Topics:
Climate of the Holocene
Topics:
Climate of the Holocene
Geology 510/610
Tuesday-Thursday
10:00 - 11:50
Cramer 69
Text: Earth's Climate - Rudimman and assigned outside readings
Website: http://glaciers.pdx.edu/fountain/
Instructor:
Andrew G. Fountain
725-3386, andrew@pdx.edu
Climate change has been a normal feature of the Earth as far back as the record can be traced. Humans have experienced and adapted to amazing changes in climate over the relatively short time they have been on Earth. This class focuses on the Holocene, or that part of the geologic time since the last Ice Age and coincident with the rise of complex societies and civilization.
Pieter Bruegel
1565 Hunters in the
Snow
1601 Winter landscape with birdtrap
Painted during the middle of the Little Ice Age. Are modern winters that cold
in Belgium?
The class will be largely seminar in style in which students will take on readings initially from the text and then from the original scientific literature to lead a class discussion about that topic. Initially, the presentations will be chosen from a pre-existing list of topics, but as the class develops over the quarter, students may suggest journal articles for potential presentation and discussion. Both discussion leaders and participants have responsibilities.
Expectations:
Class Discussion Leader, Class Member.
Guides to term paper format and content and
suggestions for oral presentations HERE
11 October Reading ConveyorBelt: Lozier2010. Turn in answers to the following questions.
1. In the early view of the conveyor belt, what did Stommel's work provide and what did Broecker's work provide?
2. What is the conveyor belt?
3. What was the conundrum when the presence of ventilated waters in the DWBC was confirmed? And what did this eventually lead to?
4. Observational, modeling, and theoretical results provide the basis for discarding what feature of the DWBC?
5. Identify the fundamental issues addressed in the last paragraph after the heading, 'What are the open questions about the overturning?'
6. What was the suprising finding from measurements of the overturning transport?
7. What is the fundamental problem with the conveyor-belt model?
16 October Mid-Pleistocene Transition Articles: Raymo&Huybers2008; Elderfield et al., 2012
Presenter: Andrew
18 October Deglaciation Current Proxy Articles: Barker et al., 2009: Blunier&Brook 2001
Presenter: Jesse, Assist: Matt
23 October Younger Dryas Articles: Taylor et al., 1997; Eddesen & Hald 2004. Skim: Vacco et al., 2005.
Presenter: Kelly, Assist: Liz
25 October Abrupt Climate Transitions Articles: Alley et al., 2003; Clark et al., 2002
Presenter: Erin, Assist: Jesse
30 October 8200 Year Event Bubbles Articles: Alley et al., 1997; Clarke, 2003.
Presenter: Liz, Assist: Esther
1 November More 8200 year Sea Level Articles: Keiven et al., 2008; Tornquist&Hijma 2012;
Presenter: Matt, Assist: Erin
6 November Spanning the Holocene 10Be Articles: O'Brien et al., 1995; Schaefer et al., 2009
Presenter: Esther, Assist: Kelly
8 November A look at the USA OSL Articles: Halfen et al., 2010: Miao et al., 2012
Presenter: Erin, Assist: Liz
13 November Another look Dating Article: Benson et al., 2002
Presenter: Kelly, Assist: Matt
15 November Medieval Climate Anomoly Articles: Bradley et al., 2003; deMenocal 2001
Presenter: Jesse, Assist: Esther
20 November Little Ice Age Sunspots Articles: cultural background; Miller et al., 2012
Presenter: Liz, Assist: Jesse for the cultural background, write up
briefly cultural impacts and scientific
hypotheses for the cause of the LIA
22 November THANKSGIVING
27 November Human Effects C Proxy Articles: Effects Sapart et al., 2012; skim - Ruddiman 2005 & Broeker&Stocker 2006
Presenter: Matt, Assist: Kelly Outline Sapart and just a few of the high points of Ruddiman
29 November Class Review Review Lectures and Articles - write up the high points of Climate of the Holocene
Presenter: Esther, Assist: Erin including major processes
29 November Term Paper Reports