Physics 140:
Greenhouse
Effect
Spring 2008
Reading, by Lecture
for Lecture 1 (Wednesday, January 23)
Rough Guide: pp. 3-17
Lecture
notes
"Gore
shares Peace Prize for climate change work," NYTimes, October 13, 2007
for
Lecture 2: (Monday, January 28) Introduction to energy and fossil fuels
Rough
Guide: no pages for this lecture
Lecture
notes
Oil Energy
Information Administration (Department of Energy)
Natural Gas Energy Information
Administration (Department of Energy)
Coal Energy Information
Administration (Department of Energy)
an
excerpt from Wikipedia
about combustion
"How can a gallon of
gasoline produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide?" from
www.fueleconomy.gov
"Coal
takes heavy human toll," Earth Policy Institute, August 24, 2004
The price of oil: "Economy
and geopolitics decide where oil goes next," NYTimes, January 4,
2008
Opinion from columnist Thomas Friedman: "Fill
'er up with dictators," NYTimes, September 27, 2006
"China's dark clouds" video
from the NYTimes web site (search on the keywords China and coal, and
choose
video from resulting list)
One ad campaign trying to
improve coal's image (follow the link "Get More" and then
"Commercials")
Another
(strange) coal ad, for GE
for
Lecture 3 (Wednesday, January 30) units of energy, energy consumption 1
Rough
Guide: no pages for this lecture
Lecture
notes
US
Dept of Energy web pages: Apples,
Oranges and Btu, Energy Calculator
for
Lecture 4 (Monday, February 4) energy consumption 2, projected world
energy needs
Rough
Guide: no pages for this lecture
Lecture
notes
World
Energy Outlook 2007: Executive Summary annual report from the
International Energy Agency
Residential
energy use Energy Information Administration (Department of Energy)
for
Lecture 5 (Wednesday, February 6) forms of energy, conversion of
energy, energy storage and energy efficiency
Lecture
notes
Forms
of energy Energy Information Administration
(Department of Energy)
Energy
conversion Canada Science & Technology Museum (good review of
energy basics)
Energy
efficiency from Wikipedia
Energy storage
from Wikipedia
for
Lecture 6 (Monday, February 11) the future of fossil fuels (Guest
lecturer:
Prof. Amit Lath, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers)
Rough
Guide, pp. 288-294
Lecture
notes
"That's
oil, folks," Nature 445, 14 (2007)
"House
again passes measure to allow oil drilling in Alaska wildlife refuge,"
NYTimes 26 May 2006
"Going
deep: the Gulf of Mexico holds a lot of oil, but recovering it isn't
easy," NYTimes 8 November 2006
"A
`bold' step to capture an elusive gas falters," NYTimes 3 February
2008
"Europe's
image clashes with reliance on coal," NYTimes 20 June 2006
"Lawmakers
push for big subsidies for coal process," NYTimes 29 May 2007
"In
big buyout, utility to limit new coal plants," NYTimes 25 Feburary
2007
"With
coal plans cut back, Texas faces energy gap," NYTimes 8 March 2007
for
Lecture 7 (Wednesday, February 13) solar and biomass / biofuels
(Guest lecturer: Prof. Amit Lath,
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers)
Rough Guide, pp. 294-297,
306(top)-308
Lecture
notes
Solar energy
Solar energy
overview
Electricity
from the sun
Biomass
Ethanol
"With
big boost from
sugar cane, Brazil is satisfying its fuel needs," NYTimes, April
10, 2006
"Fuel's
gold: turning corn into ethanol may not be worth it," San-Diego
Union-Tribune, August 3, 2005
"Biofuels
deemed a greenhouse threat," NYTimes, February 8, 2008
Biodiesel
"For
a veggie car, grease is
the word," NYTimes, December 4, 2005
"Europe,
cutting biofuel subsidies, redirects aid to stress greenest options,"
NYTimes, January 22, 2008
"A
new, global oil quandary: costly fuel means costly calories,"
NYTimes, January 19, 2008
for
Lecture 8 (Monday, February 18) wind and hydropower
Rough Guide, pp. 297-299, 300-301
Lecture
notes
Wind
energy
Hydroelectric
energy
Completion
of the Three Gorges dam
"Dam
building threatens China's 'Grand Canyon'," NYTimes, March 10, 2004
Tidal
and wave energy
more to be added
for
Lecture 9 (Wednesday, February 22) geothermal and nuclear energy
Rough
Guide, pp. 299-300, 301-303
Lecture
notes
Geothermal
energy
Nuclear
energy
Nuclear
energy in New Jersey
"Europe's
embrace: With apologies, nuclear power gets a second look," NYTimes, January 28,
