Climate Change II course 2026
Summer 2026, University of Bremen
Lecture/Reading: Monday, 14-16; Prof. Dr. Gerrit Lohmann, Dr. Maria Toyos Simón, Dr. Maria Hörhold, Dr. Helge Gößling, Dr. Nikos Daskalakis
Room: NW1 N3310
Description
Climate Change II provides an advanced, research-oriented introduction to the processes governing ongoing and future climate change, with a strong focus on Earth-system interactions across spatial and temporal scales. The course integrates physical climate dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, cryospheric processes, marine and terrestrial archives, biological responses, and societal implications into a coherent systems perspective. Central conceptual themes include climate feedback, stability and non-linearity, chemistry-climate interactions, natural and anthropogenic variability, extreme events, and long-term climate commitment, particularly with respect to sea-level rise and coastal change.
Course Structure and Teaching Format
The course combines thematic lecture blocks with hands-on data analysis, modeling exercises, and field-based learning: Lecture blocks in Bremen and Bremerhaven introduce core concepts and methods, including
climate feedbacks and dynamical systems,
marine sediments and ice cores as climate archives,
detection and attribution of climate change, and
atmospheric pollution and climate–chemistry interactions.
These blocks provide the theoretical, methodological, and analytical foundation of the course.
An intensive 5-day field-based excursion to AWI Sylt/List: Using the Wadden Sea as a natural laboratory, students investigate coastal climate change, including sea-level rise, waves and storm surges, marine heat waves, biological responses, and coastal risk. The excursion integrates lectures, data analysis, modeling, insights into tank experiments, field observations, and science-society interactions.
Integrative Learning Approach
Throughout the course, students work in interdisciplinary groups and apply climate concepts to observational data, model output, and field evidence. This project trains scientific reasoning, climate concepts, synthesis across disciplines, and written and oral communication. During the Sylt excursion, students collaboratively develop a joint scientific synthesis paper on climate change at the coast, consisting of several thematic sections. Teaching locations are in Bremen (University), Bremerhaven (AWI), and Sylt/List (AWI).
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of Climate Change II, students will be able to:
- demonstrate a systems-level understanding of climate change as the result of interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, biosphere, and land surface across a range of spatial and temporal scales;
- analyze and interpret climate observations and model output, including trends, variability, and extreme events, using appropriate statistical and conceptual tools;
- explain the physical mechanisms of sea-level rise, including the roles of ocean heat uptake and ice-sheet dynamics, and assess associated coastal risks;
- integrate physical, biological, chemical, and societal perspectives to evaluate impacts, limits of adaptation, and sustainability challenges related to climate change;
- apply data analyses and modeling: practical exercises
- design and conduct project-based scientific analyses, synthesize results from data analysis, field observations, models, and experiments, and communicate findings clearly in written and oral form.
Formalities
Code no. 01-PHY-BA-ClimC2 Climate Change 2 (SoSe 2026)
Assignment to study programmes: Compulsory for Natural Sciences for Sustainability, B.Sc.
Examination achievements:
You have to pass the written exam (7 July 2026). 9-12 am in the class room.
The exam is based on the exercises and the general content of the lecture.
Time table
1) 14.4. Climate Feedbacks, Stability, and Variability (1 day – Bremen)
Instructor: Gerrit Lohmann (AWI, University of Bremen)
This foundational lecture day introduces climate change from a dynamical-systems perspective. It provides the theoretical backbone for the entire Climate Change II course and prepares students conceptually for later applications to ice sheets, coastal systems, and ecosystems.
Learning Objectives
- Understand climate change as a dynamical systems problem
- Introduce feedbacks, stability, and response times
- Prepare conceptual tools for coastal and cryospheric applications
Climate Feedbacks
This block introduces the role of feedbacks in shaping the climate response to external forcing. Key topics include the distinction between forcings and feedbacks, positive and negative feedback mechanisms, climate sensitivity, and the existence of multiple equilibria and tipping points.
Script for feedbacks and climate stability
2) Marine Sediments as Climate Archives (2 days – Bremen)
Instructor: Maria Toyos Simón (University of Bremen, MARUM) 21. (practical) and 28.4.
This block introduces marine sediments as archives of past climate variability and change. Students will learn proxy analysis methods, sediment sampling strategies, age modeling, and time-series analysis. The block demonstrates how sediment records constrain natural climate variability, glacial–interglacial cycles, and long-term boundary conditions for present and future climate change. The lecture content serves as a continuation of the Climate Change I lectures on this topic.
