Results for ESS

In this seminar students explore the physics of atmospheric and oceanic flows experientially using rotating tanks of water on small turntables provided to students in the class. Different flow phenomena from tornado formation, ocean gyres, to hurricane propagation are introduced each week and experiments are designed to simulate them. The experiments, like the oceanic and atmospheric motions they are simulating, can be visually stunning, like pieces of fluid artwork, and the students will learn various visualization techniques to draw out their beauty. The goal is for students to practice the scientific method while gaining an understanding and appreciation for how the ocean and atmosphere work.

Oceans make up the majority of our planet's area and living spaces and are fundamental to biodiversity, climate, food and commerce.This course covers integration of the oceanography and marine biology of diverse ocean habitats such as the deep sea, coral reefs, open ocean, temperate coasts, estuaries and polar seas. Lectures include state of the art knowledge as well as emerging technologies for future exploration. The second section focuses on how the oceans link to the global environment, and how ocean capacity helps determine human sustainability.

The biological causes and consequences of anthropogenic and natural changes in the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Topics: glacial cycles and marine circulation, greenhouse gases and climate change, tropical deforestation and species extinctions, and human population growth and resource use. Prerequisite: Biology or Human Biology core or BIO 81 or graduate standing.

How do ecosystems respond to climate change, and how can ecosystems affect climate? This course describes, quantitatively and qualitatively, the different feedback mechanisms between the land surface and climate at both local and global scales. We will also discuss how these processes can be modelled and measured across earth's diverse ecosystems, and how they affect prospects for nature-based climate solutions. Basic familiarity with programming is helpful.

How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical quantities, sensor calibration and validation, interpreting large-scale oceanographic features.

Adaptation is the process by which organisms or societies become better suited to their environments. In this class, we will explore three distinct but related notions of adaptation. Biological adaptations arise through natural selection, while cultural adaptations arise from a variety of processes, some of which closely resemble natural selection. A newer notion of adaptation has emerged in the context of climate change where adaptation takes on a highly instrumental, and often planned, quality as a response to the negative impacts of environmental change. We will discuss each of these ideas, using their commonalities and subtle differences to develop a broader understanding of the dynamic interplay between people and their environments. Topics covered will include, among others: evolution, natural selection, levels of selection, formal models of cultural evolution, replicator dynamics, resilience, rationality and its limits, complexity, adaptive management.

Decades of industrial activity have released vast quantities of contaminants to groundwater, threatening water resources, ecosystems and human health. What processes control the fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface? What remediation strategies are effective and what are the tradeoffs among them? How are these processes represented in models used for regulatory and decision-making purposes? This course will address these and related issues by focusing on the conceptual and quantitative treatment of advective-dispersive transport with reacting solutes, including modern methods of contaminant transport simulation. Some Matlab programming / program modification required. Prerequisite: Physical Hydrogeology ESS 220 / CEE 260A (Gorelick) or equivalent and college-level course work in chemistry.

How do ecosystems respond to climate change, and how can ecosystems affect climate? This course describes, quantitatively and qualitatively, the different feedback mechanisms between the land surface and climate at both local and global scales. We will also discuss how these processes can be modelled and measured across earth's diverse ecosystems, and how they affect prospects for nature-based climate solutions. Basic familiarity with programming is helpful.

This class discusses the methods available for remote sensing of the components of the terrestrial hydrologic cycle and how to use them. Topics include the hydrologic cycle, relevant sensor types and the electromagnetic spectrum, active/passive microwave remote sensing (snow, soil moisture, canopy water content, rainfall), thermal sensing of evapotranspiration, gravity and hyperspectral methods, as well as an introduction to data assimilation and calibration/validation approaches for hydrologic variables. Pre-requisite: programming experience. Please complete problem set 0 to ensure pre-requisite programming knowledge is sufficient for success in the course

(Formerly GEOLSCI 140 and 240) Overview of some of the most important data science methods (statistics, machine learning & computer vision) relevant for geological sciences, as well as other fields in the Earth Sciences. Areas covered are: extreme value statistics for predicting rare events; compositional data analysis for geochemistry; multivariate analysis for designing data & computer experiments; probabilistic aggregation of evidence for spatial mapping; functional data analysis for multivariate environmental datasets, spatial regression and modeling spatial uncertainty with covariate information (geostatistics). Identification & learning of geo-objects with computer vision. Focus on practicality rather than theory. Matlab exercises on realistic data problems. Change of Department Name: Earth and Planetary Science (Formerly Geologic Sciences).

How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical quantities, sensor calibration and validation, interpreting large-scale oceanographic features.

(Graduate students register for 256.) Practical and quantitative treatment of soil processes affecting chemical reactivity, transformation, retention, and bioavailability. Principles of primary areas of soil chemistry: inorganic and organic soil components, complex equilibria in soil solutions, and adsorption phenomena at the solid-water interface. Processes and remediation of acid, saline, and wetland soils. Recommended: soil science and introductory chemistry and microbiology.

The application of molecular and environmental genomic approaches to the study of biogeochemically-important microorganisms in the environment without the need for cultivation. Emphasis is on meta-omic analysis of microbial DNA, RNA, and protein obtained directly from natural microbial assemblages. Topics include microbial energy generation and nutrient cycling, genome structure, gene function, physiology, phylogenetic and functional diversity, evolution, and population dynamics of uncultured communities.

Under supervision of an Earth System Science faculty member on a subject of mutual interest.

Within this class we will have cover Earth System processes ranging from nutrient cycles to ocean circulation. We will also address global environmental challenges of the twenty-first century that include maintaining freshwater resources, land degradation, health of our oceans, and the balance between food production and environmental degradation. Weekly readings and problem sets on specific topics will be followed by presentations of Earth System Science faculty and an in-depth class discussion. ESS first year students have priority enrollment.

Current topics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Independent study and thesis research under the supervision of a faculty member in the Earth System Science department. On registration, students designate faculty member and agreed-upon units. The course involves regular meetings with the faculty advisor both in person and remotely. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor

TGR Dissertation