Climate Change: Science and Issues
ATM OCN 980: Seminar, Earth System Science, Spring, 2007
Cross-listed with: BOTANY, ENVIR ST, FOREST, GEOG, GEOLOGY, ZOOLOGY
Meeting Time and Place: 450 Sci. Hall, Fridays, 12:05-12:55
One of the most important challenges facing humanity today is the understanding of how our Earth system and social structures will respond to anthropogenic climate change throughout the coming century. Understanding climate change and its impacts is an especially difficult problem due to the vast complexity of climate and social systems, as well as the interactions between these systems; this complexity mandates an interdisciplinary approach when studying or assessing impacts of climate change. Although there are numerous efforts at the University of Wisconsin to understand elements of climate change, opportunities for interaction within the UW climate-change community are less common.
We are offering a one-credit seminar series on Climate Change: Science and Issues with two objectives: (1) to initiate a discussion of climate change research and issues amongst a broad group of graduate students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin, and (2) to establish broader interdisciplinary thinking habits among graduate student researchers and advanced undergraduates who are interested in climate change. Meetings will occur once per week, and a large portion of the meeting time will be devoted to discussion. The year will be roughly divided into three non-consecutive topics: (i) science and understanding of the climate system; (ii) climate change impacts on natural systems, including adaptation; and (iii) societal impacts, including adaptation and mitigation. To encourage discussion, short readings relevant to the weekly topic will be required.
We invite graduate students and faculty across campus with interests in the science of climate change and its impacts to participate in this discussion by enrolling in the seminar, or by agreeing to give an informal presentation on their research activities. We hope that the short-term objective of our course - to initiate a discussion of issues related to the science of climate change and its impacts - will lead to a lasting community dialogue at the University of Wisconsin.
Please contact us for additional
information, or if you are interested in enrolling or attending this
seminar
series.
Course Announcement:
http://www.aos.wisc.edu/~aos980
Seminar organized by: Jack Williams[1]
(jww@geography.wisc.edu), Daniel J. Vimont2 (dvimont@wisc.edu), and Galen McKinley[2]