Duration
32h Th, 8h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in environmental sciences and management, professional focus | 4 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course will take place both online via the MOOC (see below) and in person.
The content is as follows:
Foundations of Climatology
- Basic concepts for understanding what climate is and what climate warming entails: radiation, albedo, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases
- Earth's energy balance
- Factors and processes explaining the spatial and temporal variation of climates
- Distribution of climates across the globe and their main characteristics
- Explanatory factors of natural and human-induced climate warming
- Paleoclimatology: reconstruction methods, past warm periods, and perspective on current warming
- Climate extremes: natural variability, tipping points
- Cryosphere: ice sheets, glaciers, permafrost, sea level, Greenland vs. Antarctica, mass balance, present climate, and future projections
Causes and consequences of climate warming:
- Worldwide
- In Europe
- In Belgium
- In other regions of the world (analyzed during practical assignments)
- Mitigation and adaptation measures: international agreements, COP, climate transition, CO2 quotas
- Local and global best practices to address climate change
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand the ins and outs of climate warming, its causes, its consequences, and its possible solutions.
They will also be able to locate and interpret relevant climate information for any region of the world.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geology
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is divided as follows:
- Learning activities (theory and exercises) online via the MOOC "Understanding Climate and Its Warming".
- Learning activities (theory) in person, delivered ex cathedra.
- Practical learning activities through exercises in scientific information research and synthesis work.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Further information:
The course alternates between online sessions taken remotely through the MOOC "Tout comprendre sur le climat et son réchauffement", available free of charge and in-person classroom sessions with pratical exercises.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
The course material consists of the MOOC videos and their written transcripts, as well as the PowerPoint presentations used during the lectures. These presentations are mainly composed of figures, so students are encouraged to take additional notes.
The presentations, along with any documentation for the practical exercises, will be provided to students progressively as the lectures and practical sessions advance.
In addition, the booklets "Climatologie et météorologie : les notions de base" by S. Doutreloup (2016) and "Les changements climatiques : Causes, conséquences et actions possibles" by Doutreloup, S., Wyard, C., Belleflamme, A., & Merenne-Schoumaker, B. (2017) are distributed free of charge via eCampus in PDF format, and their reading is strongly recommended.
Consultation of the following books, available in the library, is suggested-but not mandatory-to complement the lecture notes:
- Les climats ( A. Godard et M. Tabeaud, Colin, 1993)
- Météorologie générale ( J.P. Triplet et G. Roche, 1980)
- Atmosphere, Weather and Climate ( R.G. Barry and R.J. Chorley, 1992)
- Introduction à la climatologie (A. Hufty, DeBoeck, 2001)
- Fondamentaux de météorologie (S. Malardel, MétéoFrance, Ed.Cépaduès, 2005)
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam
Further information:
The final grade is composed as follows:
- 5%: Scores obtained during the continuous assessments of the MOOC. These short assessments are intended more as formative than summative evaluations and are organized to verify that students have viewed and assimilated the MOOC content.
- 25%: Oral presentation of the practical exercises.
This component takes place outside the regular exam session.
- 70%: Written closed-book exam covering the theoretical content of the course, the MOOC, the group work, and the description of an ombrothermic diagram.
Important: The written exam must be passed (a grade of at least 10/20) in order to pass the entire course. If the written exam is not passed, only the grade from this exam will count toward the final grade.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Sébastien DOUTRELOUP
Department of Geography
Institute of Geography
Building B11 - Sart Tilman, 4000 LIÈGE
Tel.: +32 (0)4 366 53 54
Email: s.doutreloup@uliege.be
website : LINK
Department of Geography Office: +32 (0)4 366 52 48
Association of one or more MOOCs
The MOOC entitled 'Tout comprendre sur le climat et son réchauffement (S3)' is associated with this course.
Further information:
This MOOC is mandatory.
https://www.fun-mooc.fr/fr/cours/tout-comprendre-sur-le-climat-et-son-rechauffement/