OCEANOGRAPHY

Explore the geology of the sea floor, understand what drives ocean currents and how ocean ecosystems operate. Case studies and discussions centered on ocean-related issues facing society.

• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Baerbel Hoenisch
  CULPA: 3 h-index: 33 Info
• 3 points

ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS & DISASTERS

Prerequisites: high school science and math. An introduction to risks and hazards in the environment. Different types of hazards are analyzed and compared: natural disasters, such as tornados, earthquakes, and meteorite impacts; acute and chronic health effects caused by exposure to radiation and toxic substances such as radon, asbestos, and arsenic; long-term societal effects due to environmental change, such as sea level rise and global warming. Emphasizes the basic physical principles controlling the hazardous phenomena and develops simple quantitative methods for making scientifically reasoned assessments of the threats (to health and wealth) posed by various events, processes, and exposures. Discusses methods of risk mitigation and sociological, psychological, and economic aspects of risk control and management.

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Goran Ekstrom
  CULPA: 10 h-index: 76 Info
• 3 points

EARTH RESOURCES & SUSTAIN DEV

Prerequisites: none; high school chemistry recommended. Survey of the origin and extent of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial materials, that are non renewable, finite resources, and the environmental consequences of their extraction and use, using the textbook Earth Resources and the Environment, by James Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This course will provide an overview, but will include focus on topics of current societal relevance, including estimated reserves and extraction costs for fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels, sources and future for luxury goods such as gold and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in consumer electronics (e.g. ;Coltan; mostly from Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such as superconducting magnets and rechargeable batteries (e.g. heavy rare earth elements, mostly from China). Guest lectures from economists, commodity traders and resource geologists will provide ;real world; input. Discussion Session Required.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter Kelemen
  CULPA: 8 h-index: 84 Info
• 3 points

EARTH'S ENVIRO SYST: CLIM SYST

Prerequisites: high school algebra. Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Origin and development of the atmosphere and oceans, formation of winds, storms and ocean currents, reasons for changes through geologic time. Recent influence of human activity: the ozone hole, global warming, water pollution. Laboratory exploration of topics through demonstrations, experimentation, computer data analysis, and modeling. Students majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences should plan to take EESC W2100 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with Senior Seminar.

• T 4:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• 4.5 points

EARTH'S ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS: THE SOLID

EARTH'S ENV SYSTEM:SOLID

Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Exploration of how the solid Earth works, today and in the past, focusing on Earth in the Solar system, continents and oceans, the Earth's history, mountain systems on land and sea, minerals and rocks, weathering and erosion, glaciers and ice sheets, the hydrological cycle and rivers, geochronology, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, energy resources. Laboratory exploration of topics through examination of rock samples, experimentation, computer data analysis, field exercises, and modeling. Columbia and Barnard majors should plan to take W2200 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with the Senior Seminar.

• R 4:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• 4.5 points

SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVPT

The course provides students with an understanding of Earth's natural systems that is essential to addressing the multi-faceted issues of sustainable development.  After completing the course, students should be able to incorporate scientific approaches and perspectives into their research in other fields or policy decisions and be able to use scientific methods of data analysis.  The semester will highlight the climate system and solutions from both physical and ecological perspectives; water resources; food production and the cycling of nutrients; and the role of biodiversity in sustainable development.  The course emphasizes key scientific concepts such as uncertainty, experimental versus observational approaches, prediction and predictability, the use of models, and other essential methodological aspects.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• 3 points

TUTORIAL IN EARTH SCIENCE

Prerequisites: declared major in Earth and environmental sciences and the departments permission. Students with particular interest in one of the many components of the Earth and environmental sciences should approach a director of undergraduate studies during the registration period so that tutorial-level exposure to the subject can be arranged. Each point requires two hours each week of readings, discussion, and research work under the close supervision of a member of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, American Museum of Natural History, or Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In consultation with the supervisor, the student selects a topic for intensive study and the time and place of the tutorial discussion sessions. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of 12 points, with a maximum of 6 points with each staff member.

• Instructor: Folarin Kolawole
  Info
• Instructor: Galen A McKinley
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia h-index: 32 Info
• Instructor: Christine McCarthy
  Info
• Instructor: Einat Lev
  h-index: 16 Info
• 1-3 points

CHEMISTRY OF CLIMATE

Pre-requisites Chem 1 and Calculus I ; Co-requisites Chemistry II (CHEM1404 or equivalent) and Calculus II (MATH UN2030 or equivalent)
By the end of this course, students will understand: The biogeochemical cycles driving the composition of trace gas and aerosol species that are both long- and short-lived in the atmosphere that influence climate by directly interacting with radiation (i.e. greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, CFCs, aerosols) and those that do so mainly by altering the concentrations of other gases (OH, NOx, etc.); The effects of these gas and aerosol species on climate and atmospheric composition; Climate mitigation strategies that are being considered in response to climate warming.

