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Radiation and climate change
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:19:31
Abstract
The guiding principle of this lecture is that students can understand the guiding principles of atmospheric radiation and how greenhouse gases, clouds and aerosols influence climate
Objective
The aim of this course is to develop a thorough understanding of the fundamental role of radiation in the context of climate change.
Content
The course will cover the following topics: Basic radiation laws; sun-earth relations; the sun as driver of climate change (faint sun paradox, Milankovic ice age theory, solar cycles); radiative forcings in the atmosphere: aerosol, water vapour, clouds; radiation balance of the Earth (satellite and surface observations, modeling approaches); anthropogenic perturbation of the Earth radiation balance: greenhouse gases and enhanced greenhouse effect, air pollution and global dimming; radiation-induced feedbacks in the climate system (water vapour feedback, snow albedo feedback); climate model scenarios under various radiative forcings.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Slides will be made available, lecture notes in preparation
Literature
Liou: An introduction to Atmospheric Radiation, Academic Press, 2002
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC , DR
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Radiation and climate change |
|
2 h weekly |