Climate Science
专业详情
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing this generation. Students trained in the scientific basis for climate change and estimates of climate risk will form part of the solution. The Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences’ Climate Science major will provide students with the scientific understanding they need to assess climate impacts from both human-induced climate change and natural climate variability, as well as finding solutions to manage and mitigate them. It will also provide understanding of the climate system needed to communicate climate information to decision-makers in the public sector, private sector and non-governmental organizations.
What is Climate Science? When did it come about?
- The field of Climate Science grew out of the field of weather prediction, which had its heyday in the 1940s through 1960s. During this time, automated collection of atmospheric data, together with the development of numerical techniques to solve the equations of the atmosphere, allowed for the development of computer-based prediction of the weather. The computer simulations used for weather prediction were then adapted for more sophisticated models of the atmosphere and ocean in the 1960s and 1970s.
- In the late 1970s and early 1980s, atmospheric and oceanic models were coupled to produce the first modern models of the climate system. Around the same time, observations of the climate system were revolutionized through the advent of satellites. For the first time, the scientific community had the ability to model and observe the climate system at a global scale. This era saw the first attempts to simulate the most important dimensions of climate variability, such as the El Niño phenomenon. It also saw the first simulations of the impact of increasing greenhouse gases on the climate system, and growing concern in the scientific community about the human impact on the climate system, or climate change.
- The 1990s and early 2000s saw the development of climate models to include biogeochemistry and land use change, so that the models might properly be termed earth system models. Supported by improved observational capabilities within the past decade, the resolution of the models has increased dramatically. The higher resolution, combined with the introduction of biological, chemical, and human components into the models, means that it is now possible to examine impacts of climate variability and change on humans and ecosystems at an unprecedented level of detail.
- The field’s emergence has coincided with an accelerating human impact on the climate system, mainly through a dramatic and ongoing increase in emissions of greenhouse gases. This has created an urgent need for highly trained natural scientists, social scientists, and policy makers to tackle the problem of projecting future climate change and planning for it appropriately.
What does the new Climate Science degree program consist of?
- The major is composed of science courses plus requirements from related fields:
- All the basic math and science requirements expected of all science majors, including calculus, introductory physics, and introductory chemistry. Students will complete the major with quantitative thinking skills comparable to other science majors. Students will also be required to take one course in statistics and one in computer programming. The core and advanced Climate Science courses can only be completed successfully with this background.
- Seven core climate science courses. The core climate science courses will teach the fundamentals of climate science, including the phenomenology of the climate system, energy flows within the climate system, the dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmosphere and ocean, biogeochemistry, and the state of knowledge of climate change. Coursework will place heavy emphasis on solving the big data problems common to Climate Science with computer programming techniques so that the students graduate from the program with this highly transferrable skill.
- Two upper division courses outside the AOS department. Because climate science is relevant for public policymaking, and because changes in the physical climate system are profoundly influenced by human choices, students will be encouraged to engage in coursework on relevant policy issues. In addition, they will be encouraged to engage in advanced coursework in an area of quantitative reasoning particularly relevant to climate science. Because these courses will be taken toward the end of the students’ time at UCLA, likely during the 4th year of study, this portion of the curriculum is designed so that students can tailor it to their own post-graduation objectives. The AOS department will maintain a list of pre-approved UCLA policy/solutions and quantitative courses relevant to Climate Science from which the students can choose.
What can I do with a Climate Science undergraduate degree?
- A graduate from the program will have strong science foundations with an exposure to policy and solutions. With its strong quantitative emphasis, the new program is excellent preparation for students wishing to pursue a graduate degree in nearly any scientific field, but especially Climate Science or an allied area. In addition, the students will gain significant computer programming experience, with wide applicability in the information technology sector. Finally, the major is applicable to careers in environmental law, policy, communications, think tank, or non-profit sectors.
What do I need to do to declare as a Climate Science major? How will the department support me?
- Two courses have been created as entry points for students interested in the major: AOS51, entitled “Fundamentals of Climate Science” and AOS112, entitled “Climate Change Assessment”. AOS51 is taught at the 2nd year level and is designed to give an overview of the field of Climate Science. The course is intended to create a portal for the major and draw science students into the major early in the careers at UCLA. AOS112 provides advanced, project-based grounding in the most recent developments in climate science.
- Student learning and progress will be supported on an ongoing basis through mentorship of an assigned faculty member and through a faculty committee of advisors. Students will be required to meet with the advisors individually once per year in the fall quarter in a formal meeting structure and will be encouraged to meet with their individual advisors more frequently.