Weeks 5-6
Overview
In this two-week unit, you will learn about the Global Climate Models (GCMs) that have been used in a series of coordinated Coupled Model Intercomparison Projects (CMIPs) to understand, simulate, and project the future evolution of the earth system components that you learned about in Unit 2. You will learn what makes these tools so widely used in the assessment of future climate risks, and you will also investigate their limitations. In the second week, you will learn about regional climate models and statistical downscaling methods used to combine climate model projections with different types of historical climate data (station observations, gridded datasets, re-analyses, and remote sensing datasets) to provide information relevant to regional decision-making. You will also learn about impacts modelling and examine important caveats to keep in mind when using regional projections.
In the first week, you will be expected to post in the discussion forum for this unit, and your team will complete its second practical application. In the second week, you will publish your second WordPress blog.
Week 5 Activities
Week 5 Activity 1 – Attend the live session or watch the recording
Week 5 Activity 2 – Complete the readings
Week 5 Activity 3 – Team, Practical Applications #1: Revise a presentation of regional climate projections for a specific application. Post your revised presentation to the Team Discussion Forum. This is the first of three team applications for Assignment 3.
Week 5 Activity 4 – Continue Individual Practical Application #1 by adding to the Climate Glossary on Moodle: You may add new words from this week’s readings as well as provide comments on other students’ entries.
Week 6 Activities
Week 6 Activity 1 – Attend the live session or watch the recording
Week 6 Activity 2 – Complete the readings
Week 6 Activity 4 – Continue Individual Practical Application #1 by adding to the Climate Glossary on Moodle: You may add new words from this week’s readings as well as provide comments on other students’ entries.
Week 6 Activity 5 – Submit your first draft of a WordPress blog post Drawing on your critical reflections and the team activity, draft your first public blog post on your WordPress site, and export the draft as a PDF. Remember, the purpose of the public writing is to demonstrate an ability to clearly and succinctly explain climate information and comment on relevant issues from an informed perspective. This blog should be your “best of” writing on climate change in Canada, systems, or climate science.