This course is designed for undergraduate students seeking a quantitative introduction to climate and climate change science. EESC V2100 (Climate Systems) is not a prerequisite, but can also be taken for credit if it is taken before this course.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Roisin Commane
  h-index: 25 Info
• 3 points

GEOCHEM FOR A HABITABLE PLANET

Prerequisites: Any 1000-level or 2000-level EESC course; MATH UN1101 Calculus I and CHEM UN1403 General Chemistry I or their equivalents. The origin, evolution, and future of our planet, based on the book How to Build a Habitable Planet by Wallace S. Broecker. This course will focus on the geochemical processes that built Earth from solar material, led to its differentiation into continents and ocean, and have maintained its surface at a comfortable temperature. Students will participate in a hands-on geochemistry project at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Terry A Plank
  CULPA: 6 Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

COMPUTATIONAL EARTH SCIENCE

Prerequisites: Required: at least a semester of calculus and physics; any 1000-level or 2000-level EESC course. Computer models are essential for understanding the behavior of complex natural systems in geosciences. This course is an introduction to writing computer models to simulate Earth processes. Students will learn methods for numerical modeling of a variety of geoscience topics, such as nonlinear systems of air chemistry, ocean currents, atmospheric dispersion, and more. Simulations will be created by learning to program with a user-friendly language (Python). Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, homework assignments and a final project on a student-selected topic.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel Westervelt
  Info
• 3 points

SENIOR SEMINAR

Guided, independent, in-depth research culminating in the senior thesis in the spring. Includes discussion about scientific presentations and posters, data analysis, library research methods and scientific writing. Students review work in progress and share results through oral reports. Weekly seminar to review work in progress and share results through oral and written reports.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 3 points

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH IN CLIMATE SYSTEM S

INDEP RESEARCH IN CLIM SY

In this course, students develop and complete a one-semester independent research project in an area of Climate System Science. Each student works closely with a research Mentor, and the course experience for all students is coordinated with a course Instructor. This course fulfills the Capstone experience for the Climate System Science major in DEES. This course cannot be combined with one semester of Senior Seminar UN3901, which is designed as a 1-year course.

• R 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• 3 points

INTRO TO ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE

Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general physics, or the instructors permission. Basic physical processes controlling atmospheric structure: thermodynamics; radiation physics and radiative transfer; principles of atmospheric dynamics; cloud processes; applications to Earths atmospheric general circulation, climatic variations, and the atmospheres of the other planets.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6:40 p.m.
• Instructor: Lorenzo M Polvani
  CULPA: 6 h-index: 69 Info
• 3 points

HUMANS & THE CARBON CYCLE

Prerequisites: One semester of college-level calculus, college-level chemistry. College-level physics or geoscience. Or instructor’s permission. The accelerating climate change of the current day is driven by humanity’s modifications to the global carbon cycle. This course introduces the basic science of the global carbon cycle, focusing on large-scale processes occurring on annual to centennial timescales. Students will leave this course with an understanding of the degree to which the global carbon cycle is understood and quantified and the key uncertainties that are the focus of current research. We will build an understanding of the potential pathways and the significant challenges to limiting global warming to 2oC as intended by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. 

The course will begin with a brief review of climate science basics and the role of CO2 in climate and climate change (weeks 1-2). Next, the fundamental processes of the ocean and the terrestrial biosphere carbon sinks will be covered (weeks 3-7). In weeks 8-10, our focus will be the drivers of current and future anthropogenic carbon emissions. In weeks 11-12, we will consider the potential for engineered sinks to contribute to global budgets. In weeks 13-14, students will present their final projects, and we will review the course content in the context of the December release of the current year’s Global Carbon Budget.

• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Galen A McKinley
  CULPA: 1 Wikipedia h-index: 32 Info
• 3 points

GLOBAL ASSMT-REMOTE SENSING

Prerequisites: Course Cap 20 students. Priority given to graduate students in the natural sciences and engineering. Advanced level undergraduates may be admitted with the instructors permission. Calculus I and Physics I & II are required for undergraduates who wish to take this course. General introduction to fundamentals of remote sensing; electromagnetic radiation, sensors, interpretation, quantitative image analysis and modeling. Example applications in the Earth and environmental sciences are explored through the analysis of remote sensing imagery in a state-or-the-art visualization laboratory.

