NES1206 : Climate Change and the Earth System
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Cees van der Land
- Lecturer: Professor Yit Arn Teh, Dr Simon Peacock, Professor Sam Wilson
- Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module aims to provide students with a deep understanding of Earth System Science and its implications for climate processes.
To provide students with a holistic understanding of Earth System Science and its role in shaping climate processes.
To foster an interdisciplinary approach, integrating principles from meteorology, oceanography, geology, and biology and other relevant fields to study Earth's climate dynamics.
To develop critical thinking and practical skills, enabling students to analyse complex Earth processes and phenomena and evaluate the impact of human activities on the Earth system.
Outline Of Syllabus
1. Global Systems, topics to be covered include: The Earth's geosphere, the atmosphere, the oceans, the biosphere, the cryosphere
2. Transport, topics to be covered include: global cycling elements (e.g., carbon and oxygen).
3. Energy, topics to be covered include: solar energy (radiation, latent and sensible heat) and climate.
4. Homeostasis, topics to be covered include: positive and negative feedback, climate change and global warming.
5. Global warming and climate change: PaleoclimateRece
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Lectures covering the syllabus |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 10:00 | 10:00 | Topic Tutorial preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 54:00 | 54:00 | Includes background reading and reading lecture notes for a full understanding of material |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 20:00 | 20:00 | Exam preparation |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Topic Tutorials |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures introduce core information (linked directly to all Intended Knowledge Outcomes). Small group teaching (tutorials) is designed to put this information into context of “real world examples”, and to apply information to solving explicit problems, encouraging a deeper understanding of gained core information and further reading (linked directly to Intended skills and Knowledge Outcomes).
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 60 | 1 | A | 100 | MCQ Digital Examination |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | Topic Tutorial Practice |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Given the breadth of subject areas covered in this introductory module for a range of programmes, the assessment method will be based on an exam.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NES1206's Timetable