2007
"New
reactors across the globe: A nuclear power renaissance," NYTimes,
January 16, 2007
more to be added
Monday, February 25:
exam review
Wednesday, February
27: first hour exam
Monday, March 3: introduction to climate
reread
Rough
Guide, pp. 3-12
Lecture
notes
Climate
and weather, from the EPA
The
climate system, from the EPA
"Skeptics
on human climate impact seize on cold spell," NYTimes March 2, 2008
Wednesday, March 5: Measuring global warming; introduction to
the greenhouse effect
Rough
Guide, pp. 12-23, pp. 161-175
Lecture
notes
General
overview: The Greenhouse effect (from Climate Change, a Calspace online course)
The
radiative balance (from Climate Change, a Calspace online course)
more to be added
Monday, March
10: Greenhouse gases; water vapor; the carbon cycle
Rough
Guide, pp. 23-40
Lecture
notes
A fun interactive review, with quizzes, from the EPA is here
"Carbon
dioxide extends its harmful reach to the oceans," NYTimes July 20,
2004
The
role of methane (from Climate
Change, a Calspace online course)
more to be added
Wednesday, March 12:
Climate of the past
Rough
Guide, chapter "The Long View"
General
overview of the ice ages (from Climate Change, a Calspace online course)
Climate: the last millenium (from Climate Change, a Calspace online
course)
Reconstructing
past climate change (from Climate Change, a Calspace online
course)
Causes of climate change: volcano
weather (from Climate
Change, a Calspace online course)
Sun cycles and climate change (from Climate Change, a Calspace online
course)
Earth's past
climates from National Center for Atmospheric Research web site
Monday, March 24:
Climate modeling
Rough
Guide, chapter "Circuits of Change"
Lecture
notes
How a global climate model works
video from National
Center for Atmospheric Research web site
How do we
know the earth is warming now? from National Center for Atmospheric Research web
site
El Nino and La
Nina from National
Center for Atmospheric Research web site
The
century after tomorrow an article about climate scientists from National Center for Atmospheric Research web
site
Understanding and
responding to climate change Highlights of National Academies
reports
"Global
warming: Experts ponder bewildering feedback effects," NYTimes,
January 17, 1989
Wednesday, March 26: Impacts of climate
change: heat and sea level rise
Rough
Guide, chapters "Extreme Heat," "The Big Melt" (pp. 82-89), "Oceans"
(pp. 100-109)
Lecture
notes
"Heat
invades cool heights over Arizona desert," NYTimes, March 27, 2007
"Climate
data hint at irreversible rise in seas," NYTimes, March 24, 2006
"Cities
at risk of rising sea levels," NYTimes, March 28, 2007
"The
real riddle of changing weather: How safe is my home?" NYTimes,
March 11, 2007
"Loss
of Antarctic ice increases," March 3, 2006
"Glaciers
flow to sea at a faster pace, study says," NYTimes, February 17,
2006
Monday, March 31: Impacts of climate
change: sea level rise (continued), droughts and floods, ecosystems and
agriculture
Rough
Guide, chapters "Floods and Droughts," "Ecosystems and Agriculture"
Lecture
notes
"Top
scientists warn of water shortages and disease linked to global
warming," NYTimes, March 12, 2007
"A
record Amazon drought,
and fear of wider ills," NYTimes, December 2005
"World
food supply is shrinking," U. N agency warns," NYTimes , December
18, 2007
"Frog
killer is linked to global warming," NYTimes, January 12, 2006
"As
Earth warms up, tropical virus moves to Italy," NYTimes, December
23, 2007
Wednesday, April 2:
Impacts of climate change: the Arctic
Rough Guide, chapter "The Big Melt" (pp.71-82)
Lecture
notes
Impacts
of a warming Arctic: Highlights Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment, 2004
"Arctic
sea ice melting faster, a study finds," NYTimes, May 1, 2007
"Scientists
report severe retreat of Arctic ice," NYTimes, September 21, 2007
"As
the Arctic warms,"
NYTimes, November 9, 2004
"Agency
proposes to list polar bears as threatened," NYTimes, December 28,
2006
"Catastrophic
methane hydrate release mitigation," DOE meeting summary
Monday, April 7:
exam review
Wednesday, April 9:
first hour exam
Monday, April 14:
What to do and how to get it done? Overview, part 1
Lecture
notes
Wednesday, April 16: What to do and how to get it done?
