ENVS2004 Weather, Climate and Fire
Later Year Course
| Offered By | School of Resources Environment & Society |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Undergraduate |
| Course Subject | Environmental Science |
| Offered in | Second Semester, 2009 and Second Semester, 2010 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description |
Climatic variation is one of the most important considerations for environment and society on the Australian continent because it governs fundamentally important environmental phenomena such as fire, drought and floods. This course focuses on the underlying principles required for understanding climate variability, weather, and the occurrence of bushfires, and the fascinating inter-relationships that exist among these key elements of the Australian environment. The course is structured around the key concepts in each of these elements, including: general circulation of the atmosphere; weather systems; climate variability, particularly extreme events like floods and drought; climate change; the fire regime; and factors that result in variation in the occurrence of bushfires across the continent. The course has a focus on interactions among climate, weather and bushfires, and there is scope for specialization and investigating their management implications and importance for human systems. It is designed to lead students into advanced third year courses in climatology, bushfire science and water resource management. Key components of the course are insights into ongoing research being undertaken at the ANU in the Fenner School and the Bushfire CRC. |
| Learning Outcomes |
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to: 1. Describe and explain the physical processes that lead to variability in weather, climate and fire regime observed locally and across Australia2. Explain the interactions between these processes, and how they result in varying weather, climatic and fire regime patterns 3. Analyse and forecast weather and fire danger using appropriate tools 4. Analyse weather, fire and climate scenarios that vary in location, scale and complexity 5. Reflect on the interactions that explain weather, climate and fire regime characteristics and communicate these in ways appropriate to a range of audiences |
| Indicative Assessment |
All laboratory and field trip sheets must be submitted in order to achieve a final grade. Assessment will be based on:
|
| Workload |
5 hours of lectures and practicals per week. Students are expected to spend an average of a further 4 hours per week on work related to the course. |
| Areas of Interest | Resource Management and Environmental Science |
| Requisite Statement |
36 units towards a degree |
| Incompatibility |
FSTY2004, GEOG2011, SRES2002 or SRES2004 |
| Preliminary Reading |
Sturman, AP & Tapper, NJ (2006) The Weather and Climate of Australia & New Zealand. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Gill, AM, Groves RH & Noble IR (1981) Fire & the Australian Biota. Canberra: Australian Academy of Science. Cheney, P & Sullivan, A (1997) Grassfires. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. |
| Majors/Specialisations | Geography |
| Science Group | B |
| Academic Contact | A/Prof. Janette Lindesay |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.
