Advisor: Dr. Ken Dewey
The 21st century could be the “climate century” according to Michael H. Glantz in his book Climate Affairs: A Primer (2003). Climate encompasses average meteorological conditions as well as extremes and fluctuations. It involves the study of the impact of weather over a period of time (days to months to years to centuries) and over a region through the analysis of weather data. In his book, Dr. Glantz states “Following several decades of rapidly growing governmental and public concern about costly, record-setting meteorological extremes worldwide, along with mounting evidence of a human-induced warming of the earth’s atmosphere, we have entered a century in which climate factors are likely to dominate the attention of policy makers.” We will need a better understanding of the ways climate variability, change, and extremes affect ecosystems and the affairs of people and nations. “An understanding of the workings of the global climate system can improve how we deal with present-day and future climate conditions” (Glantz, 2003).
The field of Applied Climate Science provides a foundation for understanding the climate system and its components, as well as interactions of the climate system components with and impacts on the environment and human societies (Glantz, 2003). In order to address applied climate science issues, it is important to have interdisciplinary training and experience in the physical and biological sciences (physics, climatology, meteorology, biology, chemistry, geography, geology, mathematics, statistics and computer science) as well as an appreciation for human behavior. The Applied Climate Science area of emphasis within Environmental Studies will provide that training and experience.
This area of emphasis is coordinated by the faculty within the Applied Climate Sciences group in the School of Natural Resources. The area of emphasis is distinct from the Meteorology and Climatology area of emphasis and major by providing students with an excellent background in Applied Climate Science while also including greater exposure to courses in the social, natural resources, and biological sciences. Specifically, students completing the program will have an interdisciplinary background with courses in biology (ecology), chemistry, geology, soils, and physics as well as an exposure to human dimensions with courses in anthropology, agricultural economics, natural resources policy, and sociology. Mathematics and statistics are fundamental to the Applied Climate Science area of emphasis in support of the courses in climatology and meteorology.
Resources/Facilities
The Applied Climate Sciences program is within the School of Natural Resources (SNR). SNR is housed in the newly renovated Hardin Hall on UNL’s beautiful East Campus. The new building has excellent laboratory, office, and classroom facilities to support teaching, research and outreach regarding natural resources. In addition, the SNR includes the Agro-Meteorology Laboratory at the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Nebraska; measuring stations for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and the U.S. Department of Agriculture UV-B Monitoring Network; the High Plains Climate Center and its Automated Weather Data Network; the National Drought Mitigation Center, the Water Center, Water Resources Initiative and the Center for Advance Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT).
Career Opportunities
Opportunities for those completing the program include positions with environmental consulting firms, planning agencies, non-governmental organizations and local governments addressing climate issues, emergency management and disaster recovery, fulfillment of a pre-professional degree requirement, and graduate studies. Examples span a number of agencies, including Natural Resources Districts, Water or Irrigation Districts, National Water and Climate Center/NRCS, Climate Services Division of the National Weather Service, Regional Climate Centers, the National Climatic Data Center, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Admission Requirements
For more information, visit the UNL Admissions website.
Program Requirements
For more information, visit the Environmental Studies Program website.
Major Requirements
Courses |
Hours |
| Environmental Studies Core | 29 |
| NRES 101 Orientation | 1 |
| NRES/AGRI 103 Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Systems | 3 |
| NRES 323 Natural Resources Policy | 3 |
| ENVR 289 Environmental Studies Sophomore Orientation |
1 |
| ENVR 489 Environmental Studies Seminar | 1 |
| ENVR 499A Environmental Studies Senior Thesis I (1cr) and ENVR 499B Environmental Studies Senior Thesis II (2cr) or ENVR 499H (3cr) for UNL Honors Students | 3 |
| Water and Climate Resources | 7 |
| METR 200 Weather and Climate | 4 |
| NRES 281 Intro to Water Science | 3 |
| SOIL 153 Soil Resources | 4 |
| ANTH 473 Ecological Anthropology or ANTH 474 Applied and Developmental Anthropology or ANTH 477 Hunter & Gather |
3 |
| SOCI 446 Environmental Sociology | 3 |
| Geographic Information Science | 3 - 4 |
| NRES 312 Intro to Geospatial Information Systems (3cr) or NRES 412 Intro to Geographic Information Systems (4cr) or NRES 418 Intro to Remote Sensing (4cr) | 3 - 4 |
| Natural Resources Environmental Economics | 3 |
| NREE 265 Resource & Environmental Econ I or NREE 465 Resource and Environmental Econ II |
3 |
| Statistics | 3 |
| STAT 218 Intro to Statistics | 3 |
| Natural Sciences | 8 |
| BIOS 101 & 101L General Biology & Lab | 4 |
| BIOS 109 General Botany or BIOS 112 & 112L Intro to Zoology & Lab |
4 |
| Communications | 9 |
| Written Communications select from ENGL 150, 151, 254; JGEN 120, 200, 300 |
3 |
| Oral Communications (3cr) select from COMM 109, 209, 212, 311 |
3 |
| Communications and Interpersonal Skills (3cr) select from ENGL 101, 150, 151, 252, 254; ALEC 102; JGEN 120, 200, 300; COMM 109, 209, 212, 311 | 3 |
| Economics | 3 |
| AECN 141 or ECON 211 or ECON 212 | 3 |
| Essential Studies | 12 |
Select one 3-credit course in each of these four Essential Studies Areas.
NOTE: One 3-credit course with an international focus is to be selected from those listed under “International Agriculture and Natural Resources Minor” which may counts toward the Essential Studies requirement as above. |
12 |
Applied Climate Option Requirements
| Courses | Hours |
|---|---|
| Applied Climate Science Core | 31 |
| NRES 208 Intro to Bio-Atmospheric Resources | 3 |
| NRES 220/BIOS 222L Principles of Ecology & Lab | 4 |
| METR 255 Intro to Atmospheric Sciences | 4 |
| NRES 408 Microclimate: The Biological Environment | 3 |
| METR 351 Basic & Applied Climatology | 3 |
| NRES 452 Climate & Society | 3 |
| METR 454 Regional Climatology | 3 |
| Applied Climate Science Core Electives Select 8-credits from among the following: Climate METR 453. Physical Climatology (3 cr) NRES 467. Global Climate Change (3 cr) NRES 469. Bio-Atmospheric Instrumentation (3 cr) NRES 496. Independent Study (1-5 cr) METR 498. Climate Change: Past, Present & Future (3 cr) Human Dimensions NRES 415. Water Resources Seminar (1 cr) NRES 423. Integrated Resources Management (3 cr) AECN 456. Environmental Law (3 cr) AECN 457. Water Law (3 cr) AECN/NREE 465. Resource and Environmental Economics II (3 cr) Biology NRES 406. Plant Ecophysiology: Theory and Practice (4 cr) NRES 417. Agroforestry Systems in Sustainable Agriculture (3 cr) NRES 424. Forest Ecology (4 cr) Methods MATH 208. Analytical Geometry and Calculus III (3 cr) STAT 380. Statistics and Applications (3 cr) STAT 450. Introduction to Regression Analysis (3 cr) |
8 |
| Mathematics | 10 |
| MATH 106 and 107 Analytical Geometry & Calculus I & II | 10 |
| Natural Sciences | 16-17 |
| CHEM 109 and 110 Chemistry I & II (8cr) or CHEM 113, 114 and 116 Fundamental Chemistry I & II and Quantitative Chemistry Lab (9cr) |
8- 9 |
| PHYS 211 and 212 General Physics I & II | 8 |
| Electives | 0-1 |
NOTE: Environmental studies majors must earn a “C” or “P” in all Environmental Studies Core and Applied Climate Science Core courses.
