Fundamentals of Climate Science

Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing humankind. The goal of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles and empirical evidence that underpin the modern understanding of anthropogenic climate change. We will develop a quantitative understanding of the fundamental physics (radiation and surface energy balance, dynamics) governing the Earth System. We will examine the synthesis of climate observations to discern current global trends and investigate past climates. In particular, we will analyse uncertainties in the current predictions and outline ways in which the scientific community is moving to refine these predictions. Key components of the course will be informed using insights from ongoing research within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes (CLEx). Honours pathway option (HPO) Students enrolled in the Honours pathway option (HPO) will be required to do an alternative assignment. The material will be set at a higher conceptual level, requiring more advanced and extensive research.