NATS 101 Introduction to Global Change Home Page

NATS101 Introduction to Global Change
Section 16

Last updated Dec. 12, 2007

Be sure to check back frequently for updates, and be sure to RELOAD this page to get the latest version.

Overview

Logistics

Overview

Anyone following current events on the web, tv, radio or in the newspapers cannot help but be aware of the growing number of reports about changes taking place on our Earth, for example related to atmospheric temperatures, forest decline, hurricanes, wildfires, glaciers and ice sheets, resources, etc. Some of these media reports may be downright frightening with respect to their predictions for our near and more distant future, but sometimes seemingly contradictory reports and viewpoints are expressed, thereby leading to confusion about the meaning of it all. The course will examine the science of global environmental change, using “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore as a springboard for investigating in greater detail the underpinnings of such processes as the greenhouse effect, global warming, the ozone hole, sea-level rise, and deforestation. This course will build your foundation of basic understanding relevant to global change science, as well as identify the “truths” in our understanding, ranging from those that we know with great certainty to those about which we are much less certain.

The course will be primarily lecture, activities and discussion within the confines of the two meeting periods each week. In addition to readings, there will be quizzes, homeworks, a midterm and final exam, in-class activities, and a short term paper.

Logistics

Instructors
Prof. Steve Leavitt
Address: Lab. of Tree-Ring Research, Room 218, W. Stadium (west side of Football stadium- up stairs to second level at Gate 15)
Phone: 621-6468
e-mail: sleavitt@ltrr.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Tu/Th, 2-3pm, OSCR Underground, Office 1, in the ILC and by appointment.

Prof. Mike Evans
Address: Lab. of Tree-Ring Research Room 214, W. Stadium (west side of Football stadium- up stairs to second level at Gate 15)
Phone: 626-2897
e-mail: mevans@ltrr.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Tu/Th, 2-3pm, OSCR Underground, Office 1, in the ILC

Graduate Teaching Assistants
Adam Csank (major- Geosciences)
Address: Lab. of Tree-Ring Research, Room 104A, W. Stadium (west side of Football stadium- near Gate 15)
Phone: 621-5391
e-mail csank@email.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Th 11:15a-12:15p, OSCR Underground, Office 1, in the ILC; Wednesday 2-3pm, in Rm. 104A in the W. Stadium, or by appointment.

Ela Czyzowska (major- Arid Lands Studies)
Address: Lab. of Tree-Ring Research, Room 295 W. Stadium (west side of Football stadium- up stairs to second level at Gate 13)
Phone: 621-9732
e-mail: ela@ltrr.arizona.edu
Office Hours: By appointment; contact via email.

Jennifer Pullen (major- Arid Lands Studies)
Address: Room 336 Chavez
Phone:
e-mail: jkanipe@email.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Tu 11:15a-12:15p, OSCR Underground, Office 1 in the ILC; Monday 2-3pm in Chavez 336.

Textbook and Readings
An Inconvenient Truth-The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, by Al Gore, Rodale, 2006, 328pp, ISBN-13:978-1-59486-567-1. Available at the UA Bookstore. Additional required readings from selected topical, authoritative and timely sources are linked in the Schedule/Syllabus below as password-protected Portable Document Format (pdf) files.

Listserv

We will set up (nats101_16@listserv.arizona.edu) and subscribe you to a class listserv once we have collected active email accounts from all students in the first week of class.

Send e-mail to TA Jennifer Pullen by 5pm Friday Aug. 24, the first week of classes, to let her know your preferred e-mail address for the listserv (you can send two preferred e-mail addresses if you wish).
If your preferred account is not an arizona.edu account, make sure the mailbox does not get full and that the listserv address will not be rejected as "spam" by the provider. Failure to do this results in unnecessary and useless error messages being distributed to everyone on the listserv.
This will enable us to communicate with you outside of class sessions; for instance, to answer general questions and to let you know of corrections or changes to course plans.

to top of page

Rules

Attendance:

is expected; is necessary for taking quizzes, exams, performing in-class exercises; is good preparation for graded work.
However, excessive absences may result in an administrative drop. Due to high demand for seats in the class, missing two consecutive days of class is grounds for administrative drop.

