Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

GEO2136: Reconstructing Quaternary Environments (to be Global Environmental Change) would be a useful pre-req, but not essential.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected a future, warmer climate, which has the potential to affect everybody on Earth. From extreme weather events, rising sea level, glacier ice loss, land degradation to migrating ecosystems, the impact of climate change on our socio-economic well being will be profound. Still, the most dangerous aspect of our changing climate is the uncertainty in the exact nature and rate of projected climate change. We know from the recent instrumental record, climate has the ability to have a large impact on humans, but records of past climate rarely extend beyond the last 150 years. The problem with this is these records are too short to critically examine the full range of climate behaviour and variability. As a result, there is great uncertainty in how future climate may respond in a warming world.

Palaeoclimatology is the study of climate prior to the widespread availability of records of temperature, precipitation and other instrumental data. It has been key in showing us how Earth's climate system can shift dramatically between different climate states. Understanding the drivers and mechanisms of these switches in climate state over different timescales is critical to anticipating potential human-driven climate change.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to Earth’s extraordinarily broad range of climate variability, and to provide them with an understanding of the mechanisms of climate change. In addition, the module also discusses how we can reconstruct past climate using a range of proxy indicators, the chronological constraints on palaeoclimate records, and how these are integrated to understand climate change and climate sensitivity.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module will be delivered along the following themes:

1.       Orbital climate variability
2.       Quaternary environmental change
a.       Glacial millennial climate change
b.       Interglacial millennial climate change
3.       Millennial climate events during the deglaciation
4.       Abrupt climate events and tipping points
5.       Role of internal modes of climate variability
6.       Climate change, human evolution and civilisation collapse

Within these themes we will explore the palaeoclimatologist’s toolbox to examine strengths/weaknesses of different proxy methods, chronological approaches, and sensitivity of climate to different forcing factors. Delivery of this module will be via a mix of lectures, seminars and inquiry-based learning.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of the module students will be able to:

1.       Explain climate change mechanisms and their variability at different temporal and spatial time scales.
2.       Be able critically assess proxy records and associated geochronology.
3.       Evaluate the implications of past climate change for understanding our climate trajectory by synthesising multiple proxy records from different environments (terrestrial, marine, ice sheet).

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of the module students will be able to:

1.       Handle complex concepts and theories.
2.       Demonstrate an understanding of uncertainty in scientific investigation.
3.       Synthesis and presentation of competing arguments and to make informed judgements.
4.       Oral and written communication of scientific results.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures, seminars and inquiry-based learning practical’s will complement each other in providing both a theoretical background and practical training in the analysis of palaeoclimatological data, as well as providing breadth of subject area. Lectures are planned to deliver the background, with seminars reinforcing the concepts of a palaeoclimatologists “toolbox” i.e. how we use proxies and their limitations, and the inquiry-based learning provides opportunities to handle real palaeoeclimate data and to interrogate it.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The take home exam will test theoretical knowledge of the subject and breadth of understanding of palaeoclimate data. The presentation will test practical skills and ability to analyse, interpret and report palaeoclimate data.

General Notes

N/A