INGLESE

English

1) Ecology and the Earth system: the terrestrial biosphere.
2) Earth system models
3) Global and climate change
4) Methodological physics application in ecology

Ecological Climatology: Concepts and Applications -
Author: Gordon Bonan, Cambridge University Press

The course is aimed at providing basic knowledge and understanding of the structure of the ecosystems and the biomes, the factors which regulate their structure and their equilibrium and their influence on the climate system.
The course is therefore finalized to widen the perspective of the students of Physics on the application of their knowledge to model the role of the terrestrial biosphere in the climate system.
The course should increase the ability of the students to learn, understand, judge and communicate climate related issues with a physics perspective.

None

The course is structured in 48 hours of frontal lectures organized in a core set of lessons on the basics of ecology and climate change, a set of practicals, numericals and laboratory activities, thematic seminars and open discussion on physics methodologies applied to the study of the influence of the terrestrial biosphere on the climate system.

The examination is a report written on the basis of the scientific articles describing examples of case studies where physical approaches have been used to solve problems related to the inclusion of the terrestrial biosphere in climate models. An oral interview will follow to discuss the topics written in the report.

Slides, scientific articles, materials presented during the lessons will be shared with students on the institutional platforms.
Artificial Intelligence may support learning and content organization, but it does not replace textbooks, lecture slides, and course materials. Students are expected to critically verify the accuracy of AI-generated information.

Part 1: Ecology and the Earth system (4 ECTS)
The Ecosystem Concept
Earth Climate system
Surface energy balance and terrestrial water
The driver of earth life: C, N and P input and cycling in ecosystems
Biogeochemical cycles

Part 2: Applications (2 ECTS)
Numericals on simple energy budget
Laboratory activity on radiation-matter interaction
Scientific article reading