Syllabus

Week 1: Introduction: The rich history of Arctic exploration; A climatically important region undergoing rapid change; The Arctic’s growing economic and strategic importance; The Arctic Ocean; The Arctic lands; Basic climatic elements
Week 2: The atmospheric energy budget: Role of the Arctic in the global energy budget; The Arctic energy budget: focus on the seasonal cycle
Week 3: The atmospheric circulation: Circulation of the stratosphere; Circulation of the troposphere; Surface and near surface circulation; Winter – focus on the Icelandic Low region; Summer – focus on the central Arctic Ocean and Arctic frontal zone; Polar lows
Week 4: The surface energy budget: Basic considerations; Radiative terms; Cloud radiative forcing; The non-radiative terms; The Arctic temperature inversion; Climate feedbacks and the surface energy budget; FIRST QUARTER EXAM (15% of grade)
Week 5: The hydrologic cycle: Precipitation; Net precipitation (precipitation minus evaporation); The Arctic terrestrial drainage system; The freshwater budget of the Arctic Ocean
Week 6-7: Arctic ocean-sea ice-climate interactions: The rapidly shrinking sea ice cover; Sea ice formation, growth and morphology; Sea ice motion, thickness and deformation; Case studies: September ice extent for 2007 and 2008; The Fram Strait outflow, thermohaline circulation and Arctic back door

Week 8: Climate regimes of the Arctic: The climate of Greenland; Polar desert; The maritime Arctic; The central Arctic Ocean
Week 9: Review and MID TERM EXAM (30% of grade)
Week 10: Modeling the Arctic system: Single column models; Land surface models; Coupled ice-ocean models; Global climate models; Regional climate models; Numerical weather prediction models; Ecosystem models
Week 11: Arctic paleoclimates: The distant past; Types of paleoclimate records; Basic chronology of the Quaternary; The last glacial cycle and rapid climate shifts; Deglaciation and the Holocene
Week 12-13: Recent climate variability, trends and the future: Summary of observed variability and change; The North Atlantic Oscillation and Arctic Oscillation; The summer dipole; Projected change through the 21st century
Week 13: THIRD QUARTER EXAM (15% of grade)
Week 14: NO CLASSES, FALL BREAK
Week 15: Presentation of papers by graduate students
Week 16: Broader Issues: The accessible Arctic: Commercial shipping/tourism; Resource exploration and production (oil, gas, minerals); Conflicts between stakeholders
Week 17: FINAL EXAM (30% of grade)

Instructor:
Dr. Mark C. Serreze
serreze@colorado.edu
Office Hours: M,W 11-12pm, GUGG 203

Class Notes