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GEOG 484- Climatic Change: Arid and Semi Arid Lands

Credits: 
3

Climatic change is one of the most important challenges of the twenty-first century. This course is offered at a time when key facts about climate change itself are on firm grounds. Warming is unequivocal. There is very high confidence that the bulk of this warming is caused by human action. The arid and semi-arid lands are some of the most vulnerable regions to climatic change. Using examples from the arid and semi-arid lands, this course will examine physical phenomena observed in the Earth’s climate, providing sufficient scientific and technical background to enable students to critically examine arguments being discussed by policy makers and the public at large. The course will include the following topics: overview of global warming, climate as a factor in human history, greenhouse effect and radiative forcing, climate projection, vulnerability and resilience, adaptation in arid and semi-arid lands.