University of Liege | Version française
Study programmes 2010-2011Last update : 11/04/2011
SPAT0027-3  Climate change and impacts
Duration :  15h Th, 45h Pr
Credits/ECTS :  
Master in Space Sciences, Research focus, 1st yearToute l'année5
Master in Space Sciences, Research focus, 2nd yearToute l'année5
Holder(s) :  Louis François, Guy Munhoven
Language :  French language
Course contents :  This course provides a synthesis of ongoing and future climate change and of its impactson the environment and human societies. It is mostly based upon the IPCC report, which is available from the world-wide web. The following themes are covered:

1. Overview of the climate system;
2. Greenhouse effect and radiative forcing;
3. Carbon cycle and greenhouse gas balances;
4. Climate change during the 20th century: data analysis and models;
5. Past climate changes: methods of reconstruction and synthesis of observations (last millennium, Holocene, Pleistocene)
6. Future climate change: SRES socio-econimic scenarios and IPCC climate projections
7. Climate change impacts (sea-level, hydrology, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, human societies).
Course objective :  This course provides an introduction to the problematics of global climate change.
Prerequisites :  Basic knowledge about how of physical, chemical and biological processes control Earth's evolution.
Workshops :  By way of tutorials, bibliographic homeworks dealing with subjects related to various themes covered during the lectures will be proposed to students. Each student may chose a subject he/she is interested in. This way, they have the chance to improve on the basics covered by the main lectures. They are expected to make a short oral presentation for the class.
Organization :  The lessons are organised during the second semester.
Written notes :  Online IPCC publications (http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/index.htm):

(http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/index.htm) (http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/index.htm )
  • IPCC Fourth Assessment Report - Climate Change 2007;
  • IPCC Third Assessment Report - Climate Change 2001;
  • Various Special and Technical Reports ...
Assessment :  Oral examination.
Written and oral presentation of the bibliographic homework.
Contacts :  Louis François, Lecturer,
Institute of Astrophysics et and Geophysics (B5c build.),
Phone: (+32) (4) 366-9776
e-mail: Louis.Francois@ulg.ac.be

Guy Munhoven, Research Associate F.R.S-FNRS,
Laboratory of Planetary and Atmospheric Physics,
Institute of Astrophysics et and Geophysics (B5c build.),
Phone: (+32) (4) 366-9771
e-mail: Guy.Munhoven@ulg.ac.be
Web: http://lpap.astro.ulg.ac.be/~munhoven/en


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