Course Outline

This course is divided into five units and fifteen lessons. When taking the course for professional development credit, participants are expected to work through two lessons per week.

Our Global Climate System
1) Life and Climate
2) Energy and Climate
3) Radiative Forcing

Observations of Climate Change
4) Direct Observations of Recent Climate Change
5) Paleoclimatic Perspectives on Climate (Indirect Observations)
6) Past Climates – Natural Drivers

Global Climate Change
7) Human Influences on Climate
8) Panels, Protocols and a Common Misconception about Ozone
9) Probabilities, Uncertainties and Units used to quantify Climate Change

Climate Modeling and Future Scenarios
10) Models as Tools
11) Feedback Loops
12) Emission Scenarios
13) Projections of Future Changes in Climate

Regional Climate Change
14) Global Projections for Regional Climate Change
15) Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region