Climate and Climate Change

Code: FIS11379L

3 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours

Scientific Area: Physics

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Presentation

The syllabus of this course includes basic concepts in Physics of Climate and develops updated topics on Climate Change. Some main goals are to promote the critical sense on Climate subjects and encourage scientifically based discussion on Climate Change and global warming issues.

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Água limpa e saneamento - Garantir disponibilidade e manejo sustentável da água e saneamento para todos.

Cidades e comunidades sustentáveis - Tornar as cidades e os assentamentos humanos inclusivos, seguros, resilientes e sustentáveis.

Ação contra a mudança global do clima - Tomar medidas urgentes para combater a mudança climática e seus impactos (*).

Vida na água - Conservação e uso sustentável dos oceanos, dos mares, e dos recursos marinhos para o desenvolvimento sustentável.

Vida terrestre - Proteger, recuperar e promover o uso sustentável dos ecossistemas terrestres, gerir de forma sustentável as florestas, combater a desertificação, deter e reverter a degradação da Terra e deter a perda da biodiversidade.

Learning Goals

Supply advanced knowledge on climate, climate variability and change, climate models and predictability of the climate system. Provide the use of climate models. Encourage scientifically based discussion on climate change and global warming issues.

The climate and the climate system, climate characterization and climate classification systems; The climate of Portugal. The greenhouse effect of the atmosphere and the energy balance on Earth. The general circulation of the atmosphere and the oceans: Observations and simplified models, Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction phenomenas. Brief history of the climate. Radiative forcing and the atmospheric composition: The concept of radiative forcing, the natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing. Feedback mechanisms and climate sensitivity. Recent observed climate changes. Climate change detection and attribution of causes. Introduction to climate models. Climate projections: methodology, emission scenarios, global and regional climate projections.

Teaching Methods

Lectures with frequent use of projection presentations. Perform works on local climate data analysis: characterization and trends. Exercises on the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Assessment: Final term exams and individual work.