GEOL 110 – Global Warming
Spring Semester, 2012
Dr. Matthew S. Lachniet
UNLV Department of Geosciences
Download GoogleEarth
Want to learn about atmospheric
circulation? See the GOES Composite water vapor animations HERE (requires
Flash player).
What does Global Warming look like? See
this NASA animation of global temperatures HERE.
Catalog Description:
Introduction
to the science of global warming, and investigation of the wide array of
evidence that documents global warming, including changes in the cryosphere,
biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The
course will also investigate the use of climate models to forecast climate
under varying greenhouse gas concentrations.
Course Outline
- The
Character of the Atmosphere (Chapter 2)
- The
World Ocean (Chapter 3)
- The
Carbon Cycle (Chapter 4)
- A Scientific Framework
for thinking about Climate Change (Chapter 5)
- Learning from Past
Climates (Chapter 6, aka Paleoclimatology)
- A Century of Warming
and some consequences (Chapter 7).
- More Consequences: The
sensitive
- Climate Models and the
Future (Chapter 9)
- Energy and the Future
(Chapter 10)
Textbook:
- Climate Change, The
science of global warming and our energy future, by Edmond A. Mathez
(http://www.cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-14642-5/climate-change).
- Clicker: iClicker (http://www.iclicker.com/Products/iclicker/)
(~$40), for in-class interactive response.
- Optional:
for the full story see Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis.
Working Group I Research summary by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (4AR), available for free at www.ipcc.ch
Final Exam for Spring, 2012 is Tuesday
May 8, 1:00-3:00 PM (Cumulative)
Last updated 2/1/12
Send email to Dr. Lachniet
Return to Dr. Lachniet’s
web page
About Dr. Lachniet:
Dr. Lachniet is a paleoclimate
researcher and Associate Professor in the Geoscience
Department at UNLV, who's interests include past climate change and climate
variability on decadal to millennial time scales in the tropics (Central
America, including Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and southern Mexico), the
Basin and Range (Southern Nevada), and the sub-arctic (Alaska). Dr. Lachniet is
the author of more than 27 peer-reviewed articles in the
scientific literature since 1998.
Dr. Lachniet is also the recipient of
five research and facilities grants from the National Science Foundation and
other sources totaling more than $1.3M since 2002. Dr. Lachniet established,
and is the Co-Director with Dr. Ganqing Jiang, of the Las Vegas Isotope Science
(LVIS) Laboratory at UNLV. The LVIS Lab analyzes stable isotopes of oxygen,
carbon, and hydrogen in geologic materials and waters, to investigate
hypotheses of climate change and variability.
Dr. Lachniet was the recipient of a Fulbright
Fellowship in 1999 to pursue climate research in