Search: Geography, Natural Sciences

This course will consist of review and discussion of recently published advances in environmental change research, with an emphasis on important advances that are either (1) concerned with spatial phenomena, whether at a watershed scale or planetary scale, or (2) integrative in nature (meaning they tie together disparate elements to form a coherent view of the operation of earth systems).

To develop an advanced understanding of global environmental problems, it is necessary to adopt the approach of Earth systems science (the modern physical geography). Earth is viewed as a complete, systematic entity and analyzed as an interacting set of physical, chemical, and biological systems that produces the characteristics and dynamics of the global environment. This course is a semester-long introductory overview of the major components of Earth systems science. We will read and discuss one complete graduate-level Earth systems science text, with supplementary readings from the current research literature. Student evaluation is based primarily on participation in discussion and quality of supplementary literature reviews of selected topics.

The field of biogeochemistry offers an interdisciplinary approach to modern global environmental issues, such as climate change feedback effects, stratospheric ozone loss, oxidation capacity of the atmosphere, land use change, and marine ecosystem health. Earth is a complex system where the transformation and flow of chemicals and energy within and between biomes have ramifications for life on this planet. The overall theme of this course will be to explore the imprint of the biota (including humans) on the chemistry of the ocean, land, and atmosphere. This course will explore the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine biomes. In addition, the global cycles of environmentally important elements and gases will be explored

This course examines the processes that determine the structure and circulation of the Earth's atmosphere. The approach is deductive rather than descriptive: to figure out the properties and behavior of the Earth's atmosphere based on the laws of physics and fluid dynamics. Topics will include interaction between radiation and atmospheric composition; the role of water in the energy and radiation balance; governing equations for atmospheric motion, mass conservation, and thermodynamic energy balance; geostrophic flow, quasigeostrophic motion, baroclinic instability and dynamics of extratropical cyclones.