Guías Docentes Electrónicas
1. General information
Course:
FUNDAMENTALS OF CLIMATIC CHANGE
Code:
37348
Type:
ELECTIVE
ECTS credits:
4.5
Degree:
340 - UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMME IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Academic year:
2021-22
Center:
501 - FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Group(s):
40 
Year:
4
Duration:
First semester
Main language:
Spanish
Second language:
English
Use of additional languages:
English Friendly:
Y
Web site:
Bilingual:
N
Lecturer: MIGUEL ANGEL GAERTNER RUIZ VALDEPEÑAS - Group(s): 40 
Building/Office
Department
Phone number
Email
Office hours
Sabatini / 0.18
CIENCIAS AMBIENTALES
926051752
miguel.gaertner@uclm.es

2. Pre-Requisites
Not established
3. Justification in the curriculum, relation to other subjects and to the profession

Anthropogenic climate change is one of the main environmental threats for mankind. The main objective of this subject is to provide a good knowledge about the fundamentals of climate change science, giving illustrative examples of the main implications that climate change has and could have in the future. This forms the basis for mitigation strategies for consequences of future scenarios, as well as for adapting to such consequences. When a student studies this subject, it is intended firstly that he understands the complexity and magnitude of the problem, and then that he knows various mitigating actions offered by technology. For this reason, the learning process follows this sequence:

- Understanding the basic physical principles that determine global climate.

- Knowing the components of climate system and the complex interactions among them

- Studying climate variability at several timescales

- Analyzing the main causes of observed climate change

- Knowing the techniques of climated modelling and their uncertainties

- Knowing and interpreting current projections of anthropogenic climate change

- Studying the main impacts and consequences of anthropogenic climate change

- Knowing and analyzing strategies for mitigating anthropogenic climate change and adapting to its consequences

Despite the subject having a particularly strong relationship to the subject of Meteorology and Climatology, impacts of climate change occur (or they are expected to occur) in all types of areas, and because of this the subject has a strong multidisciplinary component and provides a knowlege with large practical importance for the development of the environmentalist profession.


4. Degree competences achieved in this course
Course competences
Code Description
CB01 Prove that they have acquired and understood knowledge in a subject area that derives from general secondary education and is appropriate to a level based on advanced course books, and includes updated and cutting-edge aspects of their field of knowledge.
CB05 Have developed the necessary learning abilities to carry on studying autonomously
E01 Ability to understand and apply basic knowledge.
E03 Awareness of the temporal and spatial dimensions of environmental processes
E05 Capacity for qualitative data interpretation
E06 Capacity for quantitative data interpretation
E27 Know clean technologies and renewable energies.
E28 Energy management and optimization capacity
G01 Proficiency in a second foreign language at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
G02 Knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
G03 Good oral and written communication
G04 Ethical commitment and professional deontology
5. Objectives or Learning Outcomes
Course learning outcomes
Description
Learn to relate environmental phenomena to the principles of physics that explain them. Especially those related to meteorological, climatological, air, noise and radiation pollution processes.
To know the projections of anthropogenic climate change, its causes, its main consequences, the techniques for its study and the strategies for its mitigation.
To understand the components of the climate system, the complex interactions between them and climate variability at different time scales.
Additional outcomes
Not established.
6. Units / Contents
  • Unit 1: Introduction: The climate system
  • Unit 2: Planetary balances of energy and water
  • Unit 3: The atmosphere
  • Unit 4: The oceans
  • Unit 5: Sensitivity of climate system and feedback mechanisms
  • Unit 6: The evolution of earth climate
  • Unit 7: Anthropogenic climate warming. Climate change
  • Unit 8: Climate models. Global and regional climate change scenarios
  • Unit 9: Impacts of climate change
  • Unit 10: Mitigation of climate change. Energy and transport for the future
7. Activities, Units/Modules and Methodology
Training Activity Methodology Related Competences (only degrees before RD 822/2021) ECTS Hours As Com Description
Class Attendance (theory) [ON-SITE] Lectures CB05 E01 E03 E05 0.84 21 N N
Computer room practice [ON-SITE] Combination of methods CB01 CB05 E01 E03 E05 E06 G01 G02 0.6 15 Y N
Writing of reports or projects [OFF-SITE] Combination of methods CB01 CB05 E01 E03 E05 E06 E27 E28 G01 G02 G03 G04 1.2 30 Y N
Project or Topic Presentations [ON-SITE] Combination of methods E03 E05 E06 E27 E28 G02 G03 0.24 6 Y N
Study and Exam Preparation [OFF-SITE] Self-study CB01 CB05 E01 E03 E05 E06 E27 E28 G01 1.5 37.5 N N
Progress test [ON-SITE] Assessment tests CB01 CB05 E01 E03 E05 E06 G03 0.04 1 Y N
Final test [ON-SITE] Assessment tests CB01 CB05 E01 E03 E05 E06 E27 E28 G03 0.08 2 Y Y
Total: 4.5 112.5
Total credits of in-class work: 1.8 Total class time hours: 45
Total credits of out of class work: 2.7 Total hours of out of class work: 67.5

As: Assessable training activity
Com: Training activity of compulsory overcoming (It will be essential to overcome both continuous and non-continuous assessment).

