Earth System Science Syllabus

• GEO 392E Seminar: Earth System Science
• Schedule #884866
• Fall, 2000
• MWF 1:25 - 2:15
• Morrill2 245
• Instructor: W. D. McCoy (Morrill 236, 545-1535)
• TA:

Overview

This course provides a look at the Earth system as a whole. Emphasis will be on the interrelationships between biological, geological, climatological, and human systems on continental and global scales. The links between these systems will be illustrated by present-day processes and by the geologic record of selected events in Earth system history. The course will include computer-based exercises and will rely heavily on Internet resources. Projects, papers, and presentations will be required. Prerequisite: previous upper-level courses in biological, geological, physical, or social sciences. Find out more about course objectives.

Text

The text will be available soon at the Jeffrey Amherst College Store.

Evaluation

Grades will be based on student's class participation, performance on homework assignments, modelling projects, mid-term and final exams, and a term project or paper.

Topics

This course will cover the following topics:

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Systems concepts for earth system science
• Week 3: Energy balance
• Week 4: Hydrologic cycle
• Week 5: Biogeochemical cycles: carbon
• Week 6: Atmosphere-ocean interactions
• Week 7: El Niño-Southern Oscillation
• Week 8: Vernadsky's Biosphere
• Week 9: Lovelock's Gaia
• Week 10: Earth system history: long-term evolution of earth systems
• Week 11: Earth system history: Quaternary environmental changes
• Week 12: The instrumental period and evidence for global warming
• Week 13: Stratospheric ozone depletion
• Week 14: Human-environment interactions: policy

Links

A list of links to useful, related web resources is available.

Labs

Download datasets for lab exercises.