Since AT Climate Science is a brand new course at Roosevelt High School for the 2020-2021 school year, there will be a lot of trial and error.  However, I’ve decided to base the course topics on Edmond Mathez and Jason Smerdon’s excellent book, Climate Change: The Science of Global Warming and Our Energy Future (2nd Edition). Here’s the tentative syllabus; each topic should take one week in class.

I. Climate System

1. 1. The Atmosphere
   2. The World Ocean
   3. Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions
   4. The Carbon Cycle & How It Influences Climate

II. Climate Change & Its Drivers

1. 5. Radiation Balance
   6. Radiative Forcing & Feedbacks
   7. Climate of the Distant Past

III. Consequences of Climate Change

1. 8. Climate of the Recent Past
   9. Observing Climate Change
   10. Sea-Level Rise

IV. The Future

1. 11. Climate Models
   12. Climate Change Risk
   13. Energy

Once we’re through all of the topics, we should have several weeks left in the semester to take action with a Final Project – details forthcoming!