Advanced survey of current research in climate dynamics

Catalog description

This is a guided reading course that will explore current papers in climate dynamics and climate change, with an emphasis on the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulations. Topics include energy balance models, changes in the jet streams and attendant storm tracks, variability in ocean circulations like the Gulf Stream, the polar amplification of warming trends, and how storms like hurricanes and supercell thunderstorms may change under global warming. The structure of the course will include reading one influential peer-reviewed paper each week, accompanied by instruction and problem sets to familiarize students with the fundamental concepts discussed in the papers. Prerequisite: either Earthsys 146A/ESS 246A or Earthsys 146B/ESS 246B or equivalent, or permission of instructor.