Climate Systems

2025-2026

General Information

Course Code AM_1124
Credits 6 EC
Period P1
Course Level 400
Language of Tuition English
Faculty Faculty of Science
Course Coordinator prof. dr. ir. S. Houweling
Examiner prof. dr. ir. S. Houweling
Teaching Staff prof. dr. D.M.V.A.P. Roche
prof. dr. ir. S. Houweling
Part of programme(s)

Practical Information

You need to register for this course yourself. The (de)registration deadlines can be found on VU.nl

Teaching Methods Seminar, Written partial exam, Lecture

Target audiences

This course is also available as:

Course Objective

Quantitative approaches are increasingly important to mechanistically understand the processes leading to and resulting from Climate Change. The aim of this course is to gain basic knowledge of the modern climate system as a prerequisite for studying the climate of the present and the past.

At the end of the course students will:

  • know the main properties that characterize the atmospheric and oceanic state;
  • understand the main processes driving the atmospheric and oceanic circulation;
  • know important influences of climate change on atmospheric and oceanic dynamics;
  • be able to critically evaluate and present scientific literature on the Earth’s climate system.

Course Content

The course gives an introduction of present-day atmospheric and oceanic processes that explain the main large-scale circulation patterns. Besides important basic parameters and processes, the main circulation patterns will be discussed together with their implications for the regional climate and climate change. The students will apply the gained knowledge by selecting a topic on climate processes in relation to the cryo-, bio-, geo-, or anthropo-sphere, that they will study in detail and present to others.

Additional Information Teaching Methods

Lectures, literature reading, oral presentations by the students and discussions on the contents and quality of the presentation.

Method of Assessment

Written exam about the theory (50% of the grade)
oral and written presentation of a topic (50% of the grade)

Entry Requirements

Basic knowledge of physics. Interest in climate change.

Literature

Lecture notes (powerpoints of the presentations by the teacher), selected papers and Ruddiman, W.F., 2013. Earth's Climate: past and future.W.H. Freeman and Company New York.

Additional Information Target Audience

Target audience is geoscience / environmental science students. Not suited for second year MSc Hydrology students

Custom Course Registration

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