Syllabus updates: The course syllabus/schedule is subject to change as announced in class. Additional announcements, assignments and information will also be posted on the course listserv and web site (http://ic.ltrr.arizona.edu/ic/nats/). Please be sure to reload or refresh this web page each time you view it and check the 'last update' date is current.
Activities: Impromptu exercises may be done in any class, and may not be formally indicated in syllabus.

Instructors will try to have at least one graded activity each week associated with the class periods.
There are no make-ups on in-class activities and homeworks.
If we have 14 or more graded activities, including homeworks (see below), your lowest 4 grades, including zeros on missed activities, will be dropped from the Activities component of your grade.

Homeworks: These can be assigned in class that are not formally indicated in syllabus.
Additional Readings: Additional readings from selected topical, authoritative and timely sources will be required and are linked in the Schedule/Syllabus below as password-protected Portable Document Format (pdf) files. We will make use of copyrighted materials under academic Fair Use Policy of applicable copyright law (see UA and U Texas notes on this, and what it means for us.)
Late Assignment Policy: So that we may grade fairly and promptly, late assignments will not be accepted.
Assignment submission: Assignments will be submitted as hard copy, unless electronic format is explicitly requested by Instructors.
Class Etiquette:

To minimize class disruptions, please turn off your cell phone during class.
Please, no laptop computers in class.
Food and drink (except water in closed containers) not permitted in ILC classrooms.
No smoking in the ILC or ILC courtyard.

Excused absences: If legitimate extracurricular activities result in occasional and officially excused absences, leave a photocopy of your absence excuse with the Instructors during lecture, preferably before the excused absence, and find out what you will miss. Under these circumstances, exams can be made up, but make-ups for activities/homeworks/quizzes are unlikely.
Disability resources: Do you have a physical or learning disability? Please speak with us right away about accommodations. You will only need to show us a faculty letter from the DRC, and we can make arrangements from there. For any other special needs, bring Instructors your paperwork and/or explain circumstances.
Cheating and Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, including cheating on quiz/exams, copying assignments, and presenting the work of others as your own (plagiarism). See the University Code of Academic Integrity for additional information. Anyone cheating, plagiarizing or violating any other aspect of the code of academic integrity will be assigned the grade of “E” for the course and may be reported to University officials for disciplinary action. Policies and procedures in the Code of Conduct can be viewed at http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/

to top of page

Help

How to study: We want you to understand the ideas we'll discuss, enjoy the course, and get good grades. Study habits which will help you master this course with ease are:

Plan to spend about 5 hours a week on homework and class preparation.
Make yourself a weekly schedule and plan use of your time wisely.
Find a quiet, distraction-free place to work.
Read materials assigned for the week prior to class meetings; read with a pencil, and note the most important points, and any ideas which are unclear.
Come to class, participate actively, and ask questions. If you know you'll miss class, see one of us well beforehand to make alternate arrangements, or else arrange to get notes from a classmate.
Make notes in class, especially on confusing concepts.
Read assignment instructions and grading rubrics carefully to be sure you understand our expectations before you begin the assignment.
Make use of our office hours or contact us by email, allowing enough time for a response. Because of other teaching commitments just prior to class, we won't generally have time right before class to answer questions.
Study with a classmate: discuss the readings and lecture material; make up exam practice questions for each other to solve.
More study tips from the University Learning Center are here.
A self-study on unit conversions, problem solving, and interpreting graphs and charts is here.

Academic resources: The University and the Internet offer many sources of help (Or talk with me and I'll help you find what you need):

UA Library system (especially the Help and Tutorials & Guides webpage)
A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW (Saint Louis Univ)
The Columbia Guide to Online Style
UA Writing Center
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab
Strunk and White's Elements of Style (completely online for your reading pleasure)
Advice on Academic Writing (U Toronto)
Fall 2007 Semester-on-a-page (University Learning Center)
Computing on Campus
UA Tutoring Services
UA Student Link
University Learning Center
Office of Student Computing Resources (OSCR)
UA Writing Skills Improvement Program (WSIP) - offers workshop classes on writing skills - looks very good; see especially the Weekly Writing Workshop (sadly the General Education Writing Workshop is no longer offered)
Disability Resource Center

to top of page

Grades: your grade will be determined based on the following weighted average:

15% Mid-term Exam
15% Final Exam (Tuesday, Dec 11, 11am-1pm, ILC 140)
30% Quizzes [20-30 minutes followed by lecture; only the highest 4 counted (2 in each half of the semester)]
25% Activities, Homework, In-Class Writing
15% Writing project

Letter Grades: The following are guaranteed grades (although the lower boundaries of each subdivision may may be adjusted very slightly downward depending on final grade distribution):

A (90-100%), B (80-90), C (65-80), D (55-65), E (<55).

Extra Credit: Relevant and approved TV specials (NOVA, Discovery Channel), special talks/lectures, popular movies can be viewed and journal/magazine articles read after which a 1-page double-spaced typewritten summary/critique must be submitted within 1 week of opportunity for 1 EC point each, up to a maximum of 5 EC points and will be added on to your final class grade average. NOTE: Only 2 extra points may be earned after November 20 and before 5pm on December 5, and none after December 5. Instructors will advertise some opportunities, and you are encouraged to find others but you must obtain approval from instructors before attempting to use them for extra credit. NO PLAGIARISM- like your other writing, it will be checked!!

ELIGIBLE HOLLYWOOD FILMS

    In addition to your summary of the movie basics and how it relates to this class, you should also consider the specific questions in the parenthesis.
        Silent Running (why save the biosphere?)
        Soylent Green (is source and sustainability of energy and food realistic?)
        Deep Impact (any relation to reality? could society really survive?)
        Red Planet (what is the local food chain? who are the autotrophs? primary consumers? secondary consumers?)
        The Matrix (is source and sustainability of energy and food realistic?)
        Chain Reaction (is this source of energy realistic?)
        The Day After Tomorrow (is this scenario likely at the speed depicted?)
        Syriana (how do your choices matter?)
        Total Recall (how does this relate to resource scarcity?)
        Dune (how does this relate to resource scarcity?)

VIDEOS AT UA LIBRARY

        What's Up with the weather? [2000, Frontline/NOVA] QC981.8.G56 W453 2000
        Warnings from the ice? [1998, NOVA] QC981.8.G56 W37 1998
        Global Warming (Climate, Weather and People [1998] QC981.8.G56 G56 1998
        Tales from Other Worlds [1986, WQED] QE31 .P53 1986
        The Climate Puzzle [1986, WQED] QE31 .P53 1986
        Fate of the Earth [1986, WQED] QE31 .P53 1986
        The Solar Seas [1986, WQED] QE31 .P53 1986
        The Fallacy of Global Warming [1999] QC981.8 G56 F34
        Rising Waters: Global Warming and the fate of the Pacific Islands [2000] QC 981.8 G56 R56

UA TALKS

        "Human Impacts on Climate: A Broader View than Reported in the 2007 IPCC Report", A talk by Roger Pielke Sr.,
            Professor, University of Colorado, Thursday, August 23, 2007, 2:30 PM–3:30 PM, Physics-Atmospheric Sciences,
            Room 224 [Map]
        "Adaptive Federalism: The Case of Climate Change", A talk by David Adelman & Kirsten Engel, Professors College of Law, University of Arizona

            Friday, November 09, 2007, 8:30 - 9:45AM, Swede Johnson Room 205
        "Topic on Pleistocene Climate Change", A talk by Peter Fawcett, University of New Mexico,
            Thursday, November 15, 2007, 4:00 PM–5:00 PM, Haury Anthropology Building, Room 129

"Global Warming and Ocean Acidification: Double Trouble for Marine Ecosystems", by Dr. Dick Feeley, NOAA-PMEL,
Tuesday November 6, 2007, 6:30PM, Koffler Building, Room 204

UA Global Climate Change Lecture Series podcasts (Fall 2006).

