ESCI 340 - Advanced Urban and Regional Studies

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

(Same as ENST 340 and GEOG 340) Topic for 2016/17b: Arctic Environmental Change. Arctic environments define a geographic region that is important to understand both in terms of its distinctive biogeographic patterns and functions and because it is subject to some of the most dramatic and far-reaching environmental consequences associated with climate change. This course examines the biogeographic and climate patterns of the region to understand how it contributes to global biodiversity, and why it contributes disproportionately to the regulation and change of the earth’s climate system. What characteristics define these environments and make them especially vulnerable to positive feedbacks in a changing climate? How might climate changes alter the distribution of plants and animals in the region? How do environmental changes at high latitudes influence the global climate system? We examine current literature and data, including reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to explore these questions about ongoing and anticipated environmental change in arctic regions. Some background in understanding earth systems or climate change is helpful. Mary Ann Cunningham.

One 3-hour period.