GR 4643-6643: Physical Climatology I

An investigation of the physical aspects of Earth’s climate, including interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and land surface, and how they are affected by climate variability and change. Students successfully completing this course should be able to describe: (1); the main components of Earth’s radiation budget; (2) the main features of the hydrologic and carbon cycles; (3) the factors that determine regional and local climates; (4) internal modes of climate variability; (5) how the climate has changed over time and the techniques used for attributing the causes; and (6) externally-forced mechanisms for climate change, including human-induced, and uncertainties in climate projections.