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 3-hour laboratory per week.