Undergraduate Bulletin

Department Information - Climate Science (CCI)

An understanding of climate science is essential to the interpretation of climate variations and change, as well as the assessment of their impacts on diverse human populations and ecological systems. The Stony Brook Climate Science program prepares students to be climate professionals who can help develop and implement strategies for mitigation of, as well as adaptation to, adverse impacts of climate change. Students in this program learn basic scientific information on processes in the atmosphere and the ocean that drive climate change and are informed about current and anticipated climate impacts and possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. Students learn about threats to coastal environments, economic and social impacts of climate and how the various aspects of climate have evolved over the history of the Earth.

A key aspect of climate science is the emergence of very large and increasing amounts of data about the atmosphere, the ocean, human and animal populations in diverse environments and multiple parts of the global ecosystems. There are extensive data on extreme events like hurricanes, floods and drought and on human, animal and plant health. Earth System Models generate expected future changes in all aspects of the climate system. The students in this program become familiar with the types of data available, learn quantitative skills for analyzing climate data from observations and model simulations to discern trends and possible future scenarios.

The curriculum is designed to meet the current needs of employers in climate applications. This gives our students confidence that their studies are pertinent to building a rewarding career which would be relevant to society’s crucial needs.

Students may learn more about the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences by visiting http://www.stonybrook.edu/somas .