Global Arc

Are human activities changing our climate? Is climate change a major problem? To answer these questions, we will learn the basics of how Earth's climate works and how climate shapes environments. We will also investigate past climate changes and identify the most important ways in which climate change can affect the natural world and humans. Finally, we will use climate science to evaluate possible responses and solutions. The course is designed for students from all majors-no science background required-while still offering a comprehensive overview for any student seeking to pursue climate science or a climate-related topic.

Are human activities changing our climate? Is climate change a major problem? To answer these questions, we will learn the basics of how Earth's climate works and how climate shapes environments. We will also investigate past climate changes and identify the most important ways in which climate change can affect the natural world and humans. Finally, we will use climate science to evaluate possible responses and solutions. The course is designed for students from all majors - no science background required - while still offering a comprehensive overview for any student seeking to pursue climate science or a climate-related topic.

An introduction to natural (and some society-induced) hazards and the importance of public understanding of related issues. Emphasis is on the geological processes that drive the hazards, and how these can inform policy choices. Topics include: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunami, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, meteorite impacts, climate change. Intended primarily for non-science majors. Two lectures, one three-hour laboratory.

Students will use drone-derived models of landscapes, georeferenced field observations of the natural world, and data mining of the primary literature in combination with quantitative modeling to answer questions like: How have ancient climate changes been preserved in modern landscapes and the rock record? How is climate changing now, and how do we measure it? Students will build on what they learned as freshmen in the Writing Seminars about articulating a compelling hypothesis and making an argument based on data and analysis.

How do the ocean and atmosphere control Earth's climate? How do changes in climate and the atmosphere influence the ocean? Join us to explore what sets Earth's temperature and the connections between oceanic and atmospheric circulations, including exchanges of heat and carbon. We'll also investigate how these circulations control marine ecosystems and the cycling of chemicals in the ocean. In the final part of the course we will focus on human impacts, such as changes in coastal environments and the acidification resulting from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. One 50-minute precept per week complements lectures.

This course introduces the Earth system, quantifying the underlying physical and chemical processes that connect the Earth's land, water and atmosphere. We discuss how these processes and feedbacks sustain habitable conditions on Earth's surface. Topics include: plate tectonics, volcanism, mountain formation, the rock cycle, mineralogy, magnetism, the hydrologic cycle, the carbon cycle, earthquakes and seismology.

Introduction to modern geologic field methods, with local and regional problems studied from a residential base camp. One option is the five week University of Houston-Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) course based in Red Lodge, Montana, run by the