Learning Results
The understanding of the fundamental concepts of climatology is the main purpose. Students should describe the dynamics of the climate system, analyzing the different meteorological and climate factors and consequences with importance to the environment. The variation in the incidence of solar radiation throughout the year and according to latitude and the radiation and energy balance of the Earth’s surface is a learning outcome of the unit. The subject of atmospheric general circulation will be studied for the understanding of the complexity of the global climate response. The unit must develop in the student a critical thinking about the issue of climate change and global warming.
Program
The program consists of the following contents:
1. Climatic factors and their action on climate behavior.
2. Meteorological elements, measurement methods, average and extreme values and its relationship with climate factors.
3. Variation of solar radiation with latitude and throughout the year.
4. Earth surface energy balance.
5. Dynamics of global atmospheric circulation.
6. World scale climates using Koppen and Thornthwaite classifications.
7. Comparison of climate variability and climate change.
8. Possible causes of climate change.
9. Importance of the greenhouse effect in global warming.
10. Models used to explain climate system.
Curricular Unit Teachers
Internship(s)
NAO
Bibliography
Barry R.C., Chorley R. J. (2009). Atmosphere, Weather and Climate. Routledge, London.
Hartmann D. (2015). Global Physical Climatology. 2nd Edition. Elsevier Science.
Peixoto, J.P. (1981). A Radiação Solar e o Ambiente. Comissão Nacional do Ambiente, Lisboa. Retallack,
J.B. (1996). Meteorologia. Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia e Geofísica, Lisboa Santos
F. D. et. al. (2006). Alterações Climáticas em Portugal. Cenários, Impactos e Medidas de Adaptação – Projecto SIAM II. Editores F. D. Santos e P. Miranda, Gradiva, Lisboa, 506p.
Watson, R (2001). Climate change, Cambridge University Press