GEO 409
Global Climate Change and Variability
An advanced course exploring ecosystem and landscape processes, carbon and water fluxes, land-use change, and the coupled effects of global climate change and human activities on terrestrial ecosystems. Topics span field measurements, remote sensing, and ecosystem modeling across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Credits and term
3 credits · Fall offering
Level
Undergraduate
Instructor (Guest Lectures)
Dr. Jiquan Chen (Prof. Atul Jain -- UIUC, Prof. Geoff Henebry, Prof. Nathan Moore, Dr. Cheyenne Lei, Mr. Moriz Steiner, Mrs. Carrie Wicker)
Lecture Slides (Fall 2026), Syllabus
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026: Introduction
Housekeeping Before We Begin | |
| Sep 2, 2026: Global Climate and Changes
1) What is climate change? 2) How do we know climate change is real (Evidence)? 3) What is causing climate change (Causes)? 4) What are the effects of climate change (Effects)? 5) What do we need to address the challenges at global scale? Reading: NASA: NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/ | |
| Sep 9, 2026: Physical Foundations for Global Climatic Changes
Turner’s Lecture on climate change (13 min) Physical Laws Radiative Processes Energy Balance of the Earth Reading: IPCC AR6 Working Group I, Chapter 7: The Earth’s Energy Budget, Climate Feedbacks, and Climate Sensitivity. Pages: 924-932.[PDF] | |
| Sep 14, 2026: Greenhouse Effects on Global Climate & Change
Major Greenhouse Gases (GHG) What is greenhouse effect? Reading: Chen, J., C. Lei, and P. Sciusco, 2021. Modeling Ecosystem Global Warming Potentials. In Biophysical Models and Applications in Ecosystem Analysis (pp. 121-126). MSU Press.[PDF] | |
| Sep 16, 2026: Albedo Effects on Earth’s Climate: Warming and Cooling (by Dr. C. Lei)
What is albedo? Albedo of terrestrialecosystems How do we measure albedo? AlbedoandGlobal Warming Potential Land useandalbedo Reading: Chen, J., Lei, C., Chu, H., Li, X., Torn, M., Wang, Y. P., ... & Robertson, G. P. (2024). Overlooked cooling effects of albedo in terrestrial ecosystems. Environmental Research Letters, 19(9), 093001.[PDF] | |
| Sep 21, 2026: Quiz 1; Guidelines for term papers and presentations; Major Consequences of Climate Change
Presntation_Rubrics [PDF] Feeback from Students for Improvement; Tips for Making an Effective Presentation A Story of Dairy Production in Kazakhstan Reading: Naegle, K.M., 2021. Ten simple rules for effective presentation slides. PLoS Computational Biology, 17(12), p.e1009554.[PDF] | |
| Sep 23, 2026: Major Consequences of Climate Change
Direct impacts Indirect impacts Positive feedback loops global perspective Reading: Levin, K., Boehm, S., & Carter, R. 2022. 6 Big Findings from the IPCC 2022 Report on Climate Impacts. Adaptation and Vulnerability. https://www.wri.org/insights/ipcc-report-2022-climate-impacts-adaptation-vulnerability?utm_source=chatgpt.com | |
| Sep 28, 2026: Southern Oscillation (ENSO) | |
| Sep 30, 2026: Other Climate Extremes | |
| Oct 5, 2026: Quiz 2; Carbon Removal and Sequestration -- I | |
| Oct 7, 2026: Carbon Removal and Sequestration -- II | |
| Oct 12, 2026: Urban Heat Islands (UHI) | |
| Oct 14, 2026 | |
| Oct 19, 2026: Phenological Changes and Climate (Prof. G. Henebry) | |
| Oct 21, 2026: Midterm Exam | |
| Oct 28, 2026: Ecosystem Modeling for Wildlife (Mr. M. Steiner) | |
| Nov 2 2026: Climate, Ecosystems and People | |
| Nov 4 2026: Climate Change, Food/Water Security | |
| Nov 9 2026: Quiz 3; Term Paper & Group Presentation (synthesis) | |
| Nov 11, 2026: Paleoclimate Reconstructions (Prof. N. Moore) | |
| Nov 16 2026: Earth’s Near-Future Climate | |
| Nov 18 2026: Earth System Modeling – ESM (Prof. A. Jain -- zoom); Quiz 4 | |
| Nov 23, 2026: Group Discussion and Team Presentation (Self-arranged) | |
| Nov 25, 2026: IPCC Reports, Policies, and Management | |
| Nov 30, 2026: Adaptation and Mitigation Actions | |
| Dec 2, 2026: Visualizing Global Climate and Changes (w/ Mrs. Carrie Wicker) @ MSU Museum
Team presentation and assessment (10 each, 6 groups) | |
| Dec 9, 2026: Group meeting & discussion w/ Dr. J Chen (zoom and in-person) | |
| Dec 17, 2026: Individual term papers are due by 5:00 pm |
Lecture files are organized chronologically to support weekly review and in-class follow-up.
Course Contact
Questions about GEO 409? Contact Dr. Jiquan Chen.
