Climate Change in Arctic Environments

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Free Online Course: Climate Change in Arctic Environments provided by edX is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 4 weeks long, 3-5 hours a week. The course is taught in English and is free of charge. Upon completion of the course, you can receive an e-certificate from edX. Climate Change in Arctic Environments is taught by Rick Thoman Jr and John Walsh.

Overview
    • You will learn from researchers and staff from a variety of disciplines at the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ International Arctic Research Center and its collaborators.
    • An introduction to a variety of areas of expertise, from atmospheric science to traditional knowledge on subsistence calendars, will equip you to understand these complex systems and the knowledge-holders who examine them in detail.
    • You will develop a basic understanding of climate change in the circumpolar arctic through examining four primary systems: atmospheric systems, marine systems, terrestrial systems, and human systems.
    • Key concepts will be explained with practical Arctic-focused examples including Arctic climate modelling, climate policy, physical properties of the ocean, and more.
    • You will learn to trace impacts through those complex systems from physical science, through the biodiversity of flora and fauna, and on to the societies that depend on those resources.
    • Key texts to understanding environmental change will be made available to participants with guidance, giving you the skills to understand reports and policies impacting the region.

    Title image credit - Steffen M. Olsen, Climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute

Syllabus
  • Week 1: Change in our Arctic Atmosphere

    • Atmospheric systems and how climate change affects them across the Arctic
    • Temperature and precipitation
    • Snow, storms, extreme events, and air quality
    • Modeling and climate model projections, downscaled projections

    Week 2: Change On and Under the Waves

    • Ocean temperature & salinity
    • Changes in Arctic sea ice concentration, formation, and thickness
    • Ocean currents
    • Ocean acidification and ocean change
    • The marine food web: algal blooms, fish, marine mammals
    • How changes in physical properties impact the entire marine food web

    Week 3: Our Changing Terrestrial Environment

    • Permafrost and terrestrial snow cover
    • Glacial ice
    • Vegetation
    • Wildfire impacts
    • Terrestrial animals and ecosystems
    • Birds
    • Future changes

    Week 4: The Human Element

    • History of humans in the Arctic
    • Food security
    • Governance: local and global policy
    • Risk and vulnerability assessments
    • Infrastructure
    • Adaptation actions and multiple stressors