Climate change is often discussed in terms of how many degrees warmer it seems to be getting. But few know that 50 million years ago breadfruit trees and crocodiles were common on the shores of the Arctic Ocean or that 18,000 years ago a mile-thick glacier covered Manhattan.

Beginning in Spring 2012, the University of Central Florida Physics Department is offering a new course to help educate students about just how the climate has changed and how that’s impacted the world. The course, “The Physics and History of Climate,” also satisfies the general education program requirement for science.

Physics Professor Dan Britt, who is teaching the course, says the class will provide context for the current climate debate, explain how the climate has changed in the past and provide fundamental insight about how the climate works. The class will meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m.

For more information, call 407-823-2600