| Semester 1, 2020 Online | |
| Short Description: | Climate Risk |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences |
| School or Department : | School of Sciences |
| Student contribution band : | Band 2 |
| ASCED code : | 010701 - Atmospheric Sciences |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Rationale
Assessing the risks and impacts from climate variability and change is an important activity for society in order to secure the world鈥檚 food needs and manage food production systems sustainably. This needs to be based upon sound scientific knowledge and understanding of the processes that drive climate variability and future changes. The course is of relevance to students that wish to gain a better understanding of risks from climate variability and change including the impacts upon agriculture and food production systems.
Synopsis
Global agriculture and food production systems are impacted by significant variability in climate on many temporal and spatial scales. The course will commence with a review of global climate trends and will focus on recent climate history, the many phenomena that drive climate and weather, discusses climate variability, and reviews and assesses the impacts of current and future projected climatic changes. Australia provides an example as world-leader in adapting its food production systems to climate variability and in utilising information such as climate observations and forecasting tools. Current autonomous and planned adaptation practices and possible response strategies to future climatic impacts will be discussed.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to demonstrate:
- a depth of understanding of global climate, its variability and future change
- a broad understanding of the effects of climate variability and climate change on agriculture
- the ability to critically assess climate risks to agriculture and food production systems
- an ability to utilise climate information to assess climate variability.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Global climate | 20.00 |
| 2. | Drivers of Rainfall | 20.00 |
| 3. | Climate Variability | 20.00 |
| 4. | Climate Changes | 20.00 |
| 5. | Adaptation Strategies | 20.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=CLI8001)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Stokes, C. and Howden, M. (2010) Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change. CSIRO Publishing. 286pp;
see .
IPCC (2014). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability; see and various chapters.
Reference materials
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed 精东传媒app | 60.00 |
| Examinations | 2.00 |
| Online Lectures | 12.00 |
| Private 精东传媒app | 96.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSIGNMENT 1 | 100 | 20 | 23 Apr 2020 | |
| ASSIGNMENT 2 | 100 | 20 | 21 May 2020 | |
| Take Home Exam | 100 | 60 | End S1 | (see note 1) |
Notes
- This will be an open examination. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via 精东传媒appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the official examination timetable has been released.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.
Requirements after S1 2020:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1 2020:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 40% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination
Requirements after S1 2020:
Candidates are allowed access only to specific materials during a Restricted Examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the restricted examination for this course are:- writing materials (non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination);
- calculators which cannot hold textual information
- students whose first language is not English, may, take an appropriate unmarked non electronic translation dictionary (but not technical dictionary) into the examination.
- dictionaries with any handwritten notes will not be permitted. Translation dictionaries will be subject to perusal and may be removed from the candidate's possession until appropriate disciplinary action is completed if found to contain material that could give the candidate an unfair advantage.
-
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date
Requirements after S1 2020:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period. -
精东传媒app Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .