.    [13.7 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/13/13)

• Chapter 15, Climate and human evolution.   [8.9 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/20/13)

• Chpater 16, Climate changes during the last 1000 years.  [12.2 Mb Powerpoint]   (Posted 2/20/13)

Debates

• Topics as of Feb. 1.   (Posted 2/1/13)

• Topics and Teams as of Feb. 6.   (Posted 2/4/13, revised 2/5/13, revised 2/6/13) 

• Debate assignment.    (Posted 2/12/13)

Exam score distributions and answer keys
 

• Quiz 1.   (Posted 2/1/13)

• Quiz 2.   (Posted 3/1/13)

• Final Exam and Total Scores.   (Posted 3/25/12)

Who's who in the class

• Link to Bio Central.  (Posted 1/6/13, links 1/14/13)