• F 9 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• Instructor: Christopher Small
  CULPA: 1 h-index: 47 Info
• 3 points

CRUSTAL DEFORMATION

Prerequisites: Introductory geology and one year of calculus. Recommended preparation: One semester of college physics. Introduction to the fundamental concepts of structure and deformation processes in the Earth's crust. Fundamental theories of stress and strain, rock behavior in both brittle and ductile fields, large-scale crustal contractional and extensional structures with focus on their geometries and mechanics of formation. Introduction to the principles of earthquake mechanics with emphasis on physical processes. Laboratory sessions (part of the lecture) will cover techniques of structural analysis, recognition and interpretation of structures on geologic maps, and construction of interpretative cross sections.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Folarin Kolawole
  Info
• 3 points

TERRESTRIAL PALEOCLIMATE - From Science

INTRO-TERRESTRIAL PALEOCL

The ‘Terrestrial Paleoclimate-From Science to Justice' course teaches the close relation and inter-connections between paleoclimate processes, modern climate impacts and solution ideas, and the resulting climate justice challenge.

The course starts with an introduction of the inter-hemispheric patterns of climate changes on glacial-interglacial, millennial and centennial time-scales. We introduce the most prominent and robust climate archives - ice cores, speleothems, mountain glaciers, lake cores and pluvial lakes -, ranging from the polar regions to the tropics- and discuss the methods used to precisely date these records and the various techniques to extract the wealth of climatic information these archives contain.

We focus on the paleoclimate signals from the last glacial cycle, its termination and transition towards the current interglacial, the Holocene period, including the last millennium. This is a climate concept course and the overarching goal will be to highlight the striking harmony of inter-hemispheric climate changes over this period and the inter-connectivity of the various key-elements of the climate system in light of the profound relevance of these climate orchestrations to ongoing climate change. 

In the second module of this course, we will discuss the state of the climate crises in the paleo-context, together with ideas and visions toward
transitions
to a more sustainable future, and the fundamental aspects of
Climate Justice
within these considerations. The final group project brings together all these aspects.

The course consists of formal lectures and discussion groups to recite and digest the new material, solve small problems and understand the connection to current climate events, solutions and Climate Justice. 

Pre-requisites: any introductory level earth, environmental or climate course

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Jorg Schaefer
  h-index: 50 Info
• 3 points

EARTH RESOURCES & SUSTAIN DEV

Prerequisites: none; high school chemistry recommended. This course is open to graduate students, and juniors and seniors within DEES, Sus Dev, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and APAM - or with the instructors permission. Survey of the origin and extent of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial materials, that are non renewable, finite resources, and the environmental consequences of their extraction and use, using the textbook Earth Resources and the Environment, by James Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This course will provide an overview, but will include focus on topics of current societal relevance, including estimated reserves and extraction costs for fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels, sources and future for luxury goods such as gold and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in consumer electronics (e.g. ;Coltan; mostly from Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such as superconducting magnets and rechargeable batteries (e.g. heavy rare earth elements, mostly from China). Guest lectures from economists, commodity traders and resource geologists will provide ;real world; input.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Peter Kelemen
  CULPA: 8 h-index: 84 Info
• 3 points

ISOTOPE GEOLOGY I

Prerequisites: For graduate students, basic background in chemistry, physics and earth science. For undergraduates, basic background in chemistry and physics, plus EESC UN2200 Solid Earth and EESC UN3101 Geochemistry for a Habitable Planet, or permission from the instructor. 

An introduction to the processes that drive the universe, the formation of our solar system, and the history and evolution of our planet. Topics include stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis (origin of the elements), principles of radioactive decay and geochronology, composition of the solar system and the Earth, evolution of the mantle and crust, and using isotopes to trace to geological processes.

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Cornelia Class
  h-index: 28 Info
• 3 points

BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Prerequisites: introductory college-level biology and chemistry. An overview of the biology and ecology of the oceans with a focus on the interaction between marine organisms and the physics and chemistry of the oceans.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew R Juhl
  h-index: 22 Info
• 3 points

INTRO TO PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY

Prerequisites:
 Recommended preparation: a solid background in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. 
Topics:
 Physical properties of seawater, hydrography (water masses and their distribution), dispersal (advection and diffusion), ocean dynamics (Navier Stokes equation), processes (eddies, waves, tides), large-scale circulation (wind-driven gyres, overturning circulation).

• TR 8:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
• Instructor: Andreas Thurnherr
  Info
• 3 points

INTRODUCTION TO SEISMOLOGY

Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general physics, or the instructors permission. Methods and underpinnings of seismology including seismogram analysis, elastic wave propogation theory, earthquake source characterization, instrumentation, inversion of seismic data to infer Earth structure.

• TR 11:40 a.m.-12:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Felix Waldhauser
  h-index: 37 Info
• 3 points

EARTH SCIENCE COLLOQUIUM

Current topics in the Earth sciences.

