Skip to main content
CODE 108884
ACADEMIC YEAR 2024/2025
CREDITS
SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR ICAR/02
LANGUAGE English
TEACHING LOCATION
  • GENOVA
SEMESTER 2° Semester
TEACHING MATERIALS AULAWEB

OVERVIEW

The course aims to equip students with a thorough understanding of climate change science driven by ocean-atmosphere dynamics and their modeling from a global perspective down to coastal impact scales. It emphasizes the principles of atmospheric and ocean modeling, exploring the main drivers of climate system changes, and their global modeling. Additionally, the course covers the downscaling and analysis of significant regional and local processes affecting sea level changes and wave impacts in coastal areas. By the end of the course, students will have a solid grasp of climate system modeling, Earth's energy budget, sea level change dynamics, and the impacts of climate change on coastal regions. Teaching methods include lectures and practical sessions with computer-based algorithm development for climate data processing and coastal process quantification. Key topics include Earth's energy budget, climate feedbacks, ocean and cryosphere changes, global and regional climate modeling, and coastal impacts.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Principles of atmospheric and ocean modeling for coastal impacts due to climate change with
an overview of the main drivers in the change of the climate system and their modeling on a
global scale and the downscaling and analysis of the main regional and local processes of sea
level change and wave impacts in coastal areas.

 

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching aims to provide the basic knowledge of the ocean-atmosphere dynamics of the
climate system and their modeling from global scale up to climate change impacts in coastal
areas. More specifically, the course will focus on the fundamentals for:
• Modeling of the climate system and earth’s energy budget,
• Physical process governing sea level change
• Global and Regional Climate Modeling of the atmosphere and ocean
• Regional and local process in sea level change and extreme water levels
• Climate change impacts in coastal areas

 

TEACHING METHODS

The course will be held mainly through frontal lessons with the help of slides.
There will be some practical lessons with the use of computers for the development of specific
algorithms for the processing of climate series and the quantification of coastal processes.

 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Changes in the climate system and human influence
• Earth’s energy budget, climate feedbacks, and climate sensitivity
• Ocean, cryosphere and sea level change
• Future global climate: scenario-based projections
• Global Climate Modeling: CMIP5 and CMIP6
• Regional Climate Modeling and Earth System Modeling
• Ocean and wave modeling
• Regional and local process in Sea Level Change
• Extreme total water level drivers
• Coastal impacts

 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY
• IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working
Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N.
Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M. I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J. B. R. Matthews,T. K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University
Press. In Press.
 IPCC, 2019: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
[H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K.
Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)]. In
press.
 IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Part B:
Regional Aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Barros, V.R., C.B. Field, D.J. Dokken,
M.D. Mastrandrea, K.J. Mach, T.E. Bilir, M. Chatterjee, K.L. Ebi, Y.O. Estrada, R.C. Genova,
B. Girma, E.S. Kissel, A.N. Levy, S. MacCracken, P.R. Mastrandrea, and L.L. White (eds.)].
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp.
688.
 IPCC, 2013: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working
Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovern- mental Panel on Climate
Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels,
Y. Xia, V. Bex and P.M. Midgley (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United
Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 1535 pp. 

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ANDREA MARGARITA LIRA LOARCA (President)

GIOVANNI BESIO (President Substitute)

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of a final project on a topic chosen by the students related to the effects, impacts, and indicators of climate change. Students will submit a detailed report of their findings and deliver a 15-minute presentation. This will be followed by a Q&A session, where they will answer questions about their work and demonstrate their knowledge of climate change.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment methods for this course include a final project where students select a topic related to the effects, impacts, and indicators of climate change. They will submit a comprehensive report detailing their findings and deliver a 15-minute presentation. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session to evaluate their understanding and ability to discuss their work and broader climate change concepts. This approach ensures students can effectively analyze, communicate, and apply their knowledge of climate change.

Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goals

Agenda 2030 - Sustainable Development Goals
Climate action
Climate action
Life below water
Life below water