Our Earth: Its Climate, History, and Processes

Instructors: Prof. David M. Schultz

Access provided by Interbank

34,484 already enrolled

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.7

(464 reviews)

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.7

(464 reviews)

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

96%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

There are 5 modules in this course

What's included

15 videos7 readings1 assignment

15 videosTotal 97 minutes

What's in store ...2 minutes
Video 1.0: Introduction and Philosophy7 minutes
Video 1.1: How does science work?6 minutes
Optional Video: How do scientific papers get published?10 minutes
Video 1.2: Introduction to the Earth's climate system8 minutes
Video 1.3: How do we measure geologic time?9 minutes
Video 1.4: Geological Time Scale Song2 minutes
Video 1.5: Minerals and Rocks2 minutes
Video 1.5.1: Igneous Rock3 minutes
Video 1.5.2: Sedimentary Rock6 minutes
Video 1.5.3: Metamorphic Rock5 minutes
Video 1.6: Using radioactivity to date rocks - Dr. Ray Burgess7 minutes
Video 1.7: Using stable isotopes to understand Earth processes - Dr. Ray Burgess6 minutes
Video 1.8: How do we know how old the Earth is?5 minutes
Video 1.9: What are those rocks doing lying around?10 minutes

7 readingsTotal 70 minutes

Course Guide10 minutes
Grading & Logistics10 minutes
Building Blocks of Earth’s Climate System10 minutes
Google Earth Tour 110 minutes
Activity 1: Introduction10 minutes
Eloquent Science10 minutes
Our Earth 001 Course Book10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Assessment 130 minutes

What's included

14 videos2 readings1 assignment

14 videosTotal 107 minutes

Video 2.1.1: How did the Moon form? - Dr. Katherine Joy 14 minutes
Video 2.1.2: Why is the Moon important to life on earth? - Dr. Katherine Joy 3 minutes
Video 2.2: What came before plate tectonics?5 minutes
Video 2.3: How did plate tectonics get discovered?6 minutes
Video 2.4.1: The Earth's magnetic field7 minutes
Video 2.4.2: The magnetic poles flip? You're kidding me, right?6 minutes
Video 2.5: How earthquakes happen14 minutes
Video 2.6.1: What's inside the Earth?6 minutes
Video 2.6.2: How do we know about the insides of the Earth?6 minutes
Video 2.7: How do the plates move?3 minutes
Video 2.8: How does magma form?11 minutes
Video 2.9: How were the Himalaya formed?7 minutes
Video 2.10: Supercontinent Pangaea9 minutes
Video 2.11: The supercontinent cycle4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Formation, evolution, and processes of the solid Earth10 minutes
Google Earth Tour 2 and 310 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Assessment 220 minutes

What's included

14 videos5 readings1 assignment

14 videosTotal 123 minutes

Video 3.1.1: Where Did the Oceans Come From?6 minutes
Video 3.1.2: Are the Oceans in Steady State?13 minutes
Video 3.2.1: How the oceans work - Dr. Gregory Lane-Serff9 minutes
Video 3.2.2: The oceanic conveyor belt - Dr. Gregory Lane-Serff12 minutes
Video 3.3.1: What is the Atmosphere Made Of?6 minutes
Video 3.3.2: What Controls the Temperature Profile of the Atmosphere?5 minutes
Video 3.3.3: Three Radiation Laws4 minutes
Video 3.3.4: What if the Earth had no Atmosphere?7 minutes
Video 3.4.1: How does the Atmosphere Work?9 minutes
Video 3.4.2: How do the Jet Streams Control the Weather?7 minutes
Video 3.5: Extratropical cyclones8 minutes
Video 3.6: The Rise and Fall of Ice on Earth12 minutes
Video 3.7: How do Glaciers Control the Height of Mountains? – Dr. Simon Brocklehurst10 minutes
Video 3.8: Why the Arctic is Crucial to Earth's Climate - Dr. Bart Van Dongen and Dr. Robert Sparks 7 minutes

5 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Water in Earth’s Climate System: Oceans, Atmosphere, and Cryosphere10 minutes
Google Earth Tour 410 minutes
Activity 2: Further Exploration10 minutes
The Thinking Persons’ Guide to Climate Change10 minutes
The shaping of storm tracks by mountains and ocean dynamics10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Assessment 320 minutes

What's included

17 videos2 readings1 assignment

17 videosTotal 116 minutes

Video 4.3.2: The Earliest Life on Earth6 minutes
Video 4.3.1 The Formation of Organic Molecules and the Tree of Life13 minutes
Video 4.1: The Earth's primitive atmosphere10 minutes
Video 4.2: Fossils6 minutes
Video 4.4.1: Welcome to The Manchester Museum - Prof. Phil Manning0 minutes
Video 4.4.2: Apex Chert and Stromatolites - Prof. Phil Manning 3 minutes
Video 4.4.3: Ediacaran Fauna - Prof. Phil Manning 5 minutes
Video 4.5.1: How Oxygen Changed the Earth Forever11 minutes
Video 4.5.2: The Arrival of Multicellular Life and the Cambrian Explosion11 minutes
Video 4.6.1: How Plants and Animals Came Onshore - Dr. Victoria Egerton7 minutes
Video 4.6.2: Colonization of Land3 minutes
Video 4.7.1: Devonian: From Fish to Tetrapod - Prof. Phil Manning7 minutes
Video 4.7.2: Carboniferous - Prof. Phil Manning2 minutes
Video 4.7.3: Jurassic Coast - Prof. Phil Manning3 minutes
Video 4.7.4: Dinosaurs - Prof. Phil Manning 4 minutes
Video 4.7.5: Chemical Fossils - Prof. Phil Manning 4 minutes
Video 4.8: Controls on Life on Earth: Mass Extinctions12 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Life, and its Effect on Earth’s Climate System10 minutes
Google Earth Tour 510 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Assessment 430 minutes

What's included

5 videos4 readings1 assignment

5 videosTotal 39 minutes

BYOE Video 1: Introduction to Build Your Own Earth4 minutes
BYOE Video 2: How to Use Build your own Earth8 minutes
BYOE Video 3: How to Interpret Climate Properties: Surface Temperatures, the Jet Stream, Clouds, and Precipitation 9 minutes
BYOE Video 4: Using Build Your Own Earth to Study Past Earth Climates 10 minutes
Video 5.0: Synthesis and Anthropogenic Climate Change7 minutes

4 readingsTotal 40 minutes

Build Your Own Earth10 minutes
Activity 1: Introduction10 minutes
Activity 2: Further Exploration10 minutes
Activity 3: Assessment10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

BYOE Assessment30 minutes

Instructors

Instructor ratings

4.8 (160 ratings)

Prof. David M. Schultz

University of Manchester

1 Course34,484 learners

Dr Jonathan Fairman

University of Manchester

1 Course34,484 learners

Offered by

University of Manchester

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

4.7

464 reviews

5 stars
75.21%
4 stars
20.25%
3 stars
3.87%
2 stars
0%
1 star
0.64%

Showing 3 of 464

Reviewed on Dec 3, 2023

This course is very interesting. I spend at least 10 hours a week, so that I could complete in five weeks. Thanks for this comprehensive course.

Reviewed on Nov 22, 2020

Enjoyed this a lot and learnt a lot. Many thanks to the lecturers and team who produced it, clearly much thought and effort went into putting the materials together: exemplary on-line learning!

Reviewed on Aug 20, 2019

an excellent course, it size me at perfeccion becouse i am an bioclimatic architect and i need to know how the climate work

View more reviews