• F 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Instructor: Kaleigh B Matthews
  Info
• 1 points

RSRCH COMPUTING EARTH SCI

Prerequisites: Graduate student status, calculus, or instructor permission Priority given to first year PhD students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Computing has become an indispensable tool for Earth Scientists. This course will introduce incoming DEES PhD students to modern computing software, programming tools and best practices that are broadly applicable to carrying out research in the Earth Sciences. This includes an introduction to Unix, programming in three commonly used languages (Python, MATLAB and Fortran), version control and data backup, tools for visualizing geoscience data and making maps. Students will learn the basics of high performance computing and big data analysis tools available on cluster computers. Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, homework assignments and class projects. All topics will be taught through example datasets or problems from Earth Sciences. The course is designed to be accessible for Earth Science graduate students in any discipline.

• TR 2:40 p.m.-3:55 p.m.
• Instructor: Yutian Wu
  h-index: 15 Info
• 3 points

QUANT METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS

Prerequisites: calculus. Recommended preparation: linear algebra, statistics, computer programming. Introduction to the fundamentals of quantitative data analysis in Earth and environmental sciences. Topics: review of relevant probability, statistics and linear algebra; linear models and generalized least squares; Fourier analysis and introduction to spectral analysis; filtering time series (convolution,deconvolution,smoothing); factor analysis and empirical orthogonal functions; covariance and correlation; methods of interpolation; statistical significance and hypothesis testing; introduction to Monte Carlo methods for data analysis. Problem sets and term project require use of MATLAB or Python.

• MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: William H Menke
  CULPA: 14 Info
• 4 points

ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION

This course provides a basic quantitative introduction to (electromagnetic) radiation in the climate system, focusing on the atmosphere. We will establish the language used to describe radiation and describe how sources of radiation are related to temperature and to the physical properties and chemical composition of the atmosphere. We’ll learn how radiation emitted by the earth and atmosphere is transported between elements of the climate system and the rest of the universe, combining this with information about how the optical properties vary with wavelength to understand phenomena as varied as the cooling rate of the atmosphere, how “radiative forcing” arises from compositional changes and how this varies in space, and why the amount of rain increases more slowly than the amount of water in the atmosphere. We’ll then consider light from the sun, which arrives as a collimated beam that’s diffused in the atmosphere. We’ll consider methods for computing the fate of incoming sunlight and explore how this depends on the distribution of the gasses, aerosols, and clouds that make up the atmosphere.

• TR 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
• Instructor: Robert Pincus
  Info
• 3 points

SCIENCE UNDERGROUND: DECOLONIAL METHODS

RACE, CLIMATE, ENV JUSTIC

It has been well-documented by now that those facing the heaviest impacts of accelerating climate change and environmental catastrophes have largely been communities of color and / or working class. Many of these communities are also survivors of colonialism’s deeper ongoing legacies of dispossession as well as of capitalist extraction projects. Yet these same communities have long had much to teach on how to be in better relations with our planet and each other – in part through a forced “resilience” and in large part through ancestral knowledge of the land. The purpose of this seminar is to train students to think critically about their research, to broaden the scope of what counts as expertise, and to ethically engage with effected communities when it comes to the production of knowledge and doing science.

We begin by examining the colonial foundations of the sciences, with a special focus on the geo- and climate sciences. The ideological underpinnings of these sciences assume the earth to be an inert object ripe for exploitation; this legacy of European modernity is often at odds with the worldviews of indigenous peoples and their relations with nature. We then explore several anti-colonial and critical science scholars’ works and ask: what would it mean to revisit the foundations of modern science with a decolonial lens? How do we know (study) and relate to a place in a non-extractive and mutually respectful way that centers local communities and indigenous knowledge and practices? We will explore these questions through several examples, including an in-depth dive into this seminar’s ongoing collaborative community project with The Black School, a New Orleans based community organization facing lead contamination on their land within the context of a long legacy of environmental racism.

The Seminar will feature lectures (including guest lectures) on Tuesdays and discussion sections for readings and lectures on Thursdays.

Discussion section reading will follow
Confronting Climate Coloniality: Decolonizing Pathways for Climate Justice
, Edited by Farhana Sultana. However, students can collectively decide along with the discussion leader on additional or different readings relatives to their interests and discussions as the semester proceeds.

Students taking the seminar for 3 credits and who aim to decolonize their own research will be trained in ethnographic methods in order to complete their own mini-ethnography projects and presen

• TR 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
• Instructor: Hadeel K Assali
  Info
• 2-3 points

Research Skills for Earth and Environmen

RESEARCH SKILLS FOR EARTH

The goal of this course is to help students improve their writing for journal publication. Topics will include strategies for constructing an article; for keeping the manuscript moving forward; and for improving the quality of the student’s writing. Students must be actively working on a manuscript for publication, and must be willing to commit to a minimum of 10 minutes of writing per day. Additional work will include short reading and writing assignments throughout the term, and a small number of peer-review sessions outside of class. The course will be discussion oriented and taught in seminar style and will meet once per week for 1.5 hrs.

• W 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m.
• Instructor: Meredith Nettles
  CULPA: 3 h-index: 31 Info
• 2 points