GEO 245 Earth's Climate: Past and Future

An introduction to Earth's climate system and the geological record of its change. Topics covered include: Earth's radiative balance and the role of greenhouse gases, poleward transport of heat by the atmosphere and ocean, climate change on the plate tectonic timescale, the Cenozoic cooling, astronomical control of Pleistocene glacial cycles, rapid millennial-scale climate change, and the future of Earth's climate. Includes one three-hour laboratory per week.