Climate is fundamentally relevant to modern and ancient societies. Global warming is occurring today, and whether it is driven by human activities (e.g., CO2, CH4 emissions) or by natural climate cycles can only be determined by understanding natural climatic variability.

Fortunately, there are many tools, natural climatic records, that can provide us with information on past climate (e.g. tree rings, ice cores from glaciers, and sediment cores from lakes and oceans). Obtaining, documenting and interpreting these records is the field of paleoclimatology, and it is the focus of this course.

Lectures are punctuated by numerous class meetings with discussion of current climate literature, and specific issues relevant to global climate change.

Who should take this course? ...everyone who is a citizen of Planet Earth. This course is an important introductory course for the major in the Geosciences and Environmental Science and Policy. It is an excellent introduction to the science of climate change those interested in going into Policy or Economics.

Offered: Every WINTER Term