1 - 10 of 119 results for: ESS

The course will provide a basic understanding of how the ocean functions as a suite of interconnected ecosystems, both naturally and under the influence of human activities. Emphasis is on the interactions between the physical and chemical environment and the dominant organisms of each ecosystem. The types of ecosystems discussed include coral reefs, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, coastal upwelling systems, blue-water oceans, estuaries, and near-shore dead zones. Lectures, multimedia presentations, group activities, and tide-pooling day trip.

This 1-unit course is designed for Stanford undergraduates intending to work remotely or on-site in tropical coastal marine systems of the Indo-Pacific at any time between 2021 and 2022. The course includes learning units on mangroves, seagrass beds, tropical estuaries, and coral reefs. Techniques covered include: satellite observations, in-the-water deployments of biogeochemical and physical monitoring instruments, drone -based visible and infrared imaging, and field ecology observations. Permission of instructor is required.

How do we adapt to the rapid global environmental changes that are happening around us? How do we do so in a way that is sustainable, enhancing human and environmental wellbeing, now and in the future? In this course, we will explore these questions through an interdisciplinary lens, drawing from the social sciences, engineering, and public health. We will focus on people¿s responses to a range of impacts related to global environmental change from sea level rise to extreme weather events. Example responses include changes in fishing practices, taking protective action during wildfires or hurricanes, and migrating to a new location. Often, we will draw case studies from frontline communities, those who experience the "first and worst" of global environmental changes. Through readings, film, and field trips, we will ask what adaptation to global environmental change is, what does it mean to be sustainable, and how can it be sustained.

There is a growing perception that our global food system is broken. Billions of people around the world lack adequate nutrition for healthy and productive lives, and obesity now exceeds hunger even in poor communities. Agricultural practices add to climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental harms, and freshwater and soils are widely depleted. Farmers who produce food in many parts of the world may lack the income to feed their own families. What's missing from this conversation about food and agriculture is fish, or more broadly, 'blue foods', animals and plants cultivated or captured in ocean and freshwater systems worldwide. This seminar will explore the role of blue foods in creating a sustainable and healthy global food system. It will build off The Blue Food Assessment - an international initiative led by Stanford with contributions from over 100 researchers from around the world - to explore the nutrition, environment, justice, equity, and climate dimensions of fish within the global food system. We will probe a wide range of questions, including: Do fish provide a healthier option than meat in all diets?; What is aquaculture all about, and is it sustainable?; Is seaweed the solution for a broken food system?; What is the role of blue foods in decarbonizing the food sector?; Are small-scale fish producers a small part of food systems - or a large part? Is food justice at risk in fisheries and global fish trade? How might the science of blue foods change national food policies? Is there a role for the private sector in developing healthy and sustainable blue foods? The class will be structured around readings, discussions, debates, essay-writing, and role playing as we seek solutions to global food system challenges through blue foods.

Preference to freshmen. How ecologists think about the world. Focus is on the Hawaiian Islands: origin, geology, climate, evolution and ecology of flora and fauna, and ecosystems. The reasons for the concentration of threatened and endangered species in Hawaii, the scientific basis for their protection and recovery. How knowledge of island ecosystems can contribute to ecology and conservation biology on continents.

(Formerly GEOLSCI 38N) This course examines the motivations and experiences of polar explorers under the harshest conditions on Earth, as well as the chronicles of their explorations and hardships, dating to the 1500s for the Arctic and the 1700s for the Antarctic. Materials include The Worst Journey in the World by Aspley Cherry-Garrard who in 1911 participated in a midwinter Antarctic sledging trip to recover emperor penguin eggs. Optional field trip into the high Sierra in March. Change of Department Name: Earth and Planetary Science (Formerly Geologic Sciences).

This class is a seminar designed to prepare students participating in the 2022 Palau Seminar for possible research activities. Enrollment by approval of the instructors.

Preference to freshmen. Field trips to sites in the Elkhorn Slough, a small agriculturally impacted estuary that opens into Monterey Bay, a model ecosystem for understanding the complexity of estuaries, and one of California's last remaining coastal wetlands. Readings include Jane Caffrey's "Changes in a California Estuary: A Profile of Elkhorn Slough". Basics of biogeochemistry, microbiology, oceanography, ecology, pollution, and environmental management.

The course will provide a broad overview of key policy issues concerning agricultural development and food security, and will assess how global governance is addressing the problem of food security. At the same time the course will provide an overview of the field of international security, and examine how governments and international institutions are beginning to include food in discussions of security.