Fundamentals of Climate

Code: FIS15128O

1 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/26 hours

Scientific Area: Physics

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Regime de Frequência: B-learning

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.

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

Learning Goals

The Fundamentals of Climate course covers fundamental concepts in climate physics and climate change, such as radiation, the greenhouse effect, atmospheric and oceanic circulation, radiative forcing, feedback mechanisms, and climate sensitivity. It also examines the relationship between climate and the climate system, including climate characterization and climate classifications, with a special focus on the climate of Portugal. It discusses the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, the Earth's energy balance, and the general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans, with examples of ocean-atmosphere interactions. The course also covers climate history, radiative forcing, and atmospheric composition, considering natural and anthropogenic influences. Finally, recent climate change, methods of detecting and attributing causes, and an introduction to climate models and their global and regional projections are explored.

Climate and the climate system; Characterization of climate and climate classifications; Portugal's climate. The greenhouse effect of the atmosphere and the Earth's energy balance. The general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. Radiative forcing and the composition of the atmosphere: Concept of radiative forcing, natural and anthropogenic radiative forcing. Feedback mechanisms and climate sensitivity. Recent climate change. Detecting climate change and attributing causes. Introduction to climate models. Climate projections.

Teaching Methods

Lectures with frequent use of projection presentations. Work on analyzing climate data from the region: characterization and trends. Solving exercises on the atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Assessment: Final exam and individual assignments.