Quaternary and Global Changes

Code:

GEOGR080

Acronym:

QMG

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Geography

Instance: 2015/2016 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geography
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Geography

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
GEOGR	6	GEOGR - Study Plan	2	-	6	56	162
			3

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Understanding of the uniqueness of the Quaternary and the respective characteristics in terms of climate and geomorphology.
Understanding the legacies of existing Quaternary times as relics in the today's landscape.
Understanding of Quaternary variations of natural environments and their relations with the "global change" underway

Learning outcomes and competences

The ability to analyze the marks of quaternary variations in current landscapes. To discuss mainstream ideas on global change.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Knowledge of UCs introduction to Earth science, Geomorphology, Climatology and Hydrology

Program

Framework of the Quaternary. The climate throughout the Phanerozoic. Plate tectonics. Climatic effects of changing plates. The onset of glaciations. The of Milankovitch hypothesis. The glaciers and their forms of relief: Ice Age heritages in Portugal, in Europe and elsewhere.

Atmospheric circulation patterns now and in the Quaternary. The role of the tropics and climate change in the tropics. Climate change and hominid evolution. Variations in sea level. Eustatism and local factors. The transgression of the Holocene. Geomorphological evolution of the coastal platform of the Porto region.

Detailed chronology of the Quaternary and its study methods. Current climatic variations in the last millennium and their probable causes. Sunspots, solar radiation and climate change.

Interaction Man-Nature: critical discussion.

Mandatory literature

ANDERSEN, B. G.; BORNS, H. W. JR; The Ice Age World, Scandinavian University Press, Oslo, 1994
ANDERSON, D., GOUDIE, A., PARKER, A. G; Global environments through the Quaternary , Oxford University Press, 2007
ARAÚJO, M. A.; Evolução Geomorfológica da plataforma litoral da região do Porto , 1991
Lomborg, Bjorn; The^skeptical environmentalist. ISBN: 0-521-01068-3
RUDDIMAN, W; Earth Climate, past and future, Freeman and Company, 2008
ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA PARA O ESTUDO DO QUATERNÁRIO (APEQ); O Quaternário em Portugal, Colibri, 1993
URIARTE, A.; Historia del clima de la Tierra, Gobierno Vasco, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 2009
Pomerol, C., Lagabrielle, Y., Renard, M., Guillot, S.; Princípios de Geologia. Técnicas, modelos e teorias, Bookman, Porto Alegre, 2012. ISBN: 978-85-65837-75-0
Pédelaborde, Pierre; Introduction a l.étude scientifique du climate
Lowe, J. J.; Reconstructing quaternary environments. ISBN: 0-582-30070-3
IAG International Symposium, Addis Abba, 2002; Climate changes active tectonics and related geomorphic effects in high Mountain Belts and Plateaux
Boardman, John 340; Soils and quaternary landscape evolution. ISBN: 0-471-90528-3
Lowe, J. J.; Reconstructing quaternary environments. ISBN: 0-582-30070-3
Scott, D. B. 340; Late quaternary sea-level. ISBN: 0792300165
Shane, Linda C. K. 340; Quaternary landscapes. ISBN: 1852932074
Mõrner, N.-A. 340; Climatic changes on a yearly to Millennial Basis. ISBN: 9027717796

Comments from the literature

Existing works in the Faculty Library are identified through their links.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Different subjects will be presented based on pdfs or ppts timely placed in the Moodle platform.

In addition to the general knowledge of the subject students should deepen a theme connected to the course subjects, which will be presented after the writen examination and whose value corresponds to 50% of the final mark.

Software

Google Earth
Microsoft Power Point
Adobe Acrobat

keywords

Natural sciences > Environmental science > Earth science > Geophysical sciences
Natural sciences > Environmental science > Earth science > Physical geography

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	54,00
Frequência das aulas	48,00
Trabalho de campo	10,00
Trabalho de investigação	50,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Presence in 75% of the classes (including field work)

Calculation formula of final grade

50% writen examination+50% individual presentation on a scientific subjet included in the program

Classification improvement

Repetition of one or two components of evaluation