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Vår 2023
FYS-2018 Global climate change - 10 stp
The course is administrated by
Institutt for fysikk og teknologi
Type of course
The course is available as a singular course. The course is also available to exchange students and Fulbright students.
Course contents
The course gives a general introduction to the physical causes of climate change. The course discusses climate changes in the past, the current climate change, and the predictions for the coming century. It also discusses impacts on society of global warming. Simple radiative-balance models of the climate system are introduced, and the concept of radiative forcing and the role of the greenhouse effect are discussed. The course provides an introduction to climate models and discusses their strengths and weaknesses as well as the uncertainty of their predictions of future climate change. The course also gives an introduction to fluid dynamics of the atmosphere and oceans. The course introduces the Navier-Stokes equations, the hydrostatic and geostrophic approximations, and concepts of dry and moist-static stability. Based on this knowledge, the course provides an overview of the general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans.
Application deadline
Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.
Admission requirements
Admission requirements are generell studiekompetanse + SIVING.
Local admission, application code 9336 - enkeltemner i ingeniørfag.
Objective of the course
Knowledge - The student can:
- provide a simple radiative-balance model of the climate system based on the radiative balance at the top of the atmosphere
- describe the role of the greenhouse effect in the climate
- explain natural and anthropogenic courses of climate change
- describe the impact of global warming
- provide and overview of climate change in the past
- identify the basic equations relevant for the circulation in the atmosphere and oceans
- based on physical arguments, describe the concept of static stability and potential temperature
- describe the concepts of hydrostatic and geostrophic approximations and the thermal wind balance
- based on physical arguments, provide an overview of the general circulations of the atmosphere and oceans
Skills - The student can:
- understand and interpret relevant arguments and new theories concerning global climate change
- solve basic problems within atmosphere and ocean fluid dynamics
- perform basic climate model simulations
General expertise - The student can:
- incorporate current knowledge and new scientific information into critical thinking
- communicate theories, problem descriptions and solutions regarding global climate change
Language of instruction
The language of instruction is English and all of the syllabus material is in English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.
Teaching methods
Lectures: 48 hours Project work and supervision: 24 hours
Date for examination
School exam 25.05.2023
The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.