Textbook - Our Changing Climate: Introduction to Climate Science

The 14-chapter Our Changing Climate: Introduction to Climate Science (© 2014) text covers the fundamental principles in understanding Earth's climate system as a whole. The primary author of the text is Dr. Chad M. Kauffman (Pennsylvania Western University). Each chapter ends with 10 Review Questions and 10 Critical Thinking Questions as well as several essays related to the topics. The textbook can be used independently or part of as the AMS Climate Studies course, which includes the eInvestigations Manual and RealTime Climate Portal.

More about the textbook

Climate Studies eInvestigations Manual

A set of student learning investigations is coordinated with the text chapters. Investigations lead the student through analysis and interpretation of current climatological data. Answer forms and keys can be loaded to your learning management system prior to the term or if your semesters do not match the AMS delivery schedule.

More about the manual

RealTime Climate Portal

The student website hosts the Current Climate Studies activities that compliment the topics in manual. CCS expand on important concepts using current or recent climate data and are delivered each Monday on a weekly schedule during the semester.

Student access to the RealTime Climate Portal is included with the Climate Studies eInvestigations Manual.

Faculty Resource Material and Portal

Delivered via the Climate Faculty Portal, PowerPoint presentations and textbook figures for each chapter, as well as the Faculty Resource Folder which includes 

• Answer forms and keys in Word, PDF, and Respondus files
  • Investigations Manual
  • Textbook Review Questions and Critical Thinking
  • Chapter Progress questions
  • Test Bank questions
• Faculty guide
• Current Climate Studies schedule
• Bookstore letter with ISBN

The faculty guide describes the course and its components, and contains suggestions for course implementation in a variety of classroom settings. Included for each textbook chapter is an outline, summary and learning objectives. 

Current Climate Studies answer keys are posted the same Monday as the activity (PDF) is posted to the student's RealTime Climate Portal. 

Answer keys are compatible with Respondus, test-generating software for which your institution may have a license. This program opens formatted files and converts them for learning management systems. Answer forms and keys are also available in Microsoft Word and PDF.