THE GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE AND GREENHOUSE GASES
The Program on Climate Change, Winter 2008 (OCE/ATMS/ESS 588)
Meeting Time: MWF 1:30-2:20; Meeting Place: OSB 425
Course Web Page: http://courses.washington.edu/pcc588/index.html
Instructors:
Steven Emerson, OSB 419, 3-0428, emerson@u.washington.edu
Lyatt Jaeglé, ATG 302, 685-2679, jaegle@atmos.washington.edu
TA:
Clark Kirkman, ATG 511, 685-7684, ckirkman@atmos.washington.edu
Course Goals and Structure:
The course focuses on factors controlling the global cycle of carbon and the greenhouse
gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, O3 and halocarbons). Goals are to develop an appreciation for:
- The abundance and distribution of carbon and greenhouse gases
- Physical, chemical and biological mechanisms that control ocean-atmosphere
and terrestrial-atmosphere exchange of carbon and greenhouse gases.
- Possible causes for changes in green house gases over the last glacial cycles
- The fate of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, their impact on climate and
strategies for sequestration of anthropogenic gases
The course emphasizes problems of the carbon and greenhouse gases cycles in the
environment and an introduction to research articles on these topics.
Each week will normally consist of two lectures, and one paper or problem
discussion. The problem sets should make use of the computer program Matlab. The
first week has a lecture on the use of Matlab.
Students are asked to prepare a paper and give a 15-minute presentation during
the last week (and in finals week) on one of the topics on the attached list or one of their
own choosing. Topics should be discussed with one of the instructors. Papers should be
5-10 pages (1.5 spacing) with greater than 10 references.
Assessment:
Grades will be assigned based on the student’s performance on the four problems
(40%), the quality of the paper and presentation (40%), and participation in the paper
discussions (20%).
Readings:
There is no text for this course. Reading assignments will be put on the web or handed
out.
1
Course Schedule Winter 2008
Date
Topic
Reading*
Problem or Paper
Discussion
WEEK 1: Greenhouse Gases and Radiative Forcing
M 01/07 Introduction / Rad. bal. (LJ)
IPCC 2007 tech
W 01/09
Radiative forcing (LJ)
sum.
Prob#1(rad. forcing) out
F 01/11
Matlab Tutorial (CK)
WEEK 2: Global Carbon Fluxes and Carbonate Chemistry
M 01/14 Global carbon Fluxes (SE)
E&H Chapt 4 &
W 01/16
Carbonate chemistry (SE)
11
Prob#1 Due ; Prob#2 (carb.
F 01/18
Ocean solubility Pump (SE)
chem.) out
WEEK 3: Ocean Carbon Pumps
M 01/21
Holiday
W 01/23
Ocean biological pump (SE)
Prob#2 due; Prob#3 (4–box
F 01/25
Prob #3 Group discussion
oce-atm) out
WEEK 4: Non-CO2 Greenhouse gases
M 01/28
Non-CO2 GHG (LJ)
IPCC 2007
W 01/30
Non-CO2 GHG (LJ)
Chap 2+7
Prob.#3 due.
F 02/1
Paper discussion
LJ paper
WEEK 5: Non-CO2 Greenhouse gases (cont.)
M 02/04
Prob#4 Discussion
IPCC 2007
Prob#4 (atm. CH4 transport)
W 02/06
Aerosols and Climate (LJ)
Chap 2+7
out
F 02/08
Paper Discussion
LJ Paper
WEEK 6: Ocean Anthropogenic CO2 Uptake
M 02/11
Ocean CO2 uptake (SE)
E&H Chapt 11
Prob#4 due
W 02/13
Ocean CO2 uptake (SE)
Prob#5 (Oce. CO2 uptake)
F 02/15
Prob#5 discussion
out
WEEK 7: Terrestrial CO2 Uptake
M 02/18
Holiday
W 02/20
Atm O2/N2 ratios (SE)
Prob#5 due
F 02/22
Paper Discussion
SE Paper
WEEK 8: CO2 Sequestration
M 02/25
Terrestrial CO2 uptake (LJ)
W 02/27
CO2 Sequestration (SE)
F 02/29
Paper Discussion
SE Paper
WEEK 9: Atmospheric Inverse Models
M 03/03
Atm. Inverse models (LJ)
W 03/05
Atm. Inverse models (LJ)
F 03/07
Paper Discussion
LJ Paper
WEEK 10: Student presentations
M 03/11
Student Presentations
W 03/12
Student Presentations
F 03/14
Student Presentations
*This column has suggested reading to accompany the lectures. Required readings are
in bold italics.
2
Discussion Papers:
Toggweiler, J. R., J. L. Russell and S. R. Carson (2006) Midlatitude Westerlies,
atmospheric CO2, and climate change during the ice ages, Paleoceanography, 21,
PA2005, doi: 10.1029/2005PA001154.
Sabine, C.L., et al., The oceanic sink for anthropogenic CO2, Science, 305, 367-371,
2004.
Background Reading
Emerson, S. and J. I. Hedges (2007) Carbonate Chemistry, Chapt. 4 In: Chemical
Oceanography and the Carbon Cycle (Book in press at Cambridge U. Press, the chapter
is on the Web site)
Emerson, S. and J. I. Hedges (2007) The Global Carbon Cycle: Atmosphere-Ocean
Interactions, Chapt 11 In: (Book in press at Cambridge U. Press, the chapter is on the
Web site)
IPCC (2007), Technical Summary, In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science
Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
IPCC (2007), Chapter 2 “Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative
Forcing”, In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of
Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change.
IPCC (2007), Chapter 7 “Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and
Biogeochemistry”, In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution
of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change.
3
Possible Paper Topics:
Trends in atmospheric methane concentration
Methane hydrates and climate change
Stratospheric H2O: trends and climate effects
Tropospheric ozone: past and future changes
Effect of climate change on CH4 and/or N2O emissions
Mitigation solutions for CH4 emissions
Sources of greenhouse gases from biomass burning
Stratospheric ozone and global warming
Estimates of aerosol indirect radiative effects
Efficacy of climate forcings
The interpretation of atmospheric δ13C-pCO2 changes in ice cores
Atmospheric O2/N2 ratios as tracers of marine and terrestrial CO2 uptake
Experimental results of the terrestrial CO2 fertilization effect
Climate change and nitrogen fixation
CaCO3 dissolution response to anthropogenic CO2
Iron fertilization in the southern ocean during the last glacial age
Potential consequences of continued iron fertilization in iron-limited regions of the ocean
Comparing different GCM results for anthropogenic CO2 penetration into the ocean
Decadal-scale changes in atmospheric CO2 buildup
CO2 sequestration: Land and Ocean strategies
Mechanisms responsible for glacial-age changes in atmospheric CO2, CH4 and/or N2O
4