This open access book on climate change assesses past climatic change from a geoscience perspective and directly and effectively addresses common misconceptions on climate and climate change.
A geoscience perspective on the multiple causes, rates, and consequences of climate change is essential context to assess modern climate change and our role in it, as well as forecasting future climate conditions. Yet, most textbooks on climate change focus only on the very recent past (e.g., last century), are not sufficiently engaging for non-scientists, or explore paleoclimate science at a level too challenging for introductory students. In addition, a wide range of misconceptions and confusion exists in the general public about climate change. Correcting misconceptions is an essential aspect of education, but educational research has shown that it is challenging to achieve. This textbook includes introductions to each thematic Part, that directly identify relevant misconceptions and refute them with clear, concise messages (i.e., learning goals) that are grounded in science and expanded on in the supporting chapters. Such refutation-style approaches have been shown to be effective at addressing misconceptions.
The book offers a clear trajectory of fundamental climate science concepts, which are most beneficially combined to provide a valuable geoscience perspective on the causes, rates, and consequences of climate change. It frames the collection of climate science chapters with impactful, relevant social science context: starting the book with a chapter that explores the reasons behind the disconnect between the scientific and public understanding of climate change, and ending the book with a discussion of the intersection of ethics and climate change. Short topical expansions or excursions are included as “boxes” within selected chapters.
This book will serve as a basic resource for learning about the lessons that the paleoclimate record offers to evaluate the seriousness of modern and future climate change.
Dr. Kristen St. John is a Professor of Geology at James Madison University. She earned her B.S. in Geology at Furman University (1992), and her M.S. (1995) and a Ph.D. (1998) in Geoscience from The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on geoscience education and the marine sediment record of past climate conditions. She was the Editor-in-Chief (2012-2017) of the Journal of Geoscience Education. An active researcher in the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), she has sailed as a marine sedimentologist on several ocean expeditions. Her teaching responsibilities include a large general education course on Earth systems and climate change, Earth science for pre-service teachers, and courses for majors on geowriting and communication, and on paleoclimatology/paleoceanography. She received the JMU General Education Distinguished Teacher Award in 2013 and the JMU College of Science and Math Outstanding Teaching Award in 2014. She was recognized as Geological Society of America (GSA) Fellow in 2016.
Dr. Lawrence Krissek is an Emeritus Professor of Geology at The Ohio State University, and earned his PhD at Oregon State University. He is a clastic sedimentologist, with primary interests in the evolution of climates and ocean environments at high latitudes during the past 65 million years. In particular, he and his students have focused on the Late Cenozoic history of ice-rafting in the Northern Hemisphere, and on the mineralogical and geochemical records of Cenozoic sediment sources and weathering patterns in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. He also maintains an active interest in earth science education, including: 1) developing activities for classroom use, 2) identifying common misconceptions about earth science topics, and effective strategies for conceptual change, and 3) conducting effective professional development for pre-service and in-service educators. His work has been supported by NSF (Polar Programs, Ocean Drilling, and Geoscience Education) and the Ohio Board of Regents. He has won several awards for teaching, and publishes in a variety of peer-reviewed journals.
