Possible topics.  In most cases we can point you to references to get you started.  You are certainly welcome to come up with your own topic, as long as it has some connection to climate and provides the opportunity for some analysis and/or original thought.  Topics marked by a * could have several separate researchers.

Topics that are unavailable are indicated in red.
Topics for which someone has signed up but there is more room are indicated in blue.

1.  Climate of the present

1. * Describe the climate of some state or country using data from the web. Florida, Japan, Puerto Rico
2. * Describe some aspects of year-to-year climate variations using data from the web or other sources.
3. * Describe the record high and/or record low temperatures in some region using data from the web or other sources. Australia
4. Describe climate trends during the 20th century.
5. Evaluate the Gaia hypothesis (read the book by Lovelock)
6. Are El Nino events good or bad for the U.S. economy?
7. Seasonal climate forecasting: how is it done? who uses it?
8. Compare climates of the east coast and west coast at the same latitude
9. Compare the climates of the west coast and New Zealand
10. Hurricanes
11. Deep ocean currents

1. * What role did climate play in the demise of the Anasazi or other civilizations?
2. * Historical or artistic accounts of climate (e.g., frozen canals in Holland)
3. Read "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and comment on the role that climate played in shaping the destiny of major people groups
4. Read "Floods, Famines, and Emperors" and describe the role that El Nino and other climate variations have played in human history
5. Was the Little Ice Age global?
6. Was the Younger Dryas global?
7. In what ways has climate influenced geological development on timescales of tens to hundreds of millions of years?
8. Chronicle the gradual acceptance of some once-radical scientific ideas like  massive glaciations, continental drift, or human influence on climate.
9. Effect of climate on the peopling of the New World
10. Effect of the Little Ice Age on 19th century civilization
11. The American Dust Bowl

1. * What is the expected impact of global climate change on  water resources, ecosystems, coastal zones, human settlements, insurance, or human health?  (each of these is covered in one chapter of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
2. * Discuss the moral and ethical dimensions of climate change.
3. * What are the prospects for renewable energy?  You could focus on solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, fuel-cell vehicles, biofuels, ...
4. * Techno-fixes: technological solutions for sequestering carbon dioxide
5. Are trends in weather-related insurance claims related to climate change?
6. Describe the role of chemical companies (which manufactured CFCs) in creating policies to eliminate CFCs.
7. Acid rain: what causes it and what has been done to stop it?
8. Shrinking tropical glaciers