8. Evaluation criteria and Grading System
Evaluation System Continuous assessment Non-continuous evaluation * Description
Final test 35.00% 100.00% Continuous assessment: Students that have passed the midterm exam (with a minimum grade of 4 over 10) only have to be assessed for the second part of the subject. Students that have not passed the midterm exam have to be assessed for the two parts of the subject. In this later case, the weight of the final exam in the final grade will be 70%.

Non-continuous evaluation: the final grade of the subject will be the grade obtained in the final exam.
Practicum and practical activities reports assessment 15.00% 0.00%
Progress Tests 35.00% 0.00% Midterm exam for the first part of the topics. If passed, this part will not be included in the final exam. For passing this exam, a minimum grade of 4 over 10 is needed.
Theoretical papers assessment 15.00% 0.00%
Total: 100.00% 100.00%  
According to art. 4 of the UCLM Student Evaluation Regulations, it must be provided to students who cannot regularly attend face-to-face training activities the passing of the subject, having the right (art. 12.2) to be globally graded, in 2 annual calls per subject , an ordinary and an extraordinary one (evaluating 100% of the competences).

Evaluation criteria for the final exam:
  • Continuous assessment:
    The final grade will be obtained applying the indicated weights to the progress test, the practicum, the assessment of the report and the final exam. If the progress test (midterm exam) has not been passed, the weight of the final exam will be 70%.
  • Non-continuous evaluation:
    The grade of the final exam will be equal to 100% of the final grade.

Specifications for the resit/retake exam:
Continuous assessment: The assessment criteria for the midterm exam and the final exam will be the same indicated above: if the midterm exam has been passed, it will have a 35% weight and the retake exam (for the second part of the topics) will have a 35% weight, but if the midterm exam has not been passed, the weight of the retake exam (covering all the topics) will be 70%. The grades for the practicum and the report will be those obtained during the course, but in case of a fail grade the practicum and/or the report optionally may be presented again.

Non-continuous evaluation: The grade of the final exam will be equal to 100% of the final grade.
Specifications for the second resit / retake exam:
The final grade in this case will coincide with the grade obtained in this second retake exam.
9. Assignments, course calendar and important dates
Not related to the syllabus/contents
Hours hours

10. Bibliography and Sources
Author(s) Title Book/Journal Citv Publishing house ISBN Year Description Link Catálogo biblioteca
 
Ahrens, C. Donald Meteorology today : an introduction to weather, climate and the environment Brooks/Cole 0-534-37379-8 2000 Ficha de la biblioteca
Archer D. Global Warming: Understanding the forecast (2nd edition) John Wiley & Sons Ltd 978-0-470-94341-0 2011 Ficha de la biblioteca
Archer D. & Rahmstorf S. The Climate Crisis: An Introductory Guide to Climate Change Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-73255-0 2010  
Barros, V.R., C.B. Field, D.J. Dokken, M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.) IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part B: Regional Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press 2014 http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/  
Edenhofer, O., R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel and J.C. Minx (eds.) IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press 2014 http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/  
Field, C.B., V.R. Barros, D.J. Dokken, K.J. Mach, M.D. Mastrandrea, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova, B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.) IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press 2014 http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/  
Hartmann, Dennis L. Global physical climatology Academic Press 0-12-328530-5 1994 Ficha de la biblioteca
Paul Hawken (Ed.) Drawdown : the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming New York Penguin Books 978-0-14-313044-4 2017  
Peixoto, J. P. & Oort A. H. Physics of climate American Institute of Physics 0-88318-712-4 1992 Ficha de la biblioteca
Ruddiman, William F. Earth's climate : past and future W. H. Freeman and Company 0-7167-3741-8 2002 Ficha de la biblioteca
Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.) IPCC, 2013: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-66182 2013 http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/  
Talley L.D., Pickard G.L., Emery W.J., Swift J.H. Descriptive Physical Oceanography: An Introduction (Sixth Edition) Boston Elsevier 978-0-7506-4552-2 2011 Ficha de la biblioteca



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