Outing to Old Faithful Napa, CA

The continuing build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is producing changes in the Earth’s climate that potentially are the most important external control on the future health, wealth and welfare of this year’s COSMOS students.  This course will provide a unique 'geologic perspective' on global climate change in that we will show students how to use the fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, geology, and biology to measure, assess and understand modern changes in the global climate while providing a 4-dimensional perspective of what important lessons can be solely learned from the 'deep-time' geologic record. Topics will include understanding how the oceans, atmosphere, land, and life on earth work together to create 'climate' and the history of how climate has changed in the past regionally in California as well as on a broader global-scale.  We will explore the impact of fossil fuels on climate change vs. the world's growing need for these resources, as well as address the political, social and technical challenges associated with climate change and emerging possible solutions.  Particular attention will be paid to the relevance of each topic to the people of California since global climate change affects every aspect of life in California, from the availability and distribution of water and energy resources to the impact of climate change on California weather, flooding and sea-level.  In addition to gaining a better understanding of what to expect from global climate change and how to deal with it, students will learn how to apply basic scientific principles to real world problems, an invaluable lesson for a career in any field of science.

CORE COURSE A (2 WEEKS)
Earth System Science

Scientists studying global climate change treat the Earth as a single complex system composed of five interacting components: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, the cryosphere and the biosphere.  In this half of the course, we will focus on the sensitivity of these components to global climate change, their interactions and contributions to climatic alteration, and recent and current human impacts on them.  Well-documented examples of past major climate change and its impact on life on Earth will be interleaved throughout this component of the course to provide unique insight into future climate that can only be provided by this 4-D perspective.   

Rock exploration

In this part of the course we will discuss water resources in California , how they will be affected by global climate change, and what the record of past climate tells us about the nature and magnitude of those effects.

Lab activity

This portion of the course will deal with the origins and exploitation of oil, our current addiction to it, and the need to develop and implement alternative energy resources.

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