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Past Climates: Icehouse to Greenhouse (ERTH20003)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject explores the Earth’s past and present climates, from billion year to hundred year time scales. The subject also deals with the wide range of causes of past climates and of climate change. Climate episodes discussed may include: Precambrian Snowball Earth, Gondwanan Glaciations, the Mesozoic Hothouse, global cooling over the last 20 million years and increasing aridity in Australia over the last 5 million years. The subject also covers the record of regular Ice Age cycles, abrupt climate change, global and regional climate variability of the past 1000 years, and natural and human factors contributing to modern climate change. We use climate ‘proxy’ records such as ice cores, tree rings, corals, sedimentary records and historical documents to identify more recent changes in the Australian region.
Intended learning outcomes
At the successful completion of this subject students will have learnt to:
- explain the drivers of the Earth's climate over time-scales ranging from days to centuries
- explain why past climates such as ice-ages differ from our present climate with reference to climat drivers
- describe how palaeoclimate observations are made and explain how they are used in reconstructing the past climate
- synthesise knowledge from historical records for the Australian region and use it to understand future climate change projections
Generic skills
A Student who successfully completes this course will:
- demonstrate a high level of achievement in writing and problem-solving
- apply analytical, quantitative and technical skills to problem solving
- reflect and critique information as life-long learners
- demonstrate excellent organisational, planning and time management skills
- apply knowledge, skills and attitude to adapt to scientific, technological and social changes
- examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
ATOC30005
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: 11 April 2024
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Two 1000-word take-home essays
| Approximately Weeks 5 and 11 | 50% |
4 short online quizzes held approximately every 3 weeks
| During the teaching period | 10% |
Examination
| During the examination period | 40% |
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Josephine Brown Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 2 x 1-hour lecture per week and 1 x 2-hour practical per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 22 July 2024 to 20 October 2024 Last self-enrol date 2 August 2024 Census date 2 September 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 20 September 2024 Assessment period ends 15 November 2024
Time commitment details
Estimated Total Time Commitment - 170 hours
Last updated: 11 April 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Ruddiman, W. F., 2014: Earth's Climate: Past and Future (third ed.). W.H. Freeman & Co Ltd, 445 pp.
Anderson, D. E., A. S. Goudie and A. G. Parker, 2013: Global Environments through the Quaternary: Exploring Environmental Change (Second ed.). Oxford University Press, 395 pp.
Recommended texts and other resources
Gergis, J. (2018). Sunburnt Country: The History and Future of Climate Change in Australia. Melbourne University Press.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Informal specialisation Science Discipline subjects - new generation B-SCI - Breadth options
This subject is available as breadth in the following courses:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Commerce
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Environments
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Animation)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Film and Television)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Screenwriting)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Theatre)
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art)
- Bachelor of Music
- 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.
- 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: 11 April 2024