Description

The course involves consideration of numerous aspects of climate change and variation, and policy options for both mitigation and adaptation. Topics covered will include: introduction to basic principles and discussion of the methods used to measure and assess climate change and variation; proxy data analysis and interpretation; assessment of natural and human impacts; oscillations, including the North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and ENSO; relationships between overall change and the frequency of extreme events, including mid-latitude and tropical cyclones and extra-tropical transitions; impacts of climate change and variation on human societies; mitigation techniques, policies, and socio-economic and political considerations; and adaptation techniques, policies, and socio-economic and political considerations. The course will illustrate the complexities involved in the scientific determination, measurement, and assessment of climate changes and variations and their impacts, and as well in considering human societal and political responses. Principles will be applied to sectoral analyses, focused on the North Atlantic and Arctic and the relevant activities and industries in human communities. Linkages to marine environments and communities, both natural and human, will be emphasized.

Learning outcomes

• Students will gain a systematic understanding of most recent knowledge of climate changes and variations.
• Students will become familiar with mitigation and adaptation procedures, techniques, and policies, and possible human responses.
• Students will be able to assess the role of both climate changes and variations and human responses to climate in socio-economic, governance and management spheres.

Assessment

Group discussions and class participation ........................ 20%
Short assignments (maximum 3 pages) based on questions posed during class sessions:
8 assignments @ 10% each ........................................ 80%

Instructor

Norm R. Catto, Professor of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland. My research interests include coastal landforms, natural hazards, sea level change, and the impacts of climate change in coastal environments; fluvial landforms and dynamics, response of river systems to climate and weather events, and flood risk assessment; glacial landforms and dynamics; mass movements and slope failures; geomorphic processes in permafrost, arctic, and northern boreal environments; aeolian geomorphology and anthropogenic stresses on dune systems; palaeosol development over time; the impacts of climate and weather events to transportation, fisheries, and communities; and the history of climate change.. My research has included projects and investigations in environments in Scandinavia, Estonia, Russia, Serbia, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru, and throughout Canada. I am co-author of the Atlantic Canada chapter of the Natural Resources Canada study on Impacts and Adaptations of Climate Change, and of the Canadian edition of Natural Hazards and Disasters, for Nelson Publishing. I am Editor-in-Chief of Quaternary International, a professional international journal dedicated to the study of landscape evolution and climate variation throughout the past 3 million years. Graduate students working with me receive training in areas such as geomorphic response to climate change and variation in a variety of settings; and assessing, coping with and adapting to weather- and climate-related natural hazards.

Guest lecturer

Further reading