TV PROGRAMS
The History Channel (check your local listings to verify times)

Tuesday Sept 18

09:00 PM The Universe: Secrets of the Sun

Thursday Sept 20

07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Insulation

Friday Sept. 21

01:00 AM Boneyard: Bio Waste

09:00 PM Mega Disasters: Krakatoa's Revenge

Sat Sept 22

01:00 AM Mega Disasters: Krakatoa's Revenge

09:00 PM How the Earth Was Made

11:00 PM Mega Disasters: Gamma Ray Burst

Sunday Sept 23

04:00 PM How the Earth Was Made

Tuesday Sept 25

10:00 PM Mega Disasters: Glacier Meltdown

Wed Sept 26

02:00 AM Mega Disasters: Glacier Meltdown

08:00 PM Modern Marvels: Fertilizer

Fri Sept 28

09:00 PM The Universe: Life and Death of a Star

Sat Sept 29

10:00 AM Mega Disasters: Gamma Ray Burst

11:00 AM Mega Disasters: Comet Catastrophe

12:00 PM Mega Disasters: Krakatoa's Revenge

08:00 PM Mega Disasters: Comet Catastrophe

09:00 PM Mega Disasters: Gamma Ray Burst

10:00 PM Mega Disasters: Glacier Meltdown

11:00 PM Mega Disasters: Mega Freeze

        CNN Planet in Peril (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/planet.in.peril/)
            Tue Oct 23 Part I, 9 PM Eastern Time
          Wed Oct 24 Part II, 9 PM Eastern Time

Peak Oil video (Full peak oil video, about 55 minutes)

Syllabus and Schedule (Subject to change and frequent update)

