WFM 6311: Climate Change Risk Management

Part-A: Physical Science of Climate Change 

Semester: April 2017

**  Last updated on 9 May 2017 at 23:30 BST

1. Instructor:

Dr. A.K.M. Saiful Islam Professor Institute of Water and Flood Management Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Email: akmsaifulislam@iwfm.buet.ac.bd Phone: 880-2-9664640-44 PABX 7923 Web: http://teacher.buet.ac.bd/akmsaifulislam/

2. Class Hours:

 Wednesday  from 2:30p.m. to 3:45.m.  Class room in 4th Floor of IWFM

3. Office Hours:

 Wednesday (subject to change)  from  3:45p.m. to 4:15p.m.  (Office room, 3rd Floor)

4. Syllabus:

• The global climate system: global heat and water balance, atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation, coupled ocean and atmospheric processes;

• Climate variability and climate change;

• Assessment of climate change risks;

• Forecasts and scenarios development;

• Impact of climate change on water related hazards;

• Economic, social and environmental implications;

• Mitigation measures and adaptation techniques;

• Mainstreaming climate change risk management
   

5. Grading Policy (subject to change):

• Term Paper =20%  

• Mid Term  =35% 

• Final Exam = 45%

7. Lecture Topics:

• Module-1: Climate System and Hydrologic cycle (Part-A)
  Lectures: Syllabus and Lecture -1

  • Atmosphere

  • Cryosphere: Sea, Ice sheet, Glacier

  • Hydrosphere: River, Lakes, ocean interactions

  • Hydrologic Cycle

  • Biosphere and Ecosystem

• Module-2: Climate variability and climate change (Part-A)
   Lecture: Lecture-2 and Lecture 2b_Recent Climatic Events

  • Global warming and green house gases

  • Historic aspects of global climate change

  • Climate change in South Asian context: Case study
     

• Module-3: Prediction of climate change (Part-A)
  Lectures: Lecture-3 and Lecture-4 , Lecture-5, Lecture-6 , Lecture-7, 

                  Lecture-8, Lecture-9

  • Global and regional climate change predictions

  • Dynamic and static down-scaling for impact study.

  • Uncertainty of predictions
     

• Module-4: Impact of climate change on water sector (Part-A & B)

  • Flood risk assessment

  • Drought risk assessment

  • Sea level rise and salinity intrusion

  • River Erosion and livelihoods

  • Cyclone and storm surges
     

• Module-5: Economic, social and Environmental implications of climate change (Part-B)

  • Economics of climate change

  • Social impact of climate change: vulnerable social groups and gender.

  • Impact of climate change on deltaic ecosystem (arid, coastal and deltaic system).

  • Implication of climate change on agriculture, food security and livelihood.

  • Implication of climate change on water supply, sanitation and health (heat stress and vector born diseases).

  • Vulnerability analysis, adaptive capacity and sensitivity.
     

• Module-6: Mitigation measures and adaptation techniques (Part-B)

  • Mitigation measures and carbon trading.

  • Non structural and structural adaptation.

  • Adaptation techniques in the context of integrated water resource management.
     

• Module-7: Policy, laws, international conventions and country program (Part-B)

  Lecture: Lecture-11

  • Global awareness and IPCC interpretations.

  • Paris Agreement, Kyoto protocol and other international conventions.

  • Responses to climate change: global, national and local

  • National Climate change strategies and activities.

  • Institutional arrangements of climate change.
     

9. Term Paper:

•  Guideline: Students are advise to select a topic relevant to their profession.

• Report: 10 page report written in Ms Word, due on Last week. Report should contain - introduction to the problem, methodology, results, conclusion.

• Presentation: Each group will present their study at the end of the semester

 

10. Software:

• RClimIndex

• SDSM

• Regional Climate Models:  RegCM , PRECIS and CWRF (optional)

• R Statistical Package (optional)

 

9. References:

• No text book; Reading materials will be suggested in the class.