Global changes of environment
Introduction. Timescales and terminology. The environment as a dynamic system.
Evidence for fluctuations of the Earth's environment and climate. The method
of reconstruction of environmental changes in the past. Sources of paleoclimatic
information. Paleodata from ice cores (Vostok, GRIP, GISP2 and others). Stable
isotope composition, gas content in air bubbles, trace element, physical properties.
Paleodata from oceans. Biogenic sediments. Oxygen isotopic composition (SPECMAP).
Faunal and floral abundance. Alkenones. Corals. Inorganic sediments. Terrestial
paleodata. Tree rings, lake sediments, pollen, speleothems, peatbogs. Frequency
distribution of U/Th dates for speleothems and 14C dates for peat as source of
information about environmental changes in the past. Climate system.
Climate forcing. Energy budget. Solar output variations. Orbital forcing,
Milankovitch cycles. Changes of Earth?s atmosphere composition, greenhouse
effect. The role of ice sheets. Global ocean circulation changes.
Thermohaline circulation of the oceans, North Atlantic Deep Water.
The role of biosphere. Feedback mechanisms. Principal human activities
influencing climate. Environmental modeling and prediction. Mathematical
representation and simplification. Basic equations for Atmosphere, the Oceans,
Landsurface, Ground Water and Ice. Palaeoclimate models. Types of models.
General Circulation Models (GCMs).
Bibliography
Bischof J., 2000. Ice Drift, Ocean Circulation and Climate Change.
Berlin Heidelberg Springer-Verlag.
Bradley R.S., 1999. Paleoclimatology. Reconstructing Climates of the
Quaternary. London Harcourt Academic Press.
Eddy J.A., Oeschger H. (Eds.), 1993. Global Changes in the Perspective
of the Past. Chichester Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Hercman H., 2000. Reconstruction of palaeoclimatic changes in Central
Europe between 10 and 200 thousand years BP, based on analysis of growth
frequency of speleothems. Studia Quternaria vol.17: 35-70.
Michczyńska D.J., 2003. Statystyczna analiza danych radiowęglowych
w badaniach zmian środowiska naturalnego w przeszłości (praca doktorska).
Peng G., Leslie L.M., Shao Y. (Eds.), 2002. Environmental Modelling and
Prediction. Berlin Heidelberg Springer-Verlag.
Visconti G., 2001. Fundamentals of Physics and Chemistry of the Atmosphere.
Berlin Heidelberg Springer-Verlag.
Papers in Journals according to suggestion of lecturer
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