YoVDO

Climate Change in Arctic Environments

Offered By: University of Alaska Fairbanks via edX

Tags

Climate Change Courses Marine Ecosystems Courses Environmental Policy Courses Climate Modeling Courses Terrestrial Ecosystems Courses Ocean Acidification Courses

Course Description

Overview

  • You will learn from researchers and staff from a variety of disciplines at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ International Arctic Research Center and its collaborators.
  • An introduction to a variety of areas of expertise, from atmospheric science to traditional knowledge on subsistence calendars, will equip you to understand these complex systems and the knowledge-holders who examine them in detail.
  • You will develop a basic understanding of climate change in the circumpolar arctic through an in-depth examination of four primary systems: atmospheric systems, marine systems, terrestrial systems, and human systems.
  • Key concepts will be explained with practical Arctic-focused examples including Arctic climate modelling, climate policy, physical properties of the ocean, and more.
  • You will learn to trace impacts through those complex systems from physical science, through the biodiversity of flora and fauna, and on to the societies that depend on those resources.
  • Key texts to understanding environmental change will be made available to participants with guidance and quizzes to check understanding, giving you the skills to understand reports and policies impacting the region.

Title image credit - Steffen M. Olsen, Climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute


Syllabus

Week 1: Change in our Arctic Atmosphere

  • Emissions, atmospheric systems and the effects of climate change on the Arctic atmosphere.
  • Temperature and precipitation
  • Snow, storms, extreme events, and air quality
  • Modeling and climate model projections, downscaled projections

Week 2: Change On and Under the Waves

  • Ocean temperature & salinity
  • Changes in Arctic sea ice concentration, formation, and thickness
  • Ocean currents
  • Ocean acidification and ocean change
  • The marine food web: algal blooms, fish, marine mammals
  • How changes in physical properties impact the entire marine ecosystem

Week 3: Our Changing Terrestrial Environment

  • Permafrost and terrestrial snow cover
  • Glacial ice
  • Vegetation
  • Wildfire impacts
  • Terrestrial animals and ecosystems
  • Birds
  • Future changes

Week 4: The Human Element

  • History of human activity in the Arctic
  • Food security
  • Governance: local and global policymakers
  • Risk and vulnerability assessments
  • Infrastructure
  • Adaptation actions and multiple stressors

Taught by

Rick Thoman Jr and John Walsh

Tags

Related Courses

Could we control our climate?
The Open University via OpenLearn
The Anthropocene Epoch - GEO GIRL
GEO GIRL via YouTube
The Impact of Climate Change on Sedimentation
Seds Online via YouTube
Predator-Prey Interactions Between Crabs and Gastropods
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology via YouTube
Science on Tap: Secrets of Seagrass Part 2
UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute TESI via YouTube