ENV-7014A — Science of Climate Change
Course materials | Description | Convenor | Schedule | Learning Objectives / Course Content | Assessment | Recommended texts
This webpage is the MODULE HANDBOOK for 2026-27.
Always check UEA's Timetabler in case any rooms or classes have been changed.
Lectures, seminars and practical classes will all be "in-person" except where stated.
Course Materials
Items such as lecture slides, lecture notes and copies of published scientific papers that some lecturers may make available are placed on the UEA Blackboard website for access restricted to current students only. The UEA Blackboard website is accessible through the my UEA using your UEA username and password. If you are enrolled on this module, you will automatically have access to it under the "Blackboard Learn" button on the Portal.
You are expected to regularly check your UEA timetable on Timetabler or Outlook and your UEA email for information, including notification of changes in room location, lecture times, etc.
Description
Climate change and variability have played major roles in shaping human history and the prospect of a warming world as a result of human activities (global warming) presents society with an increasing challenge over the coming decades.
This module covers the science of climate change and our current understanding of natural and anthropogenic effects on climate. It provides details about the approaches, methods and techniques for understanding the history of climate change and for developing climate projections for the next 100 years, supporting further study of the scientific or policy aspects of the subject in either an academic or applied context.
The module consists mostly of lectures, together with some seminars presented by staff and students. Practical classes will introduce the use of computer-based models of the climate system.
There are no formal pre-requisites for this module, though students are expected to have the general mathematical and scientific backgrounds needed for university-level study.
This 20-credit module takes place during all twelve weeks of Semester I, with the assessment continuing into the January assessment period.
Module Organiser
Schedule for 2026
(subject to change especially the rooms; last updated 17 September 2026)
This module is in Semester I (Autumn), Weeks 1-12. The classes are mostly 10am-12pm Tuesdays and 2pm-4pm Fridays, but the four practical classes are 3 hours long from 2pm-5pm on some Fridays.
Note that all classes begin on the hour and finish at 10 minutes to; i.e. 10-12 is really 1000-1150.
The aim is that all classes will be in-person. If we offer any with online access then we will make those available via the the module Blackboard page.
Some preparatory reading, quiz questions or pre-recorded videos will be set each week and should be done prior to the lectures for that week. This material will be given to you electronically via the UEA Blackboard.
Each teaching session is a lecture, except where stated in bold below.
| Week | Date | Time | Location | Topic | Lecturer |
| 1 | Tue 22 Sep | 10-12 | TEC LT/0.16 | Introduction to the module & to the climate system | TO |
| Fri 25 Sep | 2-4 | C.HALL/0.17 | Palaeoclimate reconstructions #1 | TO | |
| 2 | Tue 29 Sep | 10-12 | NEWSCI/0.04 | Palaeoclimate reconstructions #2 | TO |
| Fri 2 Oct | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | The instrumental climate record | TO | |
| 3 | Tue 6 Oct | 10-12 | EFRY/01.05 | Climate change, energy balance & the greenhouse effect Also: discussion of Module Assessment |
TO |
| Fri 9 Oct | 2-5 | LSB 02.102 | Practical class: Climate data: tools & data rescue | TO | |
| 4 | Tue 13 Oct | 10-12 | ZICER/0.02 | Natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change | TO |
| Fri 16 Oct | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | Climate modelling | MJ | |
| 5 | Tue 20 Oct | 10-12 | JSC/2.03 | Detection & attribution of climate change | MJ |
| Fri 23 Oct | 2-5 | LSB 02.102 | Practical class: Climate modelling and detection/attribution [summative assessment] | TO | |
| 6 | Tue 27 Oct | No class: Independent Learning Week | |||
| Fri 30 Oct | No class: Independent Learning Week | ||||
| 7 | Tue 3 Nov | 10-12 | EFRY/01.05 | Seminars: debate controversial climate topics [formative activity] | TO, BW |
| Fri 6 Nov | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | Seminars: debate controversial climate topics [formative activity] | TO, MJ | |
| 8 | Tue 10 Nov | 10-12 | ZICER/0.02 | Constructing policy-relevant projections of climate change | TO |
| Fri 13 Nov | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | Climate projections: patterns, dynamics & feedbacks | BW | |
| 9 | Tue 17 Nov | 10-12 | ZICER/0.02 | Policy-relevant projections & carbon budgets | TO |
| Fri 20 Nov | 2-5 | LSB 02.102 | Practical class: Kaya Identity & climate scenarios [formative activity] | TO, MJ | |
| 10 | Tue 24 Nov | 10-12 | ZICER/0.02 | Past & future changes in weather/climate extremes | BW |
