Professor Brassell teaches oceanography and Earth history in the Department of Geological Sciences, integrating Web-based resources on current events within his classes. His research examines records of past climates and ancient life preserved in marine sediments retrieved during oceanographic cruises. He grew up in London, England, graduated from the University of Bristol, and enjoys traveling and exploring the natural world.
Courses
How is Global Climate Changing: The Science Behind the Headlines
The class will build an understanding how and why climate change occurs, and the rates at which it can happen by considering the evidence provided by physical, chemical and biological processes that control global climate, and the evidence for past, present, and future changes. It aims to develop knowledge of fundamental concepts that serve as the scientific platform for investigation of the potential for human activity to influence natural climate variability and cause global warming, and its societal implications. The validity of differences in interpretation of climate data and models will be considered, and the resultant variations in viewpoint, including responses to international initiatives (Kyoto protocol, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)) will be analyzed within a global political context.
The class deliberations will focus on exploration and evaluation of evidence for global warming, and its likely causes, especially discussions of greenhouse gases. Students will examine different approaches to understanding climate variations, including records of air and ocean temperatures, the thickness and extent of ice sheets, and concentrations of atmospheric gases. Future scenarios provided by global climate models will also be evaluated.
A parallel component of our discussions will be exploration of the changing attitudes toward global warming in the media and political arena, culminating in assessment of its potential short- and long-term consequences on the Earth and humanity, and possible scenarios for mitigation of human impacts.
