This free online course provides the basis for understanding the underlying physical processes governing climate variations in the past, present and future.

In the course, we focus on explaining the main external forcing mechanisms such as the sun, volcanoes, and changes in greenhouse gasses and aerosols, which can contribute to changing the global energy budget and initiate climate variations.

We also describe the important role of internal feedback mechanisms and the energy transport in the atmosphere and ocean, in order to understand regional variations in climate.

Through this course, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of the climate system, and be able to put the recently observed, man-made changes in climate in the context of past natural changes.

You will learn with experts from The University of Bergen, which has a strong focus on Earth and Marine Sciences. It hosts the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, the largest centre for natural science-based climate research in Scandinavia.

This course is intended for those with an interest in the physical aspects of climate variations and change. It does not require any previous experience of studying the subject, but high school level mathematics and physics is recommended.