| Fri 27 Nov | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | ENSO, NAO & modes of climate variability under climate change | MJ | |
| 11 | Mon 30 Nov | Assessment #1 (Practical write-up) to be submitted electronically | |||
| Tue 1 Dec | 10-12 | QUEENS/2.22 | Industry presentation: Applications of climate scenarios: the water industry | GD | |
| Fri 4 Dec | 2-5 | LSB 02.102 | Practical class: Constructing policy-relevant projections of climate change | TO | |
| 12 | Tue 8 Dec | 10-12 | ZICER/0.02 | Ice sheets & sea level rise | BW |
| Fri 11 Dec | 2-4 | TPSC/2.04 | Formative seminar class: preparing for your course test interviews | TO | |
| JA1 | Thu 14 Jan | Assessment #2 (Course Test Interview) Day 1 (note this is the first Thursday of the January Assessment period) | |||
| Fri 15 Jan | Assessment #2 (Course Test Interview) Day 2 (note this is the first Friday of the January Assessment period) | ||||
| Rooms | Lecturers |
You can find the location of all buildings using UEA's what3words listing.
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Learning Objectives, Learning Outcomes and Course Content
The learning objectives of this module are:
- Further develop students’ knowledge of changes to the Earth’s climate, how they are observed, modelled and predicted, and develop an appreciation for the applications of climate science.
- This module includes topics about the tools that we apply in climate science, such as direct and indirect observations, simple and complex models, and statistical analysis to attribute observed changes to specific causes.
- The opportunity to develop key transferable skills such as critical assessment of scientific evidence, report writing, giving and responding to presentations, and understanding how practitioners use scientific knowledge.
After completing this module, ENV-7014A students should be able to:
- Identify and distinguish natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change, and examine the mechanisms through which they operate.
- Evaluate the knowledge that can be gained from observations and models of the climate system, and their inherent limitations and errors.
- Critically assess published scientific research that is relevant to the anthropogenic climate change issue, including contested topics within this field.
Starting with an introduction to the changing climate, techniques and approaches, and the main themes in current climate research, the module is structured around three topics:
- fundamentals of the changing climate: techniques and approaches, including the Earth's energy balance, causes of climate change and the greenhouse effect;
- research methods, consisting of empirical approaches to climate reconstruction (such as tree-ring analysis), assembly of observational data (focusing on the global temperature record) and data analysis (causes of recent climate change) and theoretical or model-based approaches (including an introduction to energy balance models and general circulation models);
- the history of climate change and potential causal mechanisms, concentrating on the period from 1000 AD to the present and climate projections out to 2100 AD.
Assessment
This module is assessed by two items of assessment that integrate across the learning objectives of the module.
- Summative assessment #1 (35%): write up of the second practical class on climate modelling and detection/attribution.
- Summative assessment #2 (65%): course test interview (similar to an oral exam), with both pre-prepared visual and question as well as newly selected visual and questions.
These assessments are supported by four 'formative' activities.
- Formative activity #1 (Week 7): student-led group seminar presentations on controversial climate change topics. There will be an opportunity to debate opposing issues during class. You will gain experience in assessing published work on a particular topic, with your literature research done in groups to share the workload. You will gain experience in presenting your analysis verbally and visually. You will receive verbal feedback from the questions/discussion with the class after your group presentation, along with written comments from the module organiser.
- Formative activity #2 (Weeks 2-8): short quizzes set on Blackboard on topics relevant to the coursework topics throughout the semester. You will receive feedback via the provision of answers on Blackboard and discussion in class.
- Formative activity #3 (Week 9): individual write-ups of the IT-lab practical on the Kaya Identity. You will receive feedback via the provision of answers on Blackboard and discussion in class.
- Formative activity #4 (Week 12): practise answering course test interview questions, with feedback from your peers and from the module organiser.
The marking criteria and rubrics for all assessments will be made available from the module Blackboard pages.
All coursework, including formative activity, is compulsory.
Recommended texts
See "Reading List" on the module's Blackboard page for this information.