EPS 7, Introduction to Climate Change, Fall 2024
EPS 7 is online in Fall 2024. The lectures and exams will be on bCourses. The lectures will be asynchronous: they will post at the regular class time, but you can watch them at your leisure. On the other hand, the exams on bCourses will be synchronous: you must log in online at the specified time. Even though EPS 7 will be online, it will be just as much fun as the in-person version!
Overview
This course covers the physical processes that determine Earth's past, present, and future climate, with a particular focus on the essentially irreversible climate change (a.k.a., global warming) caused by the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Topics will also include the estimation of future warming and impacts, the Earth resources that can be used to combat climate change, and the policies being used to shift towards the use of those resources.
- Time
- M W F, 2:00-3:00
- Location
- In the bCourses Media Gallery
- Required text
- None
- Readings will be posted online
- Prerequisites
- None
- Grading
- Homework 30% (on bCourses, due weekly)
- Midterm I 20% (on bCourses, October 9, 2pm Pacific)
- Midterm II 20% (on bCourses, November 6, 2pm Pacific)
- Final 30% (on bCourses, December 19, 3pm Pacific)
- Letter grades are 90-100% for an A, 80-90% for a B, 70-80% for a C, etc., with each decile split into equal thirds to determine + and -.
- Homework
- Late homework is not accepted
- To avoid zeros, aim to submit every assignment well before its deadline
- Exams
- Exams are closed-book
- Taking of regularly scheduled exams is mandatory
- Only exception is documented medical incapacitation
- Do not enroll if unable to attend the exams
- Copyright
- All course materials are copyrighted
- This includes lectures, slides, videos, homework, and exams
- Course materials are for your own use; they may not be distributed
- Distribution or posting of course material is a violation of law and University policy
- To avoid sanctions, do not put course material on websites or cloud services
- Honor code
- "As a member of the UCB community, I act with honesty, integrity, and respect for others."
- The honor code is taken seriously in EPS 7
- Academic misconduct or a violation of course policy will result in sanctions
- Professor (romps@berkeley.edu)
- David Romps
-
- Readers (eps7help@gmail.com)
-
- Stessie Chounoune
- Toireasa-Marie O'Rourke
- Reader office hours
- Monday, 10-11 Pacific, 404 McCone
- Wednesday, 4-5 Pacific, Zoom
- Thursday, 4-5 Pacific, Zoom
- Friday, 10-11 Pacific, 404 McCone
- Professor office hours
- Wednesday, 2-3 Pacific, 377 McCone
Syllabus
- 08/28
- Joule and Watt: A tale of two Jameses
- 08/30
- Energy on the move: How it gets from A to B
- Homework 1 assigned
- 09/02
- No class
- 09/04
- Fun with units: Meters and thermometers
- 09/06
- Wien's law: The color of light
- Homework 1 due
- Homework 2 assigned
- 09/09
- Stefan-Boltzmann law: You are glowing, literally
- 09/11
- Mercury: Warm and toasty
- 09/13
- Mars: A little chilly
- Homework 2 due
- Homework 3 assigned
- 09/16
- Earth's atmosphere: What is it?
- 09/18
- Clausius-Clapeyron: Water, water, everywhere
- 09/20
- Lapse rate: It is cold up here!
- Homework 3 due
- Homework 4 assigned
- 09/23
- Radiative transfer: Gases glow, too
- 09/25
- Greenhouse gases: The Earth's clothing
- 09/27
- Discovery of global warming: A short history
- Homework 4 due
- Homework 5 assigned
- 09/30
- Forcing and feedback: Your best life now
- 10/02
- Earth's feedbacks: Calculating climate sensitivity
- 10/04
- Cloud taxonomy: Name that cloud
- Homework 5 due
- Homework 6 assigned
- 10/07
- Fossil fuels: Where did this stuff come from?
- 10/09
- Midterm 1
- 10/11
- Drill baby drill: How much have we burned?
- Homework 6 due
- Homework 7 assigned
- 10/14
- Evidence of warming: Is it getting hot in here?
- 10/16
- Ocean acidification: Where does the carbon go?
- 10/18
- Climate models: Supercomputers to the rescue
- Homework 7 due
- Homework 8 assigned
- 10/21
- The IPCC: How to win a Nobel Prize
- 10/23
- Other gases: Laughing gas and hairspray
- 10/25
- Scary feedbacks: Stuff that could burn
- Homework 8 due
- Homework 9 assigned
- 10/28
- Paleoclimate: The past as guide to the future
- 10/30
- Ice and sea level: Where to invest in property
- 11/01
- Superstorms: The revenge of Clausius-Clapeyron
- Homework 9 due
- Homework 10 assigned
- 11/04
- Future Earth: Spacesuits required
- 11/06
- Midterm 2
- 11/08
- Biomass power: Enough room for food and fuel?
- Homework 10 due
- Homework 11 assigned
- 11/11
- No class
- 11/13
- Hydro power: What is left to harness?
- 11/15
- Nuclear power: Too costly and dangerous?
- Homework 11 due
- Homework 12 assigned
- 11/18
- Wind power: Mining the sky
- 11/20
- Solar power: Ready to save the day?
- 11/22
- Domestic policy: ITC, PTC, alphabet soup
- Homework 12 due
- Homework 13 assigned
- 11/25
- International agreements: Rio, Kyoto, and Paris
- Homework 14 assigned
- 11/27
- No class
- 11/29
- No class
- 12/02
- Carbon tax: The simple policy solution
- Homework 13 due
- Homework 14 due
- 12/04
- Who obstructs action: Follow the money
- 12/06
- Climate rights movement: What will your role be?
- Homework 15 assigned