Recommended: "Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policy Makers", Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2013 [PDF file]
Each article is accompanied by a set of Reading Questions. You should come prepared to discuss them during the time set aside by the University for a final exam from 10:45 am to 1:15 pm on Monday, May 21. As evidence that you've prepared, you should highlight the portions of the articles that address the reading questions about them, and annotate the highlighted sections with the number of the reading question so that you can refer to them easily during the discussion, as needed.
A two-page summary of the key points of these articles is due on Friday, May 25.
Supporting the last set of articles above is Reading #15 from our text. You should also complete this reading by Monday, May 21.
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #7, where you will need to submit your responses by 10:30 am on Monday, May 21, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
Pre-class Quiz #7, which is based on Reading #15, comprises one multiple-answer question and three multiple-choice questions.
Each of the two articles above is accompanied by a set of Reading Questions. You should come prepared to discuss these articles in class on Monday, May 14. As evidence that you've prepared, you should highlight the portions of the articles that address the reading questions about them, and annotate the highlighted sections with the number of the reading question so that you can refer to them easily during the discussion, as needed.
A two-page summary of the key points of these articles is due on Monday, May 21.
Each of these articles is accompanied by a set of Reading Questions. If you have elected this topic, you should come prepared to discuss these articles in class on Friday, May 11. As evidence that you've prepared, you should highlight the portions of the articles that address the reading questions about them, and annotate the highlighted sections with the number of the reading question so that you can refer to them easily during the discussion, as needed.
A two-page summary of the key points of these articles is due on Friday, May 18.
A prospectus for Quiz #4 has been posted. Quiz #4 will be administered near the beginning of class on Monday, May 7.
Each article is accompanied by a set of Reading Questions. You should come prepared to discuss these articles in class on Friday, May 4. As evidence that you've prepared, you should highlight the portions of the articles that address the reading questions about them, and annotate the highlighted sections with the number of the reading question so that you can refer to them easily during the discussion, as needed.
Reading Assignment #8 from our text has also been assigned, for classes starting Friday, May 4. This reading assignment also supports our discussion of the articles on Pleistocene glaciations.
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #6, where you needed to submit your responses by 12:00 pm on Friday, May 4, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
Pre-class Quiz #6, which is based on Reading #8, comprises two multiple-choice questions and one multiple-answer question.
Lab Activity #13: "A Simple STELLA Model of the Planetary Heat Budget with a Greenhouse Effect", is due at the end of the day on Monday, April 30.
A Lab Problem [PDF file] (based on Lab Activity #11: Land/Water Contrasts) has been issued. It was due in class on Friday, April 20.
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #5, where you needed to submit your responses by 12:00 pm on Monday, April 16, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
Pre-class Quiz #5, which is based on Reading #6, comprises five multiple-choice questions and one multiple-answer question.
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #4, where you needed to submit your responses by 12:00 pm on Monday, April 16, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading"). (Note: This due date is a postponement from the original due date.)
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #3, where you needed to submit your responses by 12:00 pm on Monday, April 2 (extended from the original deadline of Monday, March 26) is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
A prospectus for Quiz #2 is now available. Quiz #2 is scheduled for near the beginning of class on Friday, March 9. (This is postponed from the originally scheduled date of Monday, March 5.)
Problem #3 has been assigned. It is due in class on Monday, March 12. (This is postponed from the original due date of Friday, March 9.)
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #2, where you needed to submit your responses by 12:00 pm on Monday, March 5, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
Pre-class Quiz #2, which is based on Reading #2 and #3, comprises three multiple-choice questions and two multiple-answer questions.
Problem #2 has been assigned. It is due on Monday, Feb. 26 (a postponement of the original due date of Fri., Feb. 23).
Problem #1 was assigned. It was due in class on Friday, Feb. 9 (postponed by four days from the original deadline). If you have any doubts about your attempt, I recommend strongly that you make an appointment with me to get some feedback. If your response doesn't address the question (a common occurance with this assignment), I will have no qualms about returning it to you to for revision and resubmission, but this is the only assignment for which I will do that--on future assignments, it will be your responsibility to seek feedback before the assignment is due, if you are concerned about your understanding of the problem.
Reading Assignment #2 has been issued, for classes starting Friday, Feb. 9. To tide you over until you can acquire a copy of the required textbook (see below), below is a link to a digital copy of Chapter 3 of The Earth System, 3rd Ed. This will be the last scanned portion of the book that I'll provide (since I'm in violation of the copyright by providing what I have already).
The "interactive" version of Pre-class Quiz #1, where you needed to submit your responses by 5:00 pm on Thursday, Feb. 2, is also available on iLearn (under "Pre-class Quizzes on Assigned Reading").
Pre-class Quiz #1, which is based on Reading #2, comprises five multiple-choice questions and one multiple-answer question. (Multiple answer questions might, or might not, have more than one correct answer; to get full credit for them you have to select all correct answers and none of the incorrect ones, if there are any.)
Reading #1 has been assigned, for classes starting Fri., Jan. 26. To tide you over until you can acquire a copy of the required textbook (see below), here's a digital version of Chapter 1 of The Earth System, 3rd Ed., along with the other assigned reading (which is free):
Textbook. The Earth System, 3rd Ed.by Kump et al. Copies of the text should be available for sale at the SFSU bookstore (possibly bundled with a free book, "Dire Predictions", which we won't use but is a nice summary of what we know about global warming, at a somewhat lower level than we'll address in ERTH 535). As an alternative, you can, of course, buy the textbook (new or used) online. To optimize your search for a good price, you can use a Web-based price search site such as AddAll (http://www.addall.com). (The most precise way to search for prices of a text using AddAll is to use the book's ISBN, which in the case of our text is 978-0-321-59779-3.)
An alternative at a lower price is to rent an electronic version of the text for 180 days that you can read online or offline, through CourseSmart (http://www.coursesmart.com). The downside of this choice is that you won't be able to keep the book for future reference.
Note that the text includes information about (a) basic principles on which climate science is founded, and (b) scientific understanding of climate-related issues based on new applications of the principles, new observations, and new discoveries. In older editions of the text, coverage of the basic principles won't differ much from the newest edition, but climate science is a relatively rapidly expanding and evolving field, so other aspects of climate science will often be out of date in older editions. Hence, older editions of the text will be only partly useful in ERTH 535.
iClickers: We will use a student response system (also known as "clickers") made by iClicker (in particular, the iClicker 2 model) in both lecture and lab. You will need to buy an iClicker 2 clicker from the SFSU bookstore as soon as possible. The price for a new one is about $52 + tax (or $39 + tax for a used one). The bookstore will buy it back from you for half the original price when you no longer need it, even if that is three years from now (as long as SFSU classes are still using it). The bookstore will, alternatively, rent one to you for a one semester for $21. The University has standardized use of the iClicker 2 across campus, so you might discover that you need it in other classes, too, while you are at SFSU.
Instructional Software. If you miss a class or otherwise fall behind, you might need to work on lab activities out of class. For activities that require special software, you'll find that any of the Mac computers installed in TH 604, TH 607, TH 513, and TH 518 (the ESL) have the necessary software, and you can access some of these computers out of class:
The Meteorology/Oceanography program's Weather Graphics and Simulation
Lab (iMacs only):
Location: Room 607 Thornton Hall. (This room is
often locked—access is then through TH 604, our classroom. )
Hours: Unrestricted (see me for the keypad code).
If you're using this lab for the first time, I'd suggest asking me for an
introduction to it.