3) Ice Cores as Climate Archives (2 days –Bremen/Bremerhaven)
Instructor: Maria Hörhold (AWI) 5. and 12.5.
This block focuses on ice cores as climate archives. How does this archive work? How are stable water isotopes used to reconstruct temperature? What evidence of global warming can we find in ice core records and how to distinguish from natural variability? How to handle climate sceptics in ice core research? The lecture will consist of theoretical sections in alternation with practical exercises including paper reading, Python exercises and a lab visit.
The lecture on May 5th will take place in the lecture room at Bremen.
The lecture on May 12th will take place at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute in Bremerhaven. We will meet between 8.45am and 9am in the entrance hall of building D, Am Alten Hafen 26, 27568 Bremerhaven (Note: NOT Am Handelshafen!)
4) Detection and Attribution of Climate Change (2 days – Bremen)
Instructor: Helge Gößling (AWI) 26.5. and 2.6.
This block introduces detection and attribution methods for climate change. Topics include partial differential equations, statistical pattern analysis, generalized extreme value theory, human influences on climate, and theory–model comparison. Students learn how observed trends and extremes are attributed to anthropogenic forcing versus natural variability.
5) Climate Change and Atmospheric Chemistry (2 days – Bremen)
Instructor: Nikos Daskalakis (Mihalis Vrekoussis) (University of Bremen) 9.6. and 16.6.
This block addresses the chemical dimension of climate change, including atmospheric observations, chemistry–climate models, chemical budgets, transport processes, and mitigation-relevant feedbacks. Emphasis is placed on coupling between chemistry and climate dynamics as well as on pollution.
6) Excursion Module: Climate Change at the Coast (AWI Sylt/List)
Instructor: Gerrit Lohmann (with contributions from Hanna Knahl and other colleagues) 22.6.-26.6.
Infos about Sylt
The excursion module translates global climate-system dynamics into coastal processes, ecosystems, and societal risk using the Wadden Sea as a natural laboratory. It integrates lectures, data analysis, numerical models, tank experiments, field observations, and science communication. Student research projects run throughout the excursion and culminate in final presentations.
Day 1 – Coastal Climate Dynamics: Sea Level, Waves, Extremes. (14-17)
Day 1 establishes the physical foundation for coastal climate change. Core topics include global and regional climate change (link to climate stability), sea-level rise, storms, waves, erosion, and morphodynamic feedbacks.
Day 2 – Climate Variability at the Coast & Project Kick-off. (9-12)
Climate variability, trends, and extremes at the coast, marine heat waves. Students analyze observational data from the German Bight and Sylt and distinguish between trends, variability, and extremes (links to Detection and Attribution of Climate Change). Student working groups are formed and research questions are defined. Day 2 – Ice-Sheet Response and sea level (including Exercise) A simple ice-sheet module covers ice sheets in the past, present, and future, including long-term sea-level commitment. (Links to ice and marine sediment cores). Students explore ice-sheet sensitivity and sea-level commitment using a conceptual relaxation model. Temperature scenarios (+1.5 °C, +2 °C, +4 °C) are linked to sea-level contributions. By varying response timescales (100–1000 years), students analyze irreversibility and long-term coastal implications (links to Climate stability, Detection and Attribution of Climate Change).
Day 3 – Field Excursion and Science–Society Interface, coastal risk framing.
Day 3 centers on field observations in the Wadden Sea (AWI Sylt). Students investigate tidal flats, beaches, dunes, erosion features, and coastal protection measures. A visit to the Erlebniszentrum Naturgewalten in List highlights science communication, risk perception, and societal responses to coastal hazards.
Day 4 – Biology, Adaptation, Experiments
Day 4 integrates coastal biology, marine heat waves, organismal adaptation, tank experiments. AWI address mechanisms of adaptation and population persistence. Time series analyses. Students analyze observational biological data: distinguish between trends, variability, and extremes. Short report writing.
Day 5 – Student Presentations and Synthesis
On Day 5, student working groups present their research projects, integrating physical, biological, modeling, and experimental perspectives. The course concludes with a synthesis discussion linking feedbacks, timescales, extremes, adaptation limits, and sustainability.
Example Paper
During the Sylt/List excursion, student working groups will develop a short research paper suitable for submission to GAMMAS or European Journal of Physics. The paper will be based on observational data analysis, field-based evidence, and theoretical concepts introduced throughout the course. The research and initial writing phase will take place during the excursion, with finalization of the manuscript occurring shortly thereafter.
7) Exam: 7. July, 9-12 h
Room: NW1 N3310.
The written exam is based on the content and the exercises of the course.
