The aim of the MSc in Climate Change is to provide an authoritative and up-to-date assessment of the subject of climatic variation, including climate history, present- day climate variation and climate prediction, and the impacts of climate change on human welfare. The course will focus on the recent Holocene and on the prospects for future climate through the period to AD 2100.
The core units of the course cover:
Students will also select from complementary options in a range of subjects, including meteorology and climatology, atmospheric physics and chemistry and environmental economics.
The core units of the course are taught by the research staff of the Climatic Research Unit. This affords students a unique opportunity to learn from scientists actively involved in furthering knowledge in this area.
![[Picture of CRU]](/file/19252/PC_PRESS.ISO/worldweb/www/313/00000049.gif)
With a staff of twenty scientists, the Climatic Research Unit is recognized as a
world authority on climate change and has contributed to many major developments
in the field over the past 20 years. It is responsible for the record of
global-mean temperature
used in global warming detection studies, has developed a number of
climate models used in policy studies and has contributed substantially to all major
reviews of the global warming problem in recent years. The research staff of the
Unit have played a substantial role in the development of modern techniques of
climate reconstruction, in applied climatology and in assessment of the impact of
climate variation on humanity.
Sponsors of the Unit's research include the United Nations Environment Programme, the European Community, the UK Department of the Environment, the US Department of Energy, British Petroleum, the Rockefeller Foundation, Greenpeace International and WWF International, amongst many others.
Staff of the School of Environmental Sciences, including the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, also contribute individual course units. The Course Director is Dr Mick Kelly.
Given its flexible structure and the range of options available, the course is suitable for students from diverse backgrounds, ranging from the pure sciences, through geography and the earth and environmental sciences, to the social sciences. A good honours degree is required.
Career opportunities in the field of climate change are developing rapidly. International concern regarding the prospect of climate change means that training in this subject is now an attractive qualification for a wide range of potential employers in government, commerce, industry and other non-governmental organizations. Relevant career areas that can make use of expertise in climate change include energy provision, land-use planning, water resource and coastal management, natural resource and environmental protection, environmental economics and impact assessment, international law, and foreign aid and development.
There are many research openings in universities and scientific institutes for climate change studies. Through regular contact with appropriate organizations during the course of collaborative work, the Climatic Research Unit is well-placed to identify suitable opportunities for those wishing to pursue a career in research.
The programme selected should meet the following criteria:
Each course unit is based on a combination of lectures, seminars and practical classes. In addition, regular research seminars provide students with an opportunity to discuss their work with the staff of the Climatic Research Unit and to learn about on-going research and the latest findings in the field. The practical classes make extensive use of the Unit's climate data bank, statistical software and modelling resources and are geared towards training through direct research experience.
![[Graph]](/file/19252/PC_PRESS.ISO/worldweb/www/313/00000050.gif)
Annual global surface air temperature, expressed as a
departure from the 1951-80 reference period mean. The smoothed
curve reveals the longer-term variations. The estimates are
based on data from meteorological stations and land and "ships
of opportunity" at sea.
The course is of ten months duration, beginning at the start of the academic year and finishing at the end of July. Approximately two-thirds of the time is devoted to taught courses and the remainder to a research project.
Further details of all relevant units are available on request.
The core climate units are:
The Changing Climate: Techniques and Approaches (ENV-525, timetable slot DL, 20 credits) - provides an overview, first, of the methods used to study climate variation during the postglacial period and to assess prospects for future decades and, second, of current understanding of key climate issues such as the workings of the climate system, impacts on humanity, the natural causes of climate change and anthropogenic effects on climate.
Global Warming I: Basic Science (ENV-527, 10 credits) - covers the fundamental science underlying the problem of global climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions, including greenhouse gas sources, gas cycles, modelling effects on global temperature, sea level and regional climate, detection of the global warming signal and climate impacts.
![[Cartoon by L.Moore]](https://web.archive.org/web/19960317000000/http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/msc/cartoon.gif)
Global Warming II: Policy Responses (ENV-537, 10 credits) - encompasses
adaptation and emission control, the two possible societal responses to the threat
of global climate change, and involves the practical application of policy-oriented
models dealing with, for example, the imposition of emission targets, energy taxes
and land management options as well as study of the Framework Convention on
Climate Change.
Climate Change and Africa (ENV-528, 10 credits) - approaches climate change as an issue in development planning and resource management, using the experience of Africa as an example and covering topics such as desertification, climate forecasting and drought preparedness.
Two optional research training units are offered:
Introduction to Research (ENV-501, 10 credits) - covers the skills needed for effective postgraduate study and research, including word processor, database and spreadsheet use, bibliographic searches, use of official publications, writing and presenting scientific papers, etc.
Statistics for Research (ENV-512, 10 credits) - concentrates on the practical design and interpretation of research projects and essential statistical theory, emphasising the choice of appropriate methods and the correct analysis of results.
It is recommended, though not mandatory, that you include Introduction to Research in your programme. Other research training units, such as Introduction to GIS, may be selected, depending on timetable contraints.
A range of optional units is available to bring the total of course-taught credits to 100.
Units in basic meteorology and climatology will enable those without previous experience of these subjects to acquire skills in this area. Those with previous experience can take advantage of more advanced units in the atmospheric sciences and geophysical modelling. On the social science side, units covering environmental economics provide a unique opportunity to combine training in this area and in the physical science of climate change.
The following units are particularly relevant:
Meteorology and Climatology I (ENV-2B53, 20 credits) - provides an integrated study of the atmospheric circulation, including basic processes such as radiation physics, thermodynamics and atmospheric dynamics, as well as the large-scale general circulation of the atmosphere.
Atmospheric Physics (ENV-529, 10 credits) - covers in depth the planetary energy balance, radiation streams, atmospheric thermodynamics, the role of water vapour and cloud physics.
Large Scale Atmospheric Motion (ENV-531, 10 credits) - presents an advanced treatment of the circulation of the atmosphere and analysis methods, including the general circulation and global climate.
Geophysical Modelling (ENV-3656, 20 credits) - concerns the numerical analysis of physical and chemical problems in the environment, emphasising numerical solution to partial differential equations with case studies from the atmospheric sciences, oceanography hydrology and geophysics.
Introduction to the Economics of the Environment (ENV-521, 20 credits) - introduces students to the fundamentals of economic analysis and their application to a range of environmental issues.
Ecological Economics (ENV-523, 10 credits) - extends the economic analysis of selected environmental issues, paying particular attention to the notion of sustainable economic development and its policy implications.
Pollution, Toxicology and Chemistry (ENV-3C62, 20 credits) - provides a multidisplinary perspective on the problems that underlie the management of contamination and pollutants in the environment, focusing on urban and regional rather than global issues and drawing on chemical, legislative, economic, historical and social interpretations.
Subject to availability, options may also be drawn from the full list of units available on the MSc in Environmental Sciences (brochure available on request) with the exception of units in environmental impact assessment where guidance from the relevant course convenor should be sought.
Dr Mick Kelly,
Climatic Research Unit,
School of Environmental Sciences,
University of East Anglia,
Norwich NR4 7TJ,
UK(email: m.kelly@uea.ac.uk)
