|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Criteria
Add courses to your favorites to save, share, and find your best transfer school.
-
8.00 Credits
?ll the rivers run into the ocean; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again" (Ecclesiastes 1:7-8). Hydrology is the study of water at or near the surface of the Earth. Modern society's demand for water from surface and groundwater sources to feed industrial, agricultural, municipal, recreational and other uses typically outstrips the supply, which has become increasingly more scarce due to the environmental degradation of existing water resources by the disposal of wastes. Thus no other discipline in the geological sciences has experienced such an explosion of interest and growth in recent years. This course investigates the physical properties of water, the hydrologic cycle, surface and groundwater processes, water quality issues, and other environmental concerns focusing on the quantitative aspects of hydrology. Project-based laboratories are mostly done in the field and analyzing/modeling data in the lab. Prerequisites: CHEM 280, GEO 170 and ENV 170, or permission of instructor. (staf f, Spring, offered alternate years
-
3.00 Credits
This course develops the methods by which the Earth's history is deciphered. It looks at tectonics, sedimentary rocks and their structures, fossils and the fossil record, organic evolution, climate evolution, and various ways of delineating geologic time, using careful analysis of key moments from Earth's past. Laboratory work is centered on analysis of maps, structures, facies, and stratigraphy. Students will read and write extensively in the primary scientific literature. The culminating activity is an individual research project. Mandatory weekend field trips are required. Prerequisite: GEO 170 or permission of the instructor. (Arens, Fall, offered annually)
-
3.00 Credits
Mineralogy is the study of the structure, chemistry, and origin of minerals. Since minerals are the basic components of all rocks and sediments and are commonly in chemical equilibrium with natural waters, an understanding of minerals is crucial to many fields in geoscience. This course introduces students to the chemical and physical properties of minerals, their occurrence in rocks, and their economic uses. It also familiarizes students with some of the most important minerals and the techniques used in their identification and characterization. Techniques covered include crystallographic, X-ray, spectroscopic, and optical microscopy. Laboratory. Prerequisites: GEO 170 and CHEM 110 (or concurrent enrollment). (McKinney, offered annually)
-
3.00 Credits
This course examines the fundamental processes responsible for the characteristics and development of weather systems. Students explore properties of the atmosphere (radiation, physics, and thermal structure), the use of radar and satellite systems, large-scale pressure systems, as well as an array of severe weather systems including hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and lake-effect snow storms. Prerequisite: ENV 170 or GEO 150: Severe Weather, and Calculus or instructor consent. (Laird, offered annually)
-
3.00 Credits
Paleoclimatology is the study of climate prior to the period of instrumentation. Understanding how and why climate changes is important for interpreting the geologic record and evaluating contemporary climate change. After an overview of Earth's modern ocean-atmosphere system and energy balance is presented, dating methods and techniques for reconstructing past climates are discussed. Field and lab projects may include working with existing paleoclimate datasets in addition to collecting and interpreting archives of climate change such as tree rings, bog and lake cores, and speleothems from the local area. Note: There are required weekend field trips. Prerequisites GEO 170 and ENV 170; or permission of instructor. (Curtin, offered annually)
-
3.00 Credits
Aqueous fluids are the agents of geologic change. They initiate and control many geologic processes because they are ubiquitous, mobile and chemically reactive. Chemical interaction between fluids and rock, soil, or aerosols have a direct bearing on topics such as acid deposition, drinking water quality, acid mine drainage, and the chemical evolution of the hydrologic cycle. Students examine the chemical and geological processes that govern the concentration levels of dissolved substances in aqueous systems. Projects completed during lecture and lab will emphasize the collection and analysis of surface or near surface waters and the interpretation and presentation of data. Note: There will be required weekend field trips. Prerequisites: GEO 170 and ENV 170, CHEM 280 or by permission of the instructor. (Curtin, Spring, offered alternate years)
-
3.00 Credits
This course examines the fossil record from the perspective of the questions that can be asked of it. How do fossils contribute to understanding patterns of evolution What large-scale patterns of biological diversity are seen only from the vantage point of fossils How does form give clues to function What can be learned about Earth's past climates and environments from fossils How do fossils tell time in the geologic record The class answers these questions through a detailed study of the fossils themselves. (Arens or Kendrick, offered alternate years)
-
3.00 Credits
From the basic conceptual to more complex numerical frameworks, models allow one to examine specific aspects of a complex real system and predict outcomes. This course is an introduction to systems modeling with applications to the Earth and environmental sciences. Basic systems concepts and systems thinking will be introduced in the contexts of hydrological, climatic, and other environmentally relevant systems. Students identify key processes and relationships in geoscience systems, represent these elements quantitatively in models, and assess the validity of model predictions. Project-based laboratories provide an opportunity for students to develop and test their own models. Prerequisite: ENV 170 and Calculus or permission of the instructor. (Laird, offered alternate years)
-
3.00 Credits
Sediments and sedimentary rocks are the most common of the geologic materials on the Earth's surface. Found in them are many of the raw materials used in our industrial society, the record of life in the past and the record of ancient environmental change. Laboratories involve the description, classification, correlation, and interpretation of sediments and sedimentary rocks. Weekend field trips required. Prerequisite: GEO 170, GEO 230, or permission of the instructor. (Curtin, offered alternate years)
-
3.00 Credits
Limnology is the study of lakes from a chemical, biological, physical, and geological perspective. Topics include the thermal structure of lakes, lake optics, dissolved gases, biological nutrients, trace elements, plankton populations, food-chain dynamics, estuaries, and the origin and nature of lake basins. Freshwater and marine systems are contrasted, with Seneca Lake serving as an example of the former. The roles of planktonic life, input from rivers, and thermal stratification on the chemistry of Seneca Lake are explored. Special emphasis is placed on biological nutrient dynamics and environmental concerns. Weekly laboratories and a few weekend day-trips are conducted on Seneca Lake aboard The William Scandling, and selected Finger Lakes aboard the JB Snow. Prerequisites: CHEM 280, GEO 170 and ENV 170, or permission of instructor (Halfman, Fall, offered annually)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Privacy Statement
|
Terms of Use
|
Institutional Membership Information
|
About AcademyOne
Copyright 2006 - 2024 AcademyOne, Inc.
|
|
|