Overview, part 2
Rough
Guide, chapter "The Predicament" (pp.262-269)
Lecture
notes
"A
plan to keep carbon in check," Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala,
Scientific American September 2006
Compact
fluorescent bulbs: information page from PowerHouse
Monday, April 21: International
coordination: Kyoto Protocol and beyond
Rough
Guide, first part of the chapter "Political Solutions" (pp.270-284)
Lecture
notes
The
Kyoto protocol:
Kyoto
Protocol background from NPR web site
List
of
Kyoto targets
Actual
carbon dioxide emissions in
2003 relative to 1990
"Who's
meeting their Kyoto targets?" David Suzuki Foundation, May 2006
"China
says rich countries should take lead on global warming,"
NYTimes, February 7, 2007
"Climate
change mitigation measures in the People's Republic of China," Pew
Center for Global Climate Change, International Brief April 2007.
The Montreal protocol: a model for
Kyoto:
The
Montreal protocol, UN Development Program website
"Moving
faster on refrigerant chemicals," NYTimes, March 15, 2007
Mechanisms: permit trading, the CDM
and JI:
Carbon
taxes vs emissions
trading
EU
emissions trading: an open system promoting global innovation
"Outsize
profits, and questions, in effort to cut warming gases,"
NYTimes, December 21, 2006
Wednesday, April 23:
National and local efforts
Rough
Guide, second part of the chapter "Political Solutions" (pp.284-287)
Lecture
notes
"Britain
drafts laws to slash
carbon emissions," NYTimes, March 14, 2007
"EU agrees
renewable energy target," BBC, March 9, 2007
Japan: "Paying
the price for leading the way," BBC, December 11, 2007
"Rudd
takes Australia inside Kyoto," BBC, December 3, 2007
"Carbon
trading: High hopes for Lieberman-Warner," The Climate Group, April
15, 2008
Renewable portfolio standards: "Energy
measure blocked by Republicans in Senate," NYTimes, June 15, 2007
"CAFE
standards: Gas-sipping etiquette for cars," NPR, June 18, 2007
"Governors
join in creating regional pacts on climate change," NYTimes,
November 15, 2007
"California,
taking big gamble, tries to curb greenhouse gases,"
NYTimes, September 15,
EPA and carbon emissions: "California
rules," NYTimes editorial, January 6, 2008
"New
Jersey weighs building another nuclear plant, first since 1973,"
NYTimes April 18, 2008
"Rebuffing
Bush, 132 mayors embrace Kyoto rules," NYTimes, May 14, 2005
Monday, April 28:
Technological solutions
Rough Guide: pp. 292-294 (sequestration),
pp. 308-311
(making buildings greener), pp. 311-312 (geoengineering)
Lecture
notes
efficiency: "Study
details how U. S. could cut 28% of greenhouse gases," NYTimes,
November 30, 2007
green buildings
"Buildings called key source of
city's greenhouse gases," NYTimes, April 11, 2007
"Beijing
looks to 'green' buildings to cut emissions," NPR Climate
Connections, April 2008
Video: "Green
building revolution"
transport: hybrid and electric cars
How
hybrid cars work (from about.com)
"Detroit
Auto Show: All the technology needed for 100 mpg (batteries not
included)", NYTimes, January 7, 2007
"Israel
is set to promote the use of electric cars," NYTimes, January 21,
2008
Video: Shai
Agassi: Revolutionizing the electric car in Israel
"Travel
habits must change to make a big difference in energy
consumption," NYTimes, November 30, 2007
carbon capture and storage (sequestration):
FutureGen: "A
bold step to capture an elusive gas falters," NYTimes, February 3,
2008
Video: "Capturing
carbon: a new front in the fight against climate change"
"geoengineering"
"How
to cool a planet (maybe)," NYTimes, June 27, 2006
"Fun
with dust and mirrors: a climate fix," NYTimes Dot Earth, March 7,
2008 (link to video)
Wednesday, April 30:
What you can do
Rough
Guide, chapter "What you can do" (pp.313-326)
more to be added
Monday, May 5: exam
review
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