Climate Science Course

Lesson 1 • The Greenhouse Effect

Explains natural and enhanced greenhouse mechanisms at the molecular level. Connects radiative forcing to surface temperature changes.

Lesson 2 • Atmospheric Composition and Structure

Covers atmospheric layers, gas concentrations, and aerosols. Provides the physical context for understanding greenhouse gas behavior.

Lesson 3 • Climate System Components

Introduces atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere as interacting subsystems. Shows how feedbacks link these components.

Lesson 4 • Defining Climate vs. Weather

Distinguishes climate from weather using timescales and spatial scales. Builds precise vocabulary essential for interpreting all subsequent scientific content.

Lesson 1 • Land Use and Surface Albedo Changes

Examines deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture as surface forcing agents. Connects land cover change to regional and global temperature responses.

Lesson 2 • Aerosol Forcing and Interactions

Analyzes direct and indirect aerosol effects on radiation and cloud formation. Highlights aerosols as a major source of climate forcing uncertainty.

Lesson 3 • Natural Climate Forcings

Covers solar variability, volcanic eruptions, and orbital cycles as natural drivers. Grounds students in baseline variability before examining human influences.

Lesson 4 • Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Quantifies emissions of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases by sector. Links emission sources to observed atmospheric concentration trends.

Lesson 1 • Water Vapor and Lapse Rate Feedbacks

Examines the strongest positive feedback in the climate system and its lapse rate counterpart. Shows how these feedbacks nearly double warming from CO2 alone.

Lesson 2 • Positive and Negative Feedbacks

Defines feedback loops and classifies them as amplifying or stabilizing. Establishes the conceptual framework for all subsequent feedback analysis.

Lesson 3 • Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity

Defines ECS and transient climate response as key sensitivity metrics. Students interpret sensitivity ranges and their implications for future warming projections.

Lesson 4 • Ice-Albedo and Surface Feedbacks

Covers polar amplification driven by ice and snow loss. Connects surface albedo changes to accelerated warming at high latitudes.

Lesson 1 • Surface Temperature Records

Covers land and ocean temperature measurement networks and homogenization methods. Students assess how the global mean temperature record is constructed.

Lesson 2 • Detection and Attribution Methods

Applies statistical and model-based methods to attribute observed changes to specific causes. Students distinguish natural variability from forced climate signals.

Lesson 3 • Satellite and Remote Sensing Data

Introduces satellite platforms measuring temperature, sea level, ice extent, and vegetation. Highlights advantages and limitations of remote sensing records.

Lesson 4 • Paleoclimate Proxies

Examines ice cores, tree rings, corals, and sediments as indirect climate records. Extends the observational baseline beyond the instrumental period.

Lesson 1 • Interpreting Projection Uncertainty

Decomposes projection uncertainty into scenario, model, and internal variability components. Students communicate uncertainty ranges to non-specialist audiences.

Lesson 2 • Types of Climate Models

Surveys energy balance models, regional models, and Earth system models by complexity. Matches model type to appropriate scientific questions.

Lesson 3 • Emission Scenarios and Pathways

Introduces shared socioeconomic pathways and representative concentration pathways. Students map scenario assumptions to projected warming outcomes.

Lesson 4 • Model Physics and Parameterization

Explains how sub-grid processes are parameterized in climate models. Identifies parameterization as a key source of inter-model spread.

Lesson 1 • Food, Water, and Health Impacts

Assesses climate risks to agricultural yields, freshwater availability, and disease vectors. Highlights differential vulnerability across regions and populations.

Lesson 2 • Sea Level Rise and Coastal Impacts

Quantifies thermal expansion and ice sheet contributions to sea level rise. Links projected rise to coastal flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion.

Lesson 3 • Ecosystem and Biodiversity Impacts

Examines species range shifts, phenological changes, and coral bleaching. Connects ecosystem disruption to cascading effects on human systems.

Lesson 4 • Extreme Weather Events

Analyzes how climate change alters frequency and intensity of heat waves, floods, and storms. Applies attribution science to specific event types.

Lesson 1 • Carbon Dioxide Removal Approaches

Surveys biological and technological CDR methods including BECCS, DAC, and enhanced weathering. Evaluates scalability, cost, and co-benefits of each approach.

Lesson 2 • Transport and Industry Decarbonization

Examines electrification, hydrogen, and efficiency improvements in hard-to-abate sectors. Addresses unique challenges of industrial process emissions.

Lesson 3 • Energy System Decarbonization

Covers renewable energy deployment, nuclear power, and grid modernization as decarbonization pathways. Quantifies emissions reduction potential by technology.

Lesson 4 • Mitigation Policy Instruments

Compares carbon pricing, regulations, and technology standards as policy tools. Connects instrument design to emissions reduction effectiveness and equity.

Lesson 1 • Integrating Mitigation and Adaptation

Synthesizes mitigation and adaptation into integrated climate response strategies. Identifies synergies, trade-offs, and co-benefits across both response types.

Lesson 2 • Urban and Coastal Adaptation

Covers heat-resilient urban design, managed retreat, and coastal protection measures. Applies adaptation principles to high-exposure urban and coastal settings.

Lesson 3 • Adaptation Frameworks and Principles

Introduces incremental, transformational, and ecosystem-based adaptation frameworks. Establishes criteria for evaluating adaptation effectiveness and equity.

Lesson 4 • Climate Risk Assessment

Applies hazard, exposure, and vulnerability frameworks to assess climate risk. Students produce risk profiles for specific sectors and geographic contexts.