ESS-20306 System Earth: Scale Dependence, Feedbacks and Global Change

Vak

Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Contents:

This course focuses on Global Change, which includes for instance Climate Change, Global Warming, Ozone Depletion and loss of biodiversity. It introduces the systems approach emphasizing the importance of spatial and temporal scales and feedbacks in the Earth system and integrates disciplinary knowledge of previous courses. Emphasis will be on interactions between Earth system compartments and associated physical and biogeochemical processes, for instance: regional and global hydrological systems; regulation of processes by biosphere -hydrosphere - atmosphere feedback systems; or natural versus anthropogenic factors.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- define a simple model of interactions between Earth system compartments considering feedback mechanisms;
- describe the major Earth compartments and associated physical and biogeochemical processes;
- describe the main data collection principles on which Earth system theories are based;
- recognise spatial and temporal scales issues in the variability of the climate- and Global Change;
- interpret and apply the systems approach in the context of Global Change issues;
- distinguish between natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the Earth- and climate system.

Activities:

Lectures, practicals, modelling and exercises.

Literature:

L.R. Kump, J.F. Kasting, R.G. Crane. 2004. The Earth System (third edition). Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA. ISBN 0-13-142059-3.