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