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Global Climate Change in Context (GEOG30023)
Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
February
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | February |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This subject examines the nature and causes of past changes in Earth’s climate during the Quaternary Period (the last 2.7 million years), with a particular emphasis on the last glacial-interglacial cycle. It aims to place modern climate and the projections of future global warming into a longer-term perspective, and will allow students to understand why human interference in the climate system may be a legitimate cause for concern. Emphasis is placed on how Earth materials (ice, rocks, sediments, landforms, biological materials) record past climate changes, the techniques used to extract this ‘palaeoenvironmental information’, and the principles that govern how this information is interpreted. Most of the subject will run prior to the start of semester one and be based around a field trip to the South Island of New Zealand. A pre-field trip essay will give students the basic background to the nature of Quaternary palaeoclimate. A series of lectures (held in Melbourne) will then cover the theoretical aspects of the subject in more detail, providing an important primer to the field work. The field component itself focuses on how particular environments (coastal, lake, fluvial, cave, and glacial) preserve evidence of past climate change. A further series of lectures and practicals will be conducted during the first 4 weeks of semester, and will focus on the nature of palaeoclimate data and how these are processed and interpreted. By the end of the subject, students will not only appreciate the dynamics of Earth’s past climate and the mechanisms that have forced it, but also the way in which we practice this important and growing field of study.
The estimated cost of the field trip is in the vicinity of $900. The field trip will take place in the weeks immediately prior to the first week of Semester 1.
Note this subject may be taken as the Capstone subject in the Geography major of the BSc. All students, whether they are capstone students or not, will be required to complete online introductory materials that are common across all field classes, and will be invited to a discussion session together at the end of their Capstone study and experience.
Intended learning outcomes
At the completion of this subject, students will have achieved the following objectives:
- An understanding of the nature of past climate changes, i.e. the frequency, magnitude and geographic extent;
- An understanding of the range of driving mechanisms of past climate changes, particularly how they vary according to the time scales considered;
- An understanding of how specific environments and materials preserve evidence of past climate changes;
- An understanding of the advantages and weaknesses of the various ‘palaeoclimate archives’;
- Hands-on field experience in the identification, sampling and analysis of a range of important palaeoclimate archives;
- Experience in organising, analysing and interpreting palaeoclimate data;
- Familiarity with the key literature and current debates on past climates; and
- An understanding of how the current global warming debate fits into the longer-term perspective.
Generic skills
- Ability to conduct library searches to source the latest relevant literature on key topic areas.
- Ability to comprehend some of the current debates in the field.
- Software skills for data handling and graphing, such as Excel.
- Basic introduction to state-of-the-art laboratory analytical methods (e.g. mass spectrometry, microsampling).
- Field skills, especially an ability to recognise landforms and sediments capable of preserving records of environmental change.
- Data interpretation skills, informed by the relevant literature.
- Group field and research activities.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Completion of at least one of the following subjects or approval from the subject coordinator.
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
GEOG20002 | Landscapes and Environmental Change | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
GEOG20009 | Landscapes and Diversity | No longer available | |
ERTH20001 | Dangerous Earth | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Some background in Physical Geography and/or Earth Sciences is required. Interested students who are unsure if they possess sufficient academic background are welcome to contact the coordinator for advice: rnd@unimelb.edu.au
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- Individual Field Report (2,000 words), due mid first semester - 50%.
- Computer based practicals (800 words), due after completion of each session - 20%.
- Research Assignment (1,200 words), due before field trip - 30%.
Hurdle Requirement: Students must complete, or have previously completed, the online Geography learning module, in order to successfully complete this subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- February
Principal coordinator Russell Drysdale Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours one 10-day field trip, 24-hours of lectures weeks (including two days of pre-field trip lectures) & 8-hours of practicals during weeks 1-4 Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 11 February 2019 to 11 April 2019 Last self-enrol date 18 November 2018 Census date 8 March 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 26 April 2019 Assessment period ends 4 June 2019 February contact information
Time commitment details
170 hours
Additional delivery details
An enrolment quota of 25 students (in undergraduate and post-graduate offering) applies to this subject. For detailed information on the quota subject application process, enrolment deadlines and selection preferences, refer to the Faculty of Science website: http://science.unimelb.edu.au/students/course-planning-and-advice
This subject requires all students to actively and safely participate in laboratory and field activities. Students undertake field trip experiences that will require them to be physically capable of undertaking outdoor field work in remote locations.
Students must complete, or have previously completed, the online Geography learning module.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
William Ruddiman 2nd Ed (2008) Earth’s Climate: past and future. WH Freeman, New York.
Recommended texts and other resources
Michael Bender (2013) Paleoclimate, Princeton University Press; Thomas Cronin (2010) Paleoclimates: understanding climate change past and present, Columbia University Press.
- Off-campus study
This subject has an overseas component
Fieldtrip to New Zealand
- Incidental costs
Field trip to New Zealand
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Major Geography Informal specialisation Physical Geography Informal specialisation Science-credited subjects - new generation B-SCI Major Geography Informal specialisation Selective subjects for B-BMED Informal specialisation Physical Geography Informal specialisation Integrated Geography Informal specialisation Integrated Geography Informal specialisation Environments Discipline subjects Major Environmental Geography Major Integrated Geography Major Physical Geography - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
Quota limit applied - UoM students will be given preference over CAP applicants
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022