Potential Course Projects
- Mathematical Modeling of Climate Change (Norris): Use simple
mathematical models to explore how surface temperature is affected by changes
in internal and external components of the climate system
- Albedo, Greenhouse Effect, and Temperature (Norris): Use glass jars
and thermometers to investigate how albedo and absorption of IR affect
temperature
- Clouds and Temperature (Norris): Examine daily meteorological
observations to see how daytime and nighttime temperature is related to cloud
occurrence
- Global Dimming, Global Brightening, and Global Warming (Norris):
Undertake a literature search to understand how reflection of solar radiation
by pollution haze is temporarily offsetting regional greenhouse warming
- The effect of acidification on oxygen production in water weeds
(Lai)
- Oxygen consumption as a function of temperature in either
invertebrates or vertebrates (Lai)
- Oxygen consumption as a function of acidification in either
invertebrates or vertebrates (Lai)
- Oxygen production as a function of light intensity (Lai)
- Heart rate changes as a function of temperature in vertebrates (Lai)
- Heart rate changes as a function of reduced salinity in vertebrates
(Lai)
- Mussel ecology and recruitment from a man-made structure (Lai)
- Similitudes and differences between the Gulf of Alaska and ther
California Current System in responding to climate changes (Auad):
not limited to Global Warming (bibliography research topic)
- Societal implications of the global warming trend: adaptability, ethics,
economy (Auad): basics of model errors, range of predictions, discussion of
implications
- Data analysis of El Nino impact on San Diego (Auad): Download the
El Nino indices and compare different El Nino's to precipitation time
series from Linderberg Field. Compute climatologies for precipitation, visual
inspections, trends, correlation, etc.
- Open Topic: student selects a topic for investigation
through lab experimentation or literature research (subject to approval)