GEO4990 – The Earth System

After completing this course, you will

• have gained insight into ongoing and projected changes in the Earth’s climate and associated uncertainties
• be familiar with the methods used in climate science
• be familiar with the concept of the Earth System and key processes governing interactions between its main components

Both master's students and PhD candidates can take this course.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other master's degree programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

PhD candidates from the University of Oslo should apply for classes and register for examinations through Studentweb.

The course has a max capacity of 36 students. If there are more than 36 applicants for the course, applicants will be ranked after the following categories:

1. PhD candidates at the Department of Geosciences (UiO)
2. Master's students in Geosciences admitted to the following programme option:
   • Water and Climate (programme option)
3. Other master's students at one of the following programmes / programme options (not prioritized order):
   • Geosciences (master)
   • CS: Geoscience (programme option)
4. Other students

All applicants within category 1 are ranked before applicants in category 2 and so on. If there are space limitations in the course, available places will be given to students selected randomly within the same category.

• GEO2210 – Geomorphology and Glaciology
• GEO2310 – Meteorology
• GEO2320 – Oceanography
• GEO2330 – Hydrology
• GEO4901 – Atmosphere-Ocean Dynamics

The course is taught weekly. The teaching consists of interactive lectures with active participation by the students and an obligatory model practical. A model topic report must be handed in after the model practical and approved before the final examination.

An oral presentation of topics in the subject field will count towards the final grade.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the course responsible.

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

• Participation in the compulsory model lab and submission of model topic reports, of which at least 75% must be approved before you can sit the final exam.
• An oral student presentation counts 50% towards the final grade.
• The final examination counts 50% towards the final grade. The final exam may be carried out as a written or oral exam, depending on the number of enrolled students.
• Both the oral student presentation and the final examination must be passed separately in order to pass the course.

Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for one of the following courses:

• GEO9990
• GEF4400 – The Earth System (continued)
• GEF9400 – The Earth System (continued)

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.