Week	Instructor	Subject	Reading	Assignment
Aug. 21/23	Leavitt/Evans	Introduction: Our Changing Planet	AIT Introduction (optional) p. 12-17; NYT Gore Book Critique; Global Climate Change Fact and Fiction? Activity 1 is here.
Aug 28/30	Evans	"A Silent Alarm": Atmospheric composition and the Greenhouse Effect	AIT p. 18-37 (optional: 38-41); Kump, Kasting and Crane, The Earth System, Ch. 3, pp. 34-41; 41-54. Reading focus questions are here. A sample Quiz 1 is here. Sample Quiz 1 answers are here. Activity 2 is here.	Quiz 1
Sept. 4/6	Leavitt	"Things They Are A Changin'": The Record of Climate Change	AIT p. 42-67 (optional: 67-71) G-H Gases and Temperature; Global warming and sea ice/glaciers/CO2/coastlines/etc; US Temperature Data; Tipping Point Activity 3 is here; Activity 4 is here.
Sept. 11/13	Evans	"Hurricane Watch": Climate Change and Severe Weather	AIT p. 72-99; Kump, Kasting and Crane, The Earth System, Ch. 4, pp. 55-82; A. Haag on recent trends in hurricane frequency. Reading focus questions are here. A sample Quiz 2 is here. Sample Quiz 2 answers are here. Activity 5 is here.	Quiz 2; Term paper topics due.
Sept 18/20	Leavitt	"Water, Water Everywhere, And Fewer Drops to Drink": Climate Change and The Water Cycle	AIT p. 100-121 (optional: p. 122-125); water cycle; N. American water impacts; more water and less to drink; drought and Dust Bowl; precipitation and storm changes; wetter and dryer. Activity 6 is here.
Sept 25/27	Evans	"The Ends of the Earth": Climate Change in Polar Regions	AIT p. 126-137; 142-147; 176-185 (optional: pp. 138-141); Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (2005) key findings (click on findings to read more; click through images to see more; especially 1, 2, 3, 10 ; optional: 4,7,8) A sample quiz 3 is here. Sample Quiz 3 answers are here. Activity 7 is here.	Quiz 3
Oct. 2/4	Leavitt	"An Ocean in Motion": Ocean Circulation	AIT p. 148-151; salty ocean; surface currents; what is El Nino? what is La Nina? El Nino origins; thermohaline circulation; Younger Dryas event. Activity 8 is here.	current grades
Oct. 9/11	Leavitt/Evans	Up for Air - Review and Exam	Sample Quiz 3"A" is here. Midterm exam answers are here.	Exam 1
Oct. 16/18	Leavitt	"No Free Lunch- Maybe No Lunch at All": Climate Change and Ecology; "Global Change Makes Me Sick": Climate Change and Human Health	AIT pp. 152-157; 162-171; 176-179 (again) (optional: pp. 158-161) AIT pp. 172-175; biomes; colors of life; global carbon cycle; livestock and greenhouse effect; food webs and energy; coral reefs and coral crisis; lengthening growing season; invasive plants-bufflegrass Activity 9 is here; Activity 10 is here.
Oct. 23/25	Evans	"A New Atlas?": Sea Level	AIT p. 180-209; (optional: 210-213); IPCC AR4 Working Group I Technical Summary, section 3.3.3: Changes in Sea Level. Activity 11 is here. Sample quiz 4 is here. Sample quiz 4 solutions are here.	Quiz 4
Oct 30/Nov. 1	Evans	"Collision Course?": Population Growth and Climate Change	AIT p. 214-219; Cohen (2005). Activity 12 is here.
Nov. 6/8	Leavitt	"Up With People- Necessities and Luxuries": Population Growth and Natural Resources	AIT p. 220-231; Global oil production; World mineral deposits; Tropical deforestation; Causes of deforestation; Soil degradation. Sample quiz 5 is here.	Quiz 5; Term papers due Nov 8th 12:30pm in class
Nov 13/15	Leavitt	"What a Waste": Economic Growth and Climate Change	AIT p. 232-253; IPCC radiative forcing; air pollution; catalytic converter; stratospheric ozone Sample quiz 6 is here
Nov. 20 (22: no class: Thanksgiving holiday)	Evans	"Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt": How We Know What We Know	AIT p. 254-255; 260-269 (optional: p. 256-259); NY Times report on the release of the IPCC's Synthesis Report summary for Policymakers (this latter reading is optional). Activity 15 is here.	Quiz 6 Grade Summary
Nov. 27/29	Evans/Pullen	"Crisis = Opportunity": What Are You Going to Do?	AIT p. 270-283; 288-304; 305-321 (optional: p. 284-287; 322-328). Find out and write down your atmospheric pollution emissions for Nov. 2007 using the Airhead Calculator here (click on Emissions Calculator), for use in class Nov. 27th. Here is the NPR Consumer Consequences Game we played in class. Economist essay on business and climate change is here. Washington Post article on a carbon tax is here. An optional news piece from the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald on Sweden's carbon tax is here. Activity 17 is here.
Dec. 4	Evans/Leavitt	Catch Up and Wrap Up; Review	Course notes, readings, webpage links; Sample Quiz 6A is here. Quiz 6A solutions are here.	current grades
Dec 11 (Tuesday), 11am-1pm, ILC 140	Leavitt/Evans	Final Exam	Review session/Q&A with Jenn and Adam, Thurs, Dec 6, 12:30-2:30pm, ILC 141 (corrected location)	Final Exam final grades

to top of page