Glacial-Interglacial CO2 (Spring 2014)
GEOL 5700-8 - Super-Problems in Quaternary Climate
800 kyr of Antarctic temperature and atmospheric CO2
Marchitto's seminar courses (archived)
Most are Geological Sciences courses with titles like "Seminars in Paleoclimate". ÌýAsterisks* denote courses titled "Super-Problems in Quaternary Climate"
- CO2 and Milankovitch Mysteries (Spring 2024)
- Greenhouse Forcings and Feedbacks (Spring 2023)
- Past Climate Extremes (Spring 2022)
- Presenter's Choice (Spring 2021)
- Rapid Warming, Ocean Acidification, and Anoxia: Lessons from the Past (Spring 2019)
- Paleoclimate Landmarks and Heroes (Spring 2017)
- Paleoclimate Contributions to the 5th IPCC Report (Fall 2015)
- Glacial-Interglacial CO2* (Spring 2014)
- Glacial Ocean Circulation* (Spring 2010)
- Glacial-Interglacial CO2* (Fall 2008)
- Warm Periods of the Earth's Past (Spring 2007)
- Rapid Climate Change: Holocene to Anthropocene (Spring 2005)
- Recent Developments in Rapid Climate Change Research (Spring 2003)
Course description: Investigates major problems in the study and understanding of Quaternary climate variation, in seminar format. Each year one major topic will be addressed, such as: the physics and chemistry of the ice age ocean circulation; the theory and mechanics of glacial/interglacial atmospheric CO2 change; or the origins of the 20, 40, and 100 kyr orbital (Milankovitch) climate cycles.
In Spring '14, we will focus on the theory and mechanics of glacial/interglacial atmospheric CO2 change.
Expectations and grading: Students will be required to make presentations on assigned readings from both the historic and current research literature. There will be one or two discussion leaders per week, but everyone is responsible for reading the papers and participating in the discussion. Presentations should go beyond the papers at hand by providing relevant background material that helps to place the papers in the context of previous studies. We are not looking for an exhaustive summary of the reading, but rather a framework from which the group can discuss and better understand the papers. Grades will be based on the quality of presentations (60%) and on overall participation, which includes attendance (40%).
Readings will be available as online pdfs.
Meets: Mondays 1-3, ARC 248
Instructors:, tom.marchitto@colorado.edu; , scott.lehman@colorado.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Credits: 2
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Course schedule
Note that many of the links below must be accessed from a campus computer or via VPN
Week 1 (M 1/13): and (instructor presentations)
Required Reading: (stop when you reach "Historical and Recent CO2 Budget" (p. 937) which is now outdated)
Supplemental Reading: provides a good overview of the Earth's current carbon budget
Week 2 (M 1/20): No Class (Martin Luther King Day)
Week 3 (M 1/27): Ice core CO2 records
Required Reading: (Hannah)
Required Reading: (Natalie)
Week 4 (M 2/3): Terrestrial biosphere and the shelf hypothesis
Required Reading: (Chris)
Supplemental Reading:
Week 5 (M 2/10): Coral reef hypothesis
Required Reading: (Sarah)
Required Reading: (Simon)
Week 6 (M 2/17): Rain ratio hypothesis & the lysocline constraint
Required Reading:
Required Reading:
Week 7 (M 2/24): Polar dominance (Harvardton Bears)
Required Reading: (Hannah)
Required Reading: (Simon)
Required Reading: (Simon)
Follow-up Reading:
Week 8 (M 3/3): Nutrient deepening and polar alkalinity
Required Reading:
Required Reading:
Week 9 (M 3/10): Polar nutrient utilization
Required Reading: (Sarah)
Required Reading: (Chris)
Week 10 (M 3/17): Deep ocean chemical divide
Required Reading: (Natalie)
Week 11 (M 3/31): Polar stratification and gas exchange
Required Reading: (Simon)
Required Reading: (Chris)
Required Reading (no presentation):
Week 12 (M 4/7): Nitrogen fixation and silica leakage
Required Reading: (Hannah)
Required Reading: (Sarah)
Week 13 (M 4/14): Paleo-atmospheric d13C
Required Reading: (Simon)
Required Reading: (Natalie)
Week 14 (M 4/21): Silicate weathering thermostat
Required Reading: (Sarah)
Required Reading: (Hannah)
Week 15 (M 4/28): Long-term fate of fossil fuel CO2
Required Reading: (Natalie)
Required Reading: (Chris)
Supplemental Reading: