Crafting 'An Introduction to Climate Studies' at a CA Community College

INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE STUDIES, 3 credits, SP 2013 College of the Desert (COD) is offering a new course examining climatology. The course is based on material developed by the American Meteorological Society, and presented at a workshop in Washington, DC in mid-2012. The AMS based instruction is a unique approach to fostering a thorough understanding of how the Earth's Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere, combined with solar radiation, interact to give us weather and climate. Students will become familiar with terminology used in the climate sciences, and form a better understanding of such timely topics as 'Global Climate Change'. Emphasis will be on our local, desert environment, and how it could be impacted by climate change. Instruction will consist of a mix of lecture and hands-on investigations using climatological data sets, and historical context.