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update: 2004-01-27

Lower Atmosphere

Basics

Unit 1:
An introduction to the troposphere

 - variations with height and temperature
 - different landscapes - the horizontal extension
 - what does tropospheric air consist of?
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Greenhouse effect, light and the biosphere

 - light and the greenhouse effect
 - greenhouse gases and effect
 - emissions from the biosphere
 - vegetation fires
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 3:
Ozone and nitrogen oxides as key compounds

 - tropospheric ozone
 - nitrogen oxides - formation and importance
 - ozone smog - how is it formed?
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Main oxidants and observations

 - oxidation in the atmosphere
 - night time conditions and chemistry
 - measurement techniques - spectroscopy
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Radiation, greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect

 - the earths radiation budget and the greenhouse effect
 - the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane
 - water vapour feedback and clouds
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 3:
Ozone chemistry, smog and other emissions

 - oxidation by OH
 - ozone chemistry
 - vegetation fires and emissions
 - concentrations and sources and sinks of trace gases
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Higher Atmosphere

Basics

Unit 1:
Understanding and observation of the mid atmosphere

 - the layers of the atmosphere
 - composition of the stratosphere
 - measurements in the stratosphere
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Ozone and the formation of the ozone hole

 - ozone formation
 - the ozone hole and chlorofluorocarbons
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Dynamics of the stratosphere and aviation

 - dynamics of the stratosphere
 - aviation today and tomorrow
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Stratospheric ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, the ozone hole and its impacts

 - stratospheric ozone chemistry
 - chlorine chemistry
 - chlorofluorocarbons and HCFC's
 - ozone hole and global warming
 - stratospheric cooling
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Weather

Basics

Unit 1:
Weather and Fronts

 - what is weather? definition of weather and climate
 - high pressure systems, low pressure system
 - fronts
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 2:
Circulation Systems

 - local circulation
 - global atmospheric circulation
 - el niño, la niña, global impacts
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 * worksheet 4

Unit 3:
Folklore weather forecasting

 - forecasting by sun, moon, rainbow, clouds ...
 - forecasting by plants and animals
 - long range forecasts
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Floods and Thunderstorms

 - flashfloods
 - riverfloods
 - types of Thunderstorms
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 2:
Major wind systems

 - major wind systems, trade winds, monsoons
 - southern oscillation & el niño history
 - north atlantic oscillation
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 

Unit 3:
Biometeorology

 - environmental changes and human health
 - weather and human health
 - wind chill
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Clouds and Particles

Basics

Unit 1:
Clouds

 - water in the atmosphere
 - formation of clouds
 - different types of clouds

Unit 2:
Particles

 - where do they come from?
 - what do they become?
 - health effect of particles

Unit 3:
Sun and Clouds

 - albedo
 - clouds and climate
 - rainbow 

Read more ..

Unit 1:
How are clouds formed? What happens in clouds?

 - Formation of droplets
 - Cloud types
 - Cloud chemistry

Unit 2:
Particles

 - Characteristics of particles
 - Transformation and removal
 - Particles and respiratory tract

Unit 3:
Clouds, particles and climate

 - particles and visibility
 - particles and climate
 - radiation budget

Climate in Cities

Basics

Unit 1:
Air pollution due to human activity

 - what is air pollution
 - causes of anthropogenic air pollution
 - negative effects of air pollution
 - areas endangered by air pollution
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Urban climate

 - factors controlling the urban climate
 - the urban heat island
 - local air circulation
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 * worksheet 4
 * worksheet 5

Unit 3:
Acid rain - History in Europe and status in Asia

 - what is acid rain?
 - the main areas where acid rain forms
 - the main areas damaged by acid rain

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Air pollution due to human activity

 - energy production and transportation
 - industry and other branches of the economy
 - impact of air pollution
 - mitigation
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Urban climate

 - radiation balance
 - heat balance
 - water balance and precipitation
 - urban bioclimate
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 * worksheet 4
 * worksheet 5

Unit 3:
Acid rain - history in Europe and status in Asia

 - the origin of acid rain
 - impact on the natural environment and infrastructure
 - international research programmes on acid rain

Oceans

Basics

Unit 1:
Oceans and climate

 - the special properties of water
 - ocean circulation
 - how oceans take up carbon dioxide
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 * worksheet 4

Unit 2:
Nutrients in the oceans

 - phytoplankton and nutrients
 - phytoplankton growth
 - eutrophication
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3
 * worksheet 4

Unit 3:
Gases from phytoplankton

 - sulphur gases
 - aerosols and climate
 - gases from seawater - 1
 - gases from seawater - 2

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Oceans and climate

 - oceans and climate change
 - the North Atlantic Oscillation
 - sea level rise
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
Oceanic nutrients - Iron

 - iron in the oceans
 - iron, dust and climate
 - iron and climate change

Unit 3:
Gases from phytoplankton

 - air-sea gas exchange
 - GAIA and CLAW

Food and Climate

Basics

Unit 1:
Plants and climate

 - plants and the environment
 - distribution of crops over the world
 - weeds, diseases and pests
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 2:
The climate change issue

 - climate change effects on plants
 - contribution of agriculture to greenhouse gases
 - future food production
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 3:
Drought in the Mediterranean

 - what is drought
 - types of drought
 - drought and fire
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Past and present

 - crops
 - weeds, diseases and pests
 - history of the climate events with impact on food production
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 2:
Predicting the future

 - realities and uncertainties
 - from industrial development to global changes
 - case study Egypt
 - case study Spain
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 3:
Drought in the Mediterranean

 - relevance of drought
 - drought driving factors
 - drought management
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

People changing climate

Basics

Unit 1:
Human-caused climate change?

 - what is happening to the climate?
 - how do we know?
 - where do the emissions come from?
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2
 * worksheet 3

Unit 2:
How will a warmer world be like?

 - example 1: Europe is flooding
 - example 2: waiting for rain in India
 - consequences for people
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 3:
How can we hinder man-made climate change?

 - what can you do?
 - what can the government do?
 - international cooperations
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Read more ..

Unit 1:
Human-caused climate change?

 - changes in greenhouse-gas concentrations
 - observed changes in the Earth's climate
 - inertia of the climate system
 - feedback effects
 - abrupt changes
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 2:
What will a warmer world be like?

 - the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
 - future emissions
 - changes in different parts of the world
 - vulnarability and adaptation
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Unit 3:
How can we hinder man-made climate change?

 - more emissions despite improved technology
 - emissions trading in the EU
 - the climate convention (UNFCCC)
 - the Kyoto protocol
 * worksheet 1
 * worksheet 2

Sun and Ice

LEVEL 1

TU 1: The solar cycle

1. the sun and its radiation budget
2. solar cycles and variation in the suns activity
3. impact on the climate of the earth

TU 2: Climate change and variability over the past 1000 years

1. methods of climate change research
2. impact of climate change on the natural environment
3. impact of climate change on society

TU 3: Palaeoclimate

1. the climate of the past - a look back 500,000 years
2. reasons for large scale climate change
3. how information about past climate change is collected - use of tree rings, sediments and ice cores

LEVEL 2:

TU 1: The solar cycle

1. the sun and its radiation balance
2. solar cycles and variations in the sun's activity
3. impact on the climate of the earth

TU 2: Climate changes and variability over the past 1000 years

1. causes of climate change
2. climate change and climate variability

TU 3: Palaeoclimate

1. the climate over the past 500,000 years
2. reasons for large scale climate change
3. how information on past climate is collected

Interdisciplinary Modelling Unit

1. chemistry models
2. global circulation models
3. model results