ENV- 450 /  ATM 550: PALEOCLIMATOLOGY

TUESDAY & THURSDAY 2:45 PM – 4:05 PM, ES 328



This class is designed to introduce the students to the diverse field of paleoclimatology and climate reconstruction.  The class will specifically focus on the use of natural archives (ice cores, tree rings, corals, cave deposits, etc.,) to reconstruct environmental, climatic, and atmospheric change over a range of time scales. The primary timescales of interest will be the Holocene, and the past 1000 years, but we will also examine some longer reconstructions spanning the late Pleistocene. In the process we will cover a range of topics in lecture that will provide an introduction to natural climatic forcings and variability, age dating techniques, statistical analysis, climatic proxies (natural archives), and paleoclimatic reconstruction techniques. 

Topics (not necessarily covered in this order):
- Introduction to paleoclimatology
- Sources of paleoclimatic/ paleoenvironmental information
- Statistical methods of climate analysis
- Dating Methods: (annually resolved records, 14C, U-series, oxygen isotopes, biological methods, etc.)
- Age model construction, time-series development
- Introduction to paleoclimatic proxies (stable isotopes, trace metals, micropaleontology etc.)
- Ice cores
- Corals
- Dendroclimatology (tree rings)
- Speleothems (cave deposits)
- Lacustrine deposits
- Marine Sediments and foraminifera
- Pollen and other biologic proxies
- Glacial records, moraine dating
- Historical records (Documentary data)


INSTRUCTOR: 
  
Mathias Vuille
                             ES 311
                             ph.: 442-4472
                             mvuille@albany.edu


TIME AND LOCATION: Tue. & Th. 2:45 pm - 4:05 pm, ES 328


CREDITS: 3

READING AND STUDY MATERIALS:

There is no textbook required, but we will rely quite heavily on material from several books:

           - Paleoclimatology; Reconstructing Climates of the Quaternary, R. S. Bradley, 3rd edition, 2014 Academic Press

          
- Paleoclimates -  Understanding Climate Change past and present, Thomas M. Cronin,  2009, Columbia University Press

           
- Earth’s Climate – past and future, W.F. Ruddiman, W.H. Freeman and Company, 2001

           

 

We will read and discuss scientific articles (to be handed out or distributed via website by the instructor)


PREREQUISITES:
A Env 105, 201, 250, and A Atm 301, or permission of the instructor


OFFICE HOURS: Monday afternoon, 1-3 pm


WEBSITEFor all course material, including class lectures and papers go
here (password required)


FORMAT:
The class is a mixture of lectures, seminar-style discussions and student presentations.


EVALUATION:  

Env/Geo 450

           20%     Exam 1
20%     Exam 2

           25%     Exam 3
15%     Class participation / Homework
20%     Oral presentation

 

Atm 550

           15%     Exam 1
15%     Exam 2

           20%     Exam 3

           25%     Review Paper

           10%     Class participation / Homework

           15%     Oral presentation


Class participation:

We will read papers on an almost weekly basis. Students will be asked to summarize the main findings and methods of the paper and lead the discussion of aspects that were especially interesting and noteworthy or unclear and difficult to understand.

Oral Presentations:

Each student is required to work on a selected topic of his/her choice and present a short (~12 -15 min.) talk to the rest of the class in the last few weeks of the semester. 

Review paper:

For graduate students enrolled in ATM 550 this class includes a writing assignment. The goal is to choose a scientific topic or issue relevant to this class and present a detailed review of the current knowledge on the subject.  This can include an outline of how a field or a hypothesis has evolved over time. You will need to gather original scientific papers on the topic and critique them. The final paper should be approximately 10-15 pages of text followed by a detailed reference list.  I am available to help select an appropriate topic and I will be available to discuss the papers you have found on your chosen subject. There is no need to hand in an outline, but you can submit a draft outline of the paper to receive comments. 

 

The final paper is due Friday, December 13, 2019.