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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
09S: 10A; Laboratory Tu 2:00-5:00Offered alternate spring terms An overview of high-temperature geochemistry with particular emphasis on the processes that form igneous and metamorphic rocks. The course will examine the principles of phase equilibria, the relationship between tectonic and rock forming processes, and the origin of the Earth's crust, mantle, and core. Laboratories will be strongly field-based. Students will examine and collect rocks in the surrounding New England Appalachians and will analyze these rocks in the laboratory. Prerequisite: Earth Sciences 34. Dist: SLA. Sharma.
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3.00 Credits
Consult special listings
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3.00 Credits
09S: 2A Offered alternate spring terms This course explores the unique nature and scienti c importance of glaciers, ice sheets, snow, and frozen ground in the Earth system, collectively referred to as the Cryosphere. We explore how glaciers work, and how they interact with the climate system. We investigate how ice behaves from the molecular scale to the continental scale and compare and contrast this behavior to that of snowpacks. The practical skills and techniques used by glaciologists to study glaciers and ice sheets are considered along with transferable skills in advanced quantitative data analysis, including time series analysis and computational modeling of physical processes, with emphasis on practical application to real data. Prerequisite: Physics 3 and Mathematics 3, or equivalent. Earth Sciences 33 is recommended. Dist: SCI. Hawley.
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3.00 Credits
09F: 10 This course will investigate the origin and preservation of organic molecules in sediments/fossils and their relation to environmental assessment in the present, archaeology in the past and paleontology in the geological past. Topics include environmental conditions affecting the preservations of molecular fossils (lipids, pigments, proteins, carbohydrates and DNA), molecular dating tools, molecular fingerprints of plant and animal evolution, ancient DNA detection and "Jurassic Park", DNA markers of prehistoric migrations, molecular and isotope reconstruction of the history of human diets and living environments.Prerequisite: Chemistry 5 or permission of the instructor (Earth Sciences 31 or Biology 16 recommended). Dist: SCI. Scott.
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3.00 Credits
09W: 10A; Laboratory: Arrange This course examines the use of radiogenic and stable isotopes as tracers of biogeochemical processes. Topics in the course include the theoretical basis for radiogenic and stable isotope chemistry, and the application of isotope studies in ecological, hydrological, and geochemical studies. The course will include a class project in which students will work on a research problem in environmental science. Past projects have included isotope studies of beer, maple syrup and coffee production. Prerequisite: Chemistry 5 (or 3) or permission of the instructor. Dist: SLA. Feng.
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3.00 Credits
09S: 10AOffered alternate spring terms An overview of the basic principles that govern soil chemistry, with particular emphasis on the composition and mineralogy of soils, the chemical processes that function within soils, the reactions that describe the fate of elements (both nutrients and contaminants) within soils and soil solutions. The majority of the course will cover equilibrium soil processes. Occasional field trips will concentrate on the collection of soils and their characterization. Prerequisites: Chemistry 5 and Earth Sciences 62 or equivalents, or permission of instructor. Dist: SCI. Bostick.
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3.00 Credits
09S: W 2:00-4:00, F 8:00-10:00; Laboratory: W 4:00-6:00Offered alternate spring terms Groundwater contamination is a widespread threat to the environment and to human health. This course includes a survey of physical, chemical, and biological processes by which both dissolved and multiphase contaminants are transported and transformed in the subsurface. Laboratory is used to illustrate phenomena and principles. Prerequisite: Earth Sciences 66 or permission of instructor. Dist: TAS. Renshaw.
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3.00 Credits
10S: 10A Offered alternate spring terms Soils are a critical natural resource; feeding our growing population depends fundamentally on soils, in fact, soil provide nutrients to all ecosystems. Agriculture and land management has increased soil erosion around the world, potentially influencing the history and fate of civilizations. In the modern era, this use is not sustainable; the physical and chemical degradation of soils far outpaces soil production. This course will explore the nature and properties of soils and examine how these processes occur in natural and human-influenced soils, and identify reasonable limits on what can influence the sustainable utilization of soils as a resource. We will begin by developing an understanding of the geologic, biologic, and chemical processes that lead to soil formation and the development of specific soil properties. The second portion of the course will examine the relationship between soils and underlying bedrock and overlying vegetation and the role of soils in ecosystems. The final section of the course will examine the situations in which soils are used to reduce the impact of human activities and the way in which humans can reduce their impact on soils: the importance of soils in septic tanks and leach fields; the use of soils as solid waste landfill caps and liners; the use of soils in the storage of hazardous wastes; and the conservation and management of soils. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 2 or Earth Sciences 1 (Earth Sciences 2 or 3 or 5 or 6 may be substituted); or Chemistry 5 (or 3) and an advanced course from the environmental sciences or earth sciences; or permission of the instructor. Dist: SLA. Bostick.
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3.00 Credits
09W: 2A This course investigates the characteristics and causes of short- (1 yr) to long-term (>1 million yrs) climate change over the past 100 million years and 1000 years into the future. Emphasis is placed on Quaternary ice age cycles and Holocene (last 10,000 yrs) climate as a context for current changes and projections of future climate modified by human activities. Major topics include natural and anthropogenic climate forcing mechanisms, climate-tectonic interactions, the carbon cycle, climate models, paleoclimate proxies, sea-level change, and societal impacts of climate change in the past and future. Prerequisite: Introductory Earth Science course or permission of instructor. Dist: SCI. Osterberg.
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3.00 Credits
08F: 10A This course explores the remarkable diversity of microbial life in the cryosphere and the unique challenges of living at low temperatures. Students will be introduced to the importance of microbial diversity in ecosystem function and our general paucity of knowledge in this area will be exposed. Through a critical evaluation of the literature, students will begin to find the gaps in our understanding of the role of microbes in the environment.. Prerequisite: Introductory level science courses such as: Earth Science 1, 6; Environmental Studies 2; or Biological Sciences 11 or permission from the instructor. Dist: SCI. Mikucki.
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