Aims

At the end of this course, the students will be able to

- Understand the basic concepts and formalisms employed in meteorology and climate science

- Understand the physical science basis underlying current knowledge on climate change

- Know the future projections of climate and climate extremes, and the land surface controls on these changes

- Be familiar with the different cycles in the earth system (energy, water, carbon) and their interactions

- Have an in-depth understanding of land-climate interactions

- Know the regional and global impacts of land use and land cover changes on climate

- Understand the links between climate, human water management and water scarcity

- Be familiar with the impacts of climate change across sectors, with a focus on impacts on water resources

- Understand the science supporting the Paris Agreement and the ongoing climate negotiations

- Work in Linux

- Analyse climate data

- Use a cloud computing infrastructure (e.g. Google Earth Engine)

- Test feedbacks between components of the climate system

- Run (part of) a state-of-the-art global climate model

More than ever, in-depth understanding of climate change is needed to inform the public and policy makers about its possible consequences. This course provides the basic principles required to understand the functioning of the climate system, and how this functioning is changing due to greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, this course provides master students with an overview of the physical processes in which the Earth’s surface interacts with the climate system, and of the implication this has for future water availability.

Finally, there is currently a high demand for employees with data science skills, i.e. scientists who can effectively organize and analyze large datasets to gain useful insights. The strong emphasis on exercises in this course prepares the students for jobs with an emphasis on data preparation, modeling, validation and visualization.

This course is taught at VUB (syllabus).

Previous knowledge

Students should be experienced in programming in a high-level programming language (e.g. Python, R, Matlab, preferably Python). A non-exhaustive overview  of courses teaching this skill is listed hereafter:

- Environmental Programming (VUB; B-KUL-I0W00A)

- Introduction to Geoprocessing (KUL; B-KUL-G0S73A)

- Numerical Modelling (KUL; B-KUL-G0V87A)

Students who have followed at least three of the following courses are highly encouraged to enroll for the course Advanced Land-Climate Dynamics

- Weer- en klimaatkunde (KUL; B-KUL-G0P01B)

- Klimatologie en meteorologie (VUB; 1003956BNR)

- Environmental Change (KUL; B-KUL-G9X30A)

- Atmospheric Modelling (KUL; B-KUL-G0B78A)

Is included in these courses of study

• Master of Water Resources Engineering (Leuven et al) (Option Specialized Knowledge and Skills in Water Resources Engineering and Modelling) 120 ects.
• Master of Water Resources Engineering (abridged programme 60 ECTS) (Leuven et al) 60 ects.
• Courses for Exchange Students Faculty of Bioscience Engineering (Leuven)