Earth
Richard McGehee
The Mathematics of Climate Change Seminar
University of Minnesota
School of Mathematics

 

Fall 2011 Schedule

 

 
 
   
   
September 7, 2011
       The Case for Anthropogenic Warming I, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       The scientific evidence for global warming and for the impact of human activity on the climate is presented and discussed.
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September 14, 2011
       The Case for Anthropogenic Warming II, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       The scientific evidence for global warming and for the impact of human activity on the climate will continue to be discussed.
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September 21, 2011
       An Introduction to Glacial Cycles, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       The Earth has been experiencing cycles of advancing and retreating ice sheets for millions of years. The theory that these cycles are driven by changes in the Earth's orbital parameters will be explored.
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October 5, 2011
       Recent Developments in the Theory of Glacial Cycles, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       Paleoclimate data gathered in the last thirty years has challenged previous theories and has given rise to a variety of models.
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October 12, 2011
       Studying fast/slow dynamics of Shallow-Water Equations and its use for heterogeneous computing, Samantha Oestreicher, School of Mathematics
       We will be considering the use of ocean dynamic equations in global climate models and the possible algorithm developments which may decrease computation time. In particular, we will investigate how the shallow water equations can be decoupled into fast and slow dynamics.
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October 19, 2011
       Terrestrial Carbon Sinks, Samantha Oestreicher, School of Mathematics
       I will be introducing the carbon sequestration tactics of peatlands and the possible long term terrestrial carbon sequestration that they provide. A conceptual model for how this type terrestrial carbon storage could force the glacial cycles and provide some explanation for the dynamics of glacial cycles.
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October 26, 2011
       On the Jormungand global climate state, James Walsh, Oberlin College, visiting the School of Mathematics
       We report on recent work of Abbot, Voigt and Koll in which an argument is made for the existence of a stable global climate state in which very nearly all of the Earth is ice-covered. This "Jormungand" state presents a potential model for Neoproterozoic glaciations.
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November 2, 2011
       An Introduction to Energy Balance Models, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       The sun provides the energy driving the Earth's weather and climate. The incoming radiation from the Sun is balanced by the outgoing long wave radiation escaping into space. Even a slight inbalance in these energy fluxes can cause climate change. Simple models of this energy inbalance will be introduced.
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November 9, 2011
       An Introduction to Energy Balance Models II, Richard McGehee, School of Mathematics
       The sun provides the energy driving the Earth's weather and climate. The incoming radiation from the Sun is balanced by the outgoing long wave radiation escaping into space. Even a slight inbalance in these energy fluxes can cause climate change. Simple models of this energy inbalance will be introduced.
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November 16, 2011
       The peatland/ice age hypothesis, Samantha Oestreicher, School of Mathematics
       Can peatlands sequester enough carbon to influence the glacial cycles?
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November 30, 2011
       Carbon Burial in Wetlands, James Cotner, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
 
 
December 7, 2011
       The hydrologic cycle in deep-time climate problems, Juliann Leifeld, School of Mathematics
       This is a report on the paper, "The hydrologic cycle in deep-time climate problems," by Ray Pierrehumbert. Reference: Nature 419, 191-198 (12 September 2002), doi:10.1038/nature01088.
   
 

Last update:December 1, 2011 ©2011 Richard McGehee