The course aims to give the students thorough knowledges on the geology, stratigraphy, palaeoclimatology, and paleontology of the last 2.5 million years of the Earth history, illustrating multidisciplinary approaches, and compare the natural climatic events occurred during the recent past with the climatic changes that are affecting the Earth during the last centuries, driven by the anthropization.
teacher profile teaching materials
Historic excursus on the Plio-Quaternary chronostratigraphy. The Plio-Quaternary boundary. Ages and Stages of the marine Quaternary. GSSP and the most relevant Quaternary marine Italian successions. (8h).
The climate system: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere (3 h)
The cryosphere: glaciers, permafrost, ice sheet, sea ice (3 h)
The climate system and its natural and anthropogenic perturbations: Variation of the relative position of the continents, astronomical, greenhouse gases, aerosols, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, land use variations, meteorite impacts, (3h)
Climate variability, climate change, anthropocene (3h)
The paleoclimate: main data for the reconstruction of climate change in the past (ice cores, speleothems, marine cores, etc.). (3 hours)
History of climatology, international organisations, Global warming: reality and negation (3 h)
Climate change simulations for the 21st century (3 h)
Impacts of Climate Change: cryosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere. (3h).
The economic costs of climate change (3 h)
Quaternary isotopic stratigraphy. Quaternary magnetostratigraphy. Quaternary dating methods (2h). Sea-level oscillations during Quaternary: geomorphological and palaeobiological sea-level indicators. The eustatic curves (1h).
Plio-Quaternary marine biostratigraphy: planktonic and benthonic foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, marine molluscs and ostracods (concept of “northern” and “senegalese” guests) (8h).
History of the continental Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy (2h).
Plio-Quaternary biochronology based on large and small mammals, freshwater molluscs and non-marine ostracods. Pollen stratigraphy and climatic stratigraphy (6h).
Programme
Historical definition of Quaternary: paleontological and climatic criteria. (1h).Historic excursus on the Plio-Quaternary chronostratigraphy. The Plio-Quaternary boundary. Ages and Stages of the marine Quaternary. GSSP and the most relevant Quaternary marine Italian successions. (8h).
The climate system: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere (3 h)
The cryosphere: glaciers, permafrost, ice sheet, sea ice (3 h)
The climate system and its natural and anthropogenic perturbations: Variation of the relative position of the continents, astronomical, greenhouse gases, aerosols, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, land use variations, meteorite impacts, (3h)
Climate variability, climate change, anthropocene (3h)
The paleoclimate: main data for the reconstruction of climate change in the past (ice cores, speleothems, marine cores, etc.). (3 hours)
History of climatology, international organisations, Global warming: reality and negation (3 h)
Climate change simulations for the 21st century (3 h)
Impacts of Climate Change: cryosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere. (3h).
The economic costs of climate change (3 h)
Quaternary isotopic stratigraphy. Quaternary magnetostratigraphy. Quaternary dating methods (2h). Sea-level oscillations during Quaternary: geomorphological and palaeobiological sea-level indicators. The eustatic curves (1h).
Plio-Quaternary marine biostratigraphy: planktonic and benthonic foraminifers, calcareous nannofossils, marine molluscs and ostracods (concept of “northern” and “senegalese” guests) (8h).
History of the continental Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy (2h).
Plio-Quaternary biochronology based on large and small mammals, freshwater molluscs and non-marine ostracods. Pollen stratigraphy and climatic stratigraphy (6h).
Core Documentation
Pdf and copies of recent specialistic scientific publications given by the teacherReference Bibliography
Anderson, D.E., Goudie, A.S. & Parker, A.G., 2007. Global environments through the Quaternary. Oxford University Press, pp. 392. Williams, M., Dunkerly, D., De Deckker, P., Kershaw, P. & Chappell, J., 1998. Quaternary environments. Arnold eds. Andersen B. G. & Borns, H. W. jr, 1994. The Ice Age world. Scandinavian University Press. Malatesta A., 1985. Paleobiologia dell’era glaciale. NIS, Roma. Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 e AR5) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://www.ipcc.ch Ruddiman, Earth's climate: past and future. New York: Freeman, 2008.Type of delivery of the course
Lectures are carried on using ppt slides. Practical lessons are based on the description of the main macro- and microfossils typical of the Quaternary period. During lessons, students are encouraged to ask questions and make comments.Type of evaluation
The examination consists in an evaluation interview in order to assess the student acquired knowledge of the topics discussed during the lessons. teacher profile teaching materials
The cryosphere: glaciers, permafrost, ice sheet, sea ice (3 h)
The climate system and its natural and anthropogenic perturbations: Variation of the relative position of the continents, astronomical, greenhouse gases, aerosols, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, land use variations, meteorite impacts, (3h)
Climate variability, climate change, anthropocene (3h)
The paleoclimate: main data for the reconstruction of climate change in the past (ice cores, speleothems, marine cores, etc.). (3 hours)
History of climatology, international organisations, Global warming: reality and negation (3 h)
Climate change simulations for the 21st century (3 h)
Impacts of Climate Change: cryosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere. (3h).
The economic costs of climate change (3 h)
Anderson, D.E., Goudie, A.S. & Parker, A.G., 2007. Global environments through the Quaternary. Oxford University Press, pp. 392.
Williams, M., Dunkerly, D., De Deckker, P., Kershaw, P. & Chappell, J., 1998. Quaternary environments. Arnold eds.
Andersen B. G. & Borns, H. W. jr, 1994The Ice Age world. Scandinavian University Press.
Malatesta A., 1985. Paleobiologia dell’era glaciale. NIS, Roma.
Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 e AR5) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://www.ipcc.ch
Ruddiman, Earth's climate: past and future. New York: Freeman, 2008.
Programme
The climate system: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere (3 h)The cryosphere: glaciers, permafrost, ice sheet, sea ice (3 h)
The climate system and its natural and anthropogenic perturbations: Variation of the relative position of the continents, astronomical, greenhouse gases, aerosols, volcanic eruptions, solar activity, land use variations, meteorite impacts, (3h)
Climate variability, climate change, anthropocene (3h)
The paleoclimate: main data for the reconstruction of climate change in the past (ice cores, speleothems, marine cores, etc.). (3 hours)
History of climatology, international organisations, Global warming: reality and negation (3 h)
Climate change simulations for the 21st century (3 h)
Impacts of Climate Change: cryosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, biosphere. (3h).
The economic costs of climate change (3 h)
Core Documentation
Pdf and copies of recent specialistic scientific publications given by the teacherAnderson, D.E., Goudie, A.S. & Parker, A.G., 2007. Global environments through the Quaternary. Oxford University Press, pp. 392.
Williams, M., Dunkerly, D., De Deckker, P., Kershaw, P. & Chappell, J., 1998. Quaternary environments. Arnold eds.
Andersen B. G. & Borns, H. W. jr, 1994The Ice Age world. Scandinavian University Press.
Malatesta A., 1985. Paleobiologia dell’era glaciale. NIS, Roma.
Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 e AR5) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://www.ipcc.ch
Ruddiman, Earth's climate: past and future. New York: Freeman, 2008.
Type of delivery of the course
Lectures are carried on using ppt slides. During lessons, students are encouraged to ask questions and make comments.Type of evaluation
The examination consists in an evaluation interview in order to assess the student acquired knowledge of the topics discussed during the lessons.