GEOL4305 Paleoclimatology

Left: Permain Land & Life (from www.fossilmuseum.net). Right: Permian climate simulation from the National Center of Atmospheric Research (Kiehl and Shields, Geology, 2005)

Instructor: Prof. Arne Winguth

Email: awinguth@uta.edu

Phone: (817)272-2977

Time: MWF 9:00-9:50 GS Room 105

Text:  T.J. Crowley and North (1991). “Paleoclimatology”. Oxford Univ. Press.

Course description:

Climate change throughout geologic time, especially the last 100 Million years: Models of the climate system, reconstruction and modeling of past climates, abrupt climate change, warm climates, paleoclimatology, climate change and mass extinctions. Prereq: Jr st or one year calculus-based college physics, oceanography, or meteorology or cons instr.

Course Content:

1. Introduction: The climate system, climate processes and its time scales, mechanisms and evidence of climate change
2. Introduction to climate modeling:  Energy balance models and three-dimensional climate models, feedbacks in the climate system
3. The present climate and its seasonal to decadal variability
4. Climates of the past 1000 years
5. Quaternary Climates: Glacial-Interglacial cycles (the last 2 Million years BP)
6. Tertiary Climates: Global Warming at the late Paleocene (2-65 Million years BP)
7. Mesozoic Climates: Late Cretaceous climates and extinction, Jurassic climates (Opening of the Atlantic)
8. Paleozoic Climates: Permian-Triassic mass extinction and climate change, ice house and hot house climates
9. Early History: Snowball Earth
10. Past Climates & Future Climate Change

Grading: Lecture Exams (3) 60%; Term Paper (1) 25%; Lecture Quizzes 15%

Paleoclimatology Webpage