Teaching

EPS 7, Introduction to Climate Change, Fall 2021

Overview

This course covers the physical processes that determine Earth's past, present, and future climate, with a particular focus on the essentially irreversible climate change (a.k.a., global warming) caused by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Topics will also include the estimation of future warming and impacts, the Earth resources that can be used to combat climate change, and the policies being used to shift towards the use of those resources.

Time
M W F, 2:00-3:00
Location
245 Li Ka Shing
Required text
None
Readings will be posted online
Prerequisites
None
Grading
Participation 10% (every class, starting 9/1)
Homework 20% (on bCourses, due weekly)
Midterm I 20% (October 1, in class)
Midterm II 20% (November 5, in class)
Final 30% (TBD registrar's exam slot for our class, 3-5, 245 Li Ka Shing)
Letter grades are 90-100% for an A, 80-90% for a B, 70-80% for a C, etc., with each decile split into equal thirds to determine + and -.
Participation
iClicker+ or iClicker2 required (no Reef)
First lecture to use iClickers will be September 6
4 points per question for participation, 1 point for correct answer
The three days with the lowest scores will be dropped
Only one iClicker per student, must be your own
Possession or operation of anyone else's iClicker is a violation of course policy
Students are responsible for own clickers, batteries, etc.
Order iClicker+ from Cal Student Store
Order iClicker+ from Amazon
Order iClicker2 from Amazon
To avoid sanctions, never bring anyone else's iClicker to class
To avoid sanctions, never be in possession of anyone else's iClicker
To avoid sanctions, never operate anyone else's iClicker
Homework
Late homework is not accepted
To avoid zeros, aim to submit every assignment well before its deadline
Exams
Exams are closed-book
Taking of regularly scheduled exams is mandatory
Only exception is documented medical incapacitation
Do not enroll if unable to attend the exams
Copyright
All course materials are copyrighted
This includes lectures, slides, videos, homework, and exams
Course materials are for your own use; they may not be distributed
Distribution or posting of course material is a violation of law and University policy
To avoid sanctions, do not put course material on websites or cloud services
Honor code
"As a member of the UCB community, I act with honesty, integrity, and respect for others."
The honor code is taken seriously in EPS 7
Academic misconduct or a violation of course policy will result in sanctions
Professor (romps@berkeley.edu)
David Romps
Readers (eps7help@gmail.com)
TBD 1
TBD 2
Reader office hours
TBD, TBD-TBD, TBD McCone
TBD, TBD-TBD, TBD McCone
Professor office hour
Wednesday, 3-4, after class walk and talk / 377 McCone Hall
I am generally available for questions in the lobby of Li Ka Shing directly after every class

Syllabus

08/25, Joule and Watt: A tale of two Jameses
08/27, Energy on the move: How it gets from A to B
08/30, Fun with units: Meters and thermometers
09/01, Wien's law: The color of light
09/03, Stefan-Boltzmann law: You are glowing, literally
09/06, No class
09/08, Mercury: Warm and toasty
09/10, Mars: A little chilly
09/13, Earth's atmosphere: What is it?
09/15, Clausius-Clapeyron: Water, water, everywhere
09/17, Lapse rate: It is cold up here!
09/20, Radiative transfer: Gases glow, too
09/22, Greenhouse gases: The Earth's clothing
09/24, Discovery of global warming: A short history
09/27, Forcing and feedback: Your best life now
09/29, Earth's feedbacks: Calculating climate sensitivity
10/01, Midterm I
10/04, Cloud taxonomy: Name that cloud
10/06, Fossil fuels: Where did this stuff come from?
10/08, Drill baby drill: How much have we burned?
10/11, Evidence of warming: Is it getting hot in here?
10/13, Ocean acidification: Where does the carbon go?
10/15, Climate models: Supercomputers to the rescue
10/18, The IPCC: How to win a Nobel Prize
10/20, Other gases: Laughing gas and hairspray
10/22, Scary feedbacks: Stuff that could burn
10/25, Paleoclimate: The past as guide to the future
10/27, Ice and sea level: Where to invest in property
10/29, Superstorms: The revenge of Clausius-Clapeyron
11/01, Future Earth: Spacesuits required
11/03, Biomass power: Enough room for food and fuel?
11/05, Midterm II
11/08, Hydro power: What is left to harness?
11/10, Nuclear power: Too costly and dangerous?
11/12, No class
11/15, Wind power: Mining the sky
11/17, Solar power: Ready to save the day?
11/19, Domestic policy: CPP, ITC, PTC, alphabet soup
11/22, International agreements: Rio, Kyoto, and Paris
11/24, No class
11/26, No class
11/29, Carbon tax: The simple policy solution
12/01, Who obstructs action: Follow the money
12/03, Climate rights movement: What will your role be?