SEMESTER 2, 2016

GEOS3761 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

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CONTENTSCourse Outline 3...............................................................................................................GEOS3761 Summary 3.....................................................................................................Learning Programme 5.....................................................................................................Assessment 7....................................................................................................................Guide to Reading .8..........................................................................................................Course Learning Outcomes and Skill Development 10....................................................Other Important Information 11........................................................................................

Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future And time future contained in time past

TS ELIOT (1888-1965)

Course Lecturers: Prof. Chris TurneyDr Chris Fogwill

Assoc. Prof. Scott Mooney

GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

COURSE OUTLINE

Imagine a world of wildly escalating temperatures, apocalyptic flooding, devastating storms and catastrophic sea level rise. This might sound like a prediction for the future or the storyline of a new Hollywood blockbuster but it is something quite different: it’s our past. In a day and age when we’re bombarded with worrying forecasts for the future, it seems hard to believe that such things could come to pass. Yet almost everywhere we turn, the landscape is screaming out that the world is a capricious place. But if we don’t tune in, the message is lost. We need to decipher the past and learn from it.

Past environmental changes and their impacts are increasingly providing valuable insights into how our planet works. And it’s becoming evermore clear that nowhere is really isolated from anywhere else. From Sydney to the Arctic, seemingly unrelated parts of the world are connected in one way or another. The aim of this course is to provide you with a critical understanding of past environmental change and what this means for the future. To achieve this we will use a combination of lectures, workshops and tutorials to delve into the methods used to reconstruct different periods when our planet experienced violent swings in climate, sea level, ice cover, fire frequency and greenhouse gas levels.

GEOS3761 SUMMARY

Prof. Chris Turney is the Course Convener and should be the first point of contact for any problems. CT's office is Room 463 in the Climate Change Research Centre, Mathews Building (F23). Dr Chris Fogwill and Assoc. Prof. Scot Mooney will also be supporting the learning on the course. Although the workshops and Online Forum (on Moodle) are designed to discuss any problems in GEOS3761, if you do need to discuss something please email c.turney@unsw.edu.au to make an appointment.

Summary of Course Structure

Component HPW Time Day Location

Lectures 2 12-2 pm Wednesday Old Main Bld 230

Workshops/Tutorials

3 2-5 pm Tuesday Mathews 232

Course Description

The nature of environmental change on the land, oceans, biosphere and atmosphere. Evolution of the continents, oceans, life and atmosphere. Techniques for environmental reconstruction and chronology building. Quaternary climatic change and modelling. Human impact on the atmosphere and climatic consequences.

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

Aims of the Course

Environmental change occurs over all temporal and spatial scales and influences the atmosphere, climate, landforms, soils, vegetation and a great variety of human endeavour. In the course Environmental Change, emphasis will be placed on the natural processes, and the techniques and approaches for investigating environmental change within Quaternary science. The course also has a secondary theme dealing with the biogeography of Homo sapiens, anthropogenic environmental change and human response to climatic change and variability. The workshops are designed to consider contentious issues in the discipline, with a focus on scientific methods.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will have an appreciation of environmental change over a variety of timescales, ranging from a long time perspective (e.g. the super greenhouse world of the ‘Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum’ 55 million years ago), through the Quaternary (the age of ice during the last 2.6 million years), to contemporary human-environmental interactions and their value in projecting future climate change. Emphasis is placed on understanding the various techniques for the reconstruction of past environmental change. The workshop program will investigate current (and contentious) issues within the discipline, leading to an appreciation of the complexity of contemporary debates in Quaternary science and for some of the environmental issues we currently face. Tutorials and workshops emphasise critical thinking, using palaeoenvironmental research for contemporary natural resource management.

Course Structure

GEOS3761 is delivered via a mixture of lectures, workshops and tutorials. Keep in mind that this course is timetabled for 2 hours on Wednesday (12 – 2 pm) and 3 hours on Tuesday (2 – 5 pm): you should always be available for these 5 hours (even if the workshop class is divided into two). Do please pay close attention to announcements on Moodle: the most important announcements will be sent to your UNSW email account (so forward this to whatever email account you use regularly). The lectures aim to introduce key periods, techniques and insights into the Earth system. Please try to attend all the lectures; recording quality of the lectures can vary while reviewing the presentation slides online can limit your ability to ask questions if you are unclear on anything. During the workshop sessions, small groups will have the opportunity to visit the Palaeo Lab (including the IceLab) to see different techniques and equipment at work. The workshops and tutorials are designed to work on skills and to discuss conceptually difficult or larger issues associated with the course. In the past most students have found the workshops to be intellectually stimulating and fun but they require some preparation so that you can participate in the discussions. The key text for each session is listed below in the Learning Programme; you will need to read the text and develop at least one idea/question before attending.Don’t forget that while attendance is monitored regularly across all components of this course, attendance at workshops is very closely monitored.

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

LEARNING PROGRAMME

The lectures run on Wednesdays between 12 pm and 2 pm in Old Main Bld 230. The Workshops/Seminars are run on Tuesdays in Mathews 232 between 2 and 5 pm. There is also an Online Forum on Moodle where you can exchange ideas with one another.

Week and date Topic

1. 27 July Climate change: What is it? Introduction to module aims and design; guide to course and reading

2. 2 Aug Workshop/Seminar: Testing crazy ideas about climate and weather

2. 3 Aug Lecture: Greenhouse

3. 9 Aug Workshop/Seminar: Lacis, A.A., Schmidt, G.A., Rind, D., Ruedy, R.A., 2010. Atmospheric CO2: Principal control knob governing Earth's temperature. Science 330, 356-359.

3. 10 Aug Lecture: Snowball

4. 16 Aug Workshop/Seminar: Hoffman, P.F., Schrag, D.P., 2002. The snowball Earth hypothesis: testing the limits of global change. Terra Nova 14, 129-155.

4. 17 Aug Lecture: A bit of a chill

5. 23 Aug Workshop/Seminar: Ruddiman, W.F., 2006. Orbital changes and climate. Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 3092-3112.

5. 24 Aug Lecture: A previous warmth

5. 26 Aug SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MILANKOVITCH CYCLES WIKI

6. 30 Aug Workshop/Seminar: Turney, C.S.M., Jones, R.T., 2010. Does the Agulhas Current amplify global temperatures during super-interglacials? Journal of Quaternary Science 25, 839-843.

6. 31 Aug Lecture: Atlantic armadas

7. 6 Sept Workshop/Seminar: Fogwill, C.J., Turney, C.S.M., Hutchinson, D.K., Taschetto, A.S., England, M.H., 2015. Obliquity control on Southern Hemisphere climate during the Last Glacial. Scientific Reports 5, doi: 10.1038/srep11673.

Attendance Attendance is monitored regularly in all GEOS3761 classes: students are expected to conform to University regulations which state that final assessment may be refused if you attend less than 80% of classes.

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

7. 7 Sept Lecture: A belch and a blast

8. 13 Sept Workshop/Seminar: Hogg, A., Southon, J., Turney, C., Palmer, J., Bronk Ramsey, C., Fenwick, P., Boswijk, G., Friedrich, M., Helle, G., Hughen, K., Jones, R., Kromer, B., Noronha, A., Reynard, L., Staff, R., Wacker, L., 2016. Punctuated shutdown of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during the Greenland Stadial 1. Scientific Reports 6, 25902, doi: 25910.21038/srep25902.

8. 14 Sept Learning Session: Meltdown

8. 16 Sept SUBMISSION DEADLINE: TESTING THE BIPOLAR SEESAW

9. 20 Sept Workshop/Seminar: Metcalf, J.L., Turney, C., Barnett, R., Martin, F., Bray, S.C., Vilstrup, J.T., Orlando, L., Salas-Gismondi, R., Loponte, D., Medina, M., De Nigris, M., Civalero, T., Fernández, P.M., Gasco, A., Duran, V., Seymour, K.L., Otaola, C., Gil, A., Paunero, R., Prevosti, F.J., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Wheeler, J.C., Borrero, L., Austin, J.J., Cooper, A., 2016. Synergistic roles of climate warming and human occupation in Patagonian megafaunal extinctions during the Last Deglaciation. Science Advances 2, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1501682.

9. 21 Sept Lecture: Fire in Earth System and long term records of fire in Australia

SESSION BREAK BETWEEN WEEKS 9 AND 10

10. 4 Oct Workshop/Seminar: Lynch, A.H., Beringer, J., Kershaw, P., Marshall, A., Mooney, S., Tapper, N., Turney, C., van der Kaars, S., 2007. The scope for the palaeorecords to evaluate climate and fire interactions in Australia. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 35, 215-239.

10. 5 Oct Lecture: Rise and fall

10. 7 Oct SUBMISSION DEADLINE: FIRE IN THE AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPE

11. 11 Oct Workshop/Seminar: Ruddiman, W.F., 2003. The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Era began thousands of years ago. Climatic Change 61, 261-293.

11. 12 Oct Lecture: Droughts, vines and frost fairs

12. 18 Oct Workshop/Seminar: The Great Global Warming Swindle (DVD) and discussion

12. 19 Oct Lecture: The Rising Tide

13. 25 Oct PRACTICE QUESTION (FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT)

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

ASSESSMENT

The assessment of GEOS3761 comprises four parts:

1. All assignments in GEOS3761 are submitted electronically (the technical details for the submission of assignments will be discussed in class and you will be given detailed instructions for each assignment). These assignments must include a completed cover sheet or include a similar declaration (http://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/Assessment%20Cover%20Sheet%202014.pdf).

2. It is School policy that penalties will be deduced for the late submission of work (at 10% of the assignment mark for every day late – up to a maximum of 7 days after which the assignment will receive 0). Work will only be accepted after the end of week 13 if accompanied by a medical certificate.

3. To pass GEOS3761 a satisfactory performance is required in all components of the assessment. This means that all components of the assessment must be attempted. Unsatisfactory performance in any component may result in an UF grade (“unsatisfactory performance in an essential component of a course”) even if your marks exceed 50%.

4. Attendance will be monitored regularly, and students are expected to conform to University regulations which state that final assessment may be refused if you attend less than 80% of classes.

5. Academic misconduct will not be tolerated in any form in this course. In particular, students should familiarise themselves with what constitutes plagiarism which unfortunately is becoming ever more commonplace (see below).

The assessment criteria for each of the assessment tasks will be discussed in the workshops preceding that task.

During the module, you will also undertake a formative assessment in the form of a model exam response to the following question:

How has the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum been reconstructed? What lessons does this period hold for the future?

You will complete this question under timed conditions during the workshop session scheduled to take place on the 25 October. Your response will be ‘marked’ during the

Description % Due date

Wiki: Milankovitch cycles 10 Friday, Week 5 (26/8/16)

Practical: Testing the bipolar seesaw

10 Friday, Week 8 (16/9/16)

Research paper: Fire in the Australian landscape

25 Friday, Week 10 (7/10/16)

End of session examination

55 Examination period

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

session by a fellow student. A worked example will then be talked through with the group. Please note, this does not form part of your formal assessment but is designed to help you test your understanding of one aspect of the course under exam-like conditions.

Previous exam questions will be available on Moodle. If you would like to attempt any of these, please do have a go. If you would like feedback, please feel free to email Prof. Chris Turney your answer(s) at c.turney@unsw.edu.au. Chris will aim to get these back to you within 2 weeks (though please bear with us if this doesn’t always happen; research can sometimes take a new turn and other aspects of work have to temporarily take a back seat).

GUIDE TO READING

The amount of science being done in the field of past environmental change is vast. When you consider all the scientific papers, reports, magazine and books that describe what’s come out, you have a fantastic recipe for losing the plot. We will guide you as best we can but the key thing is to read as much as possible.

GEOS3716 is based around the book Ice, Mud and Blood: Lessons from Climates Past (C. Turney, 2008, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK) and is available as an ebook through the university library. Key text and resources are provided in Ice, Mud and Blood but key texts with more recent publications will be provided through the course. A selection of these will be placed on Moodle.

As you have hopefully now started to realise, it is not the aim at university level to present lectures that provide comprehensive notes for students to copy verbatim and which cover the entire syllabus of an individual module. Apart from being an impossible aim for a subject as vast as past environmental change (and indeed for any other subject examined at university level), such an approach stultifies thought and development. Rather, we will be using the learning sessions to introduce, develop and debate ideas. We hope you’ll develop a background in theory by reading the relevant core materials provided. Because the subject matter is so large, it might be worth establishing a reading group to split up the reading and summarise the findings for your colleagues. Whatever works best for you. It will be helpful if core reading is completed before the lectures sessions are scheduled, as you will then get very much more out of the course and be able to bring your own thoughts to bear on the concepts and methods being considered.

Resources

A number of scientific journals publish the latest findings in past climate change, most of which you will find in the library with past copies online. Ask the librarians for guidance if any problems. The most important journals to get to know are:

Nature Science Nature Geoscience Nature Communications Scientific Reports Climate of the Past

Journal of Quaternary Science Quaternary Science Reviews

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

Excellent papers on ‘hot’ (current) topics can be found through leafing through the contents pages of these major science journals. By clicking on the links above you can search the titles and abstracts. If you wish to access the pdfs of the papers you will need to login via the university library system. Relevant papers also appear in a wide spectrum of other scientific journals, depending upon the topic covered. New Scientist is strongly recommended for an overview of recent developments in scientific understanding. An excellent way to search for new research findings is to search for papers that cite key texts using Google Scholar. For podcasts, Nature and Science offer summaries of the key scientific findings published in their weekly issues. For an alternative view of science, The Guardian does a fantastic weekly podcast of science in the news and is well worth subscribing to.

In the first week of the course, find out where the above can be accessed (past and current issues), and familiarise yourself with the style and contents of each journal. Also, if you are not already familiar with the library’s browsing and electronic search systems, please seek the assistance of the librarians and ensure you know how to search topics and/or authors, as this is an invaluable way of seeking out those helpful and crucial sources that may lay the foundation for a deep understanding of the course.

You should check the dedicated pages for GEOS3761 in Moodle regularly: all course handouts, lecture materials, resources and announcements will be managed using this resource. Class members are strongly encouraged to use the dedicated discussion area to solve any issues associated with the course.

For an up-to-date view on climate change with regular contributions on the value of the past we highly recommend the excellent and accessible website www.realclimate.org. If you do use web-based resources, however, please only use materials provided by reputable (scientific) sources.

What Is Expected From You

If you read the suggested texts and understand them thoroughly, this will provide an excellent background for the module. To be awarded a High Distinction you will need to provide evidence of wider reading of the subject. Excellent answers show evidence of familiarity with specialist literature.

As a guide, the UNSW Academic Board suggests that a normal workload for a 6 UOC course is approximately 9.4 hours per week (including class contact hours, time spent on assessable tasks and preparation/reading).

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

During this course, you will learn a range of skills that will directly benefit you in your academic and professional careers.

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Graduate Attributes Developed in this Course

Attribute 3 = Major2 = Minor

1 = Minimal0 = No Focus

Activities/Assessment

Research, inquiry and analytical thinking abilities

3 An ability to illustrate and discuss the contested and provisional nature of knowledge and understanding; an ability to critically evaluate a diverse range of specialised techniques and approaches involved in collecting geographical information; an ability to identify, acquire, critically evaluate and synthesise data from a range of sources; an ability to use dates and ages to effectively and appropriately to understand past change; an ability to effectively and appropriately interpret and use numerical information; and an ability to reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses.

Capability and motivation for intellectual development

3 A critical understanding of a diverse range of approaches to the generation of knowledge and understanding across various geo-, bio- and environmental science disciplines; and an understanding of the nature of change within physical environments.

Ethical, social and professional understanding

2 An understanding of reciprocal relationships between physical and human environments; contemporary environmental issues considered with respect to past environmental change; and an understanding of the significance of time on physical and human environments.

Communication 2 An ability to communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently by written means;an ability to describe, apply and evaluate the diversity of specialised techniques and approaches involved in analysing geographical information

Teamwork, collaborative and management skills

3 An ability to undertake individual and group learning (including time management, library use and website investigation) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment.

Information literacy

3 An ability to develop a sustained and reasoned argument; and an ability to formulate and evaluate questions and identify and evaluate approaches to problem-solving.

GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

The learning and teaching rationale underpinning the course draws on of the following concepts:• Learning is best achieved where students undertake a variety of tasks (reading, writing, discussing) and particularly those that stimulate higher-order thinking such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. A variety of teaching methods and modes of instruction are employed in GEOS3761. Higher-order thinking is encouraged in GEOS3761 via interactive lectures, through discussion in the workshop classes where questions and critical thinking are encouraged, and via the assessment tasks.• The learning experience is also enhanced through the use of activities that are interesting and challenging. Students are more engaged in the learning process when the relevance of the material to professional, disciplinary and/or personal contexts is obvious. In GEOS3761 past environmental change is considered in the context of contemporary and possible future anthropogenic environmental alteration, making it relevant to all undertaking the course. • GEOS3761 aims for an inclusive learning and teaching experience, creating a

community of learners: dialogue is encouraged via discussion, (initial) group work and through the use of discussion/posts on Moodle.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own. Examples include*: • direct duplication of the thoughts or work of another, including by copying material, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document (whether published or unpublished), composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, web site, Internet, other electronic resource, or another person’s assignment without appropriate acknowledgement; • paraphrasing another person’s work with very minor changes keeping the meaning, form and/or progression of ideas of the original; • piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole; • presenting an assessment item as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor; or • claiming credit for a proportion a work contributed to a group assessment item that is greater than that actually contributed.† For the purposes of this policy, submitting an assessment item that has already been submitted for academic credit elsewhere may be considered plagiarism. Knowingly permitting your work to be copied by another student may also be considered to be plagiarism. Note that an assessment item produced in oral, not written, form, or involving live presentation, may similarly contain plagiarised material. The inclusion of the thoughts or work of another with attribution appropriate to the academic discipline does not amount to plagiarism.

Students are also reminded that careful time management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism is poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting, and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items.

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

*Based on that proposed to the University of Newcastle by the St James Ethics Centre. Used with kind permission from the University of Newcastle. †Adapted with kind permission from the University of Melbourne.

The Learning Centre website is main repository for resources for staff and students on plagiarism and academic honesty. These resources can be located viawww.lc.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism.The Learning Centre also provides substantial educational written materials, workshops, and tutorials to aid students, for example, in: • correct referencing practices; • paraphrasing, summarising, essay writing, and time management; and • appropriate use of, and attribution for, a range of materials including text, images, formulae and concepts.

Individual assistance is available on request from The Learning Centre.

Relationship to Other Courses

Environmental Change is a 6 units of credit (UOC) Stage 3 course and contributes to the Geography Major in Science (3970), the Physical Geography Major in Advanced Science (3972) and to the Environmental Science (3988) and Environmental Management (3965) programs at the University of New South Wales. Whilst the course has synergies with biogeography, palaeoclimatology and climatology, Quaternary Science, other geo- and environmental sciences and palaeoanthropology and archaeology it is designed to be accessible to all upper level students.

Work Health and Safety in GEOS3761

There are relatively few WHS issues associated with this course. Nonetheless, students should be aware that the BEES WHS site (http://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/health-and-safety) contains important information relating to workplace safety. This information complements that which can be obtained from the UNSW WHS website (http://www.ohs.unsw.edu.au).

Equity and Diversity

Those students who have a disability that requires some adjustment in their teaching or learning environment are encouraged to discuss their study needs with the course convener prior to, or at the commencement of, their course, or with the Equity Officer (Disability) in the Student Equity and Disabilities Unit (SEADU 9385 4734 or http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au/). Issues to be discussed may include access to materials, signers or note-takers, the provision of services and additional exam and assessment arrangements. Early notification is essential to enable any necessary adjustments to be made.

Grievance Policy

The UNSW Grievance Policy is located at http://www.gs.unsw.edu.au/policy/documents/studentcomplaintproc.pdf and the procedure for the resolution of complaints about student experiences at the University is located at https://student.unsw.edu.au/

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GEOS3761 Environmental Change (‘Ice, Mud and Blood’) Semester 2, 2016

complaints. These formal policies about the resolution of grievances are summarized in the MyUNSW A to Z Guide.

In all cases you should first try to resolve any issues with the course convenor Prof. Chris Turney. If this is unsatisfactory, you should normally contact the Director of Teaching in BEES, but this Assoc. Prof. Scott Mooney (who teaches on the course), and so contact should made with the School of BEES Grievance Officer Assoc. Prof. Jes Sammut (BioScience 509, 9385 8281 or j.sammut@unsw.edu.au) or the Head of School, School of BEES (A/Prof David Cohen, d.cohen@unsw.edu.au). The Faculty of Science Associate Dean (Education) is the next person in the grievance hierarchy: this is Dr Chris Tisdell (9385 7083 or cct@unsw.edu.au). The University Counselling Services can also offer advice on any grievances (9385 5418 or counselling@unsw.edu.au).

Course Evaluation and Development

Student feedback is gathered regularly in GEOS3761 by various means, including ‘Course and Teaching Evaluation and Improvement (CATEI)’. Such feedback, together with comments and discussion on WebCT and Blackboard (previous online learning tools) and in classes are carefully considered with a view to acting on it constructively wherever possible. This feedback has helped to shape and develop this course resulting in continuous modifications to the lecture and workshop program. If you do have any ideas with a view to making this an even better course please do feel contact the course convener or initiate discussion on this on Moodle.

Chris Turney Chris Fogwill

Scott Mooney July 2016

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