GEO9992 – Data Analysis and Model Evaluation Tools in Environmental and Climate Science
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course aims to teach, during an excursion in a Nordic framework, the functioning of the climate system and its components through model and data analysis. The focus of the course is on the application of eScience tools, applied to current science questions of climate evolution at high northern latitudes.
The course uses existing infrastructures, such as model and observational data evaluation portals, atmospheric databases, visualization tools, data analysis, and statistical tools. Students get familiar with specific open-source tools (e.g. Jupyter notebook/hub, pangeo, research objects, incl. version control using GitHub) and open-source databases (e.g. EBAS, NASA’s satellite data and model data such as CMIP6) to perform their own small model-measurement evaluation exercise.
Introductions will be given on the climate system, the role of aerosols and clouds, observational techniques, climate forcing and climate model evaluation.
Learning outcome
After completing the course, you are able to
- discuss and compare climate model output and associated observations
- apply Python and eScience tools to set up data analysis projects
- analyze and use existing online databases containing atmospheric, climate and ecosystem data
- visualize data more efficiently
- present your individual report on a specific study subject in oral and written form
- reflect on the value of specific open-source tools (e.g. Jupyter notebook/hub, Pyaerocom, incl. version control using GitHub) and open-source databases (e.g. EBAS, NASA’s satellite data and model data such as CMIP6) to perform your own small model-measurement evaluation exercises
- explain the insight you gained into the climate system, the role of aerosols and clouds, observational techniques, climate forcing and climate model evaluation
Admission to the course
PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through?Studentweb.
If a course has limited intake capacity, priority will be given to PhD candidates who follow an individual education plan where this particular course is included. Some national researchers’ schools may have specific rules for ranking applicants for courses with limited intake capacity.
PhD candidates who have been admitted to another higher education institution must?apply for a position as a visiting student?within a given deadline.
The courses GEO4992 and GEO9992 have a joint admission with a joint capacity of 10 students.?
If there are more than 10 applicants, the applicants will be ranked after the following categories:?
- Students admitted to the following programme option:?
- Programme students admitted to one of the following (non-prioritized order):?
- Exchange students on an agreement with (in prioritized order):
- a) The Department of Geosciences
- b) The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN)
- c) The University of Oslo
- Other master's students at the?Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN)
- Others
Applicants will be ranked by the number of ECTS credits within each category:?all applicants within category 1 are ranked before applicants in category 2. If there are space limitations in the course, available places will be given to students selected randomly among those with the same amount of ECTS credits.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
The course includes a compulsory field course and excursions. A health-and-safety course for safety in the field must be passed before you can go on these:
Recommended previous knowledge
- basic knowledge of atmospheric thermodynamics and cloud physics
- basic knowledge of Python, Github, Linux
Overlapping courses
- 5 credits overlap with GEO4992 – Data Analysis and Model Evaluation Tools in Environmental and Climate Science.
Teaching
Teaching consists of lectures, exercises and group work. An excursion to a research station in the Nordic countries of approximately 10 days is part of the course, where lectures and introductions will be given. Participation in the excursion and exercises is mandatory.
At the excursion, the students will start with their intensified project work. PhD candidates will present a given subject, summarising 2-3 science articles to be given during the excursion. The topic will be chosen with relevance to the group work.?
Practical work is initiated and accompanied by motivated assistants coming from the field of research. You are required to bring a laptop to the course.
Before the course, the selected students will be asked to practice the tools to be used in the course. Subjects for practical work will be suggested depending on the students' background. Attendance at the course preparation meeting is mandatory.
Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the Student administration (studieinfo@geo.uio.no).
We reserve the right to change the teaching?form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.
General information about excursions at the Department?of Geosciences
As?the?teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance.?Read about your insurance coverage as a student.
Cost of taking the course
Participation in the excursion is mandatory. The excursion has a fee of NOK 150 per night.
Examination
- Attendance at the course preparation meeting, the exercises, the excursion and the presentation of a given subject must be approved in order to sit the final examination.
- An oral presentation of the final report counts 50% towards the final grade.
- The field report?counts 50% towards the final grade.
- Both the oral presentation of the final report and the field report must be passed separately in order to pass the course.?
Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you?withdraw from the exam?after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for (one of) the following course(s):?
Examination support material
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are?offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.