6 Weeks
Instructor Guides
Includes Transcript
Re-Use Encouraged
Our Energetic Earth was the first MOOC produced by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. It ran in October 2013. Currently, it is available as an archived course on the EdX Platform. You can participate in this course by visiting the archived course. If you participate in this course via the archived course, the videos are include a transcript.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- How energy is transformed in its movement around the earth
- How energetic earth systems come to be dispersed or concentrated
- How the earth’s energy systems are connected/related to each other
Course Description: We live on the surface of a dynamic and yet paradoxically stable planet that experiences a remarkable range of energetic phenomena, from waves and currents in the ocean to wind and thunderstorms in the atmosphere. This course traces how the remarkable concept called energy is the natural way of describing, understanding and unifying these diverse phenomena. The course traces the cascade of energy from sunlight to its final destination in a thermal form, considering differential surface heating, the role of convection and buoyancy and the formation of the Earth’s circulation system, and the links to the ocean circulation system. We consider the curvature and rotation of the Earth as key constraints on a system driven by sunlight and energy transformations.
