Courses related to ESS

* Evolution of the Earth

V49.0001 Lecture, laboratory, and field trips. Rampino. 4 points.

The geological and biological history of the earth. The cosmic context of earth history; origin of the earth; major highlights in the development of the planet; the origin and evolution of life. Principles and methods by which we reconstruct earth history.

* Earth System Science

V49.0010 Rampino. 4 points.

Our current view of the earth as an integrated system involving dynamic interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, solid earth, and life. Emphasizes present systems, their evolution, and forecasts for the future. Topics include new observations of global systems from space, geophysics and plate tectonics, circulation of the oceans and atmosphere, cycles of elements essential for life, coevolution of climate and life, and current problems (e.g., the greenhouse effect).

Whole Earth Science: The Global Environment

V49.0012 Volk. 4 points.

This inquiry-based course includes global thinking in the analysis of data on atmospheric carbon dioxide; constructing models of life within chemical systems of air, water, and soil; and exploring data using facilities and research findings of Black Rock Forest. Students actively work on issues that are, in many cases, at the edge of knowledge in the science of the living earth. Emphasis is on learning by doing and by thinking about the integration of biology, geology, climate theory, oceanography, and even earth history. The course includes field trips.

Limits of the Earth: Issues in Human Ecology

V49.0875 Lecture. Hoffert. 4 points.

Examines the array of environmental problems facing modern society, including global pollution and the impact of human population growth on land-use patterns, earth resources, and ecosystems.

Earth Biology

G23.1201 Prerequisites: two semesters each of three of the following: biology, chemistry, physics, calculus. Volk. 4 points.

Global sciences of life: biogeochemical cycles (about 50 percent), biodiversity and biogeography (about 25 percent), and human impacts (about 25 percent). Topics: atmospheric and oceanographic sciences; cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, and sulfur; terrestrial and marine ecosystem structure; ranges and richness of species; human-induced shifts in climate (greenhouse effect) and land-use patterns.

(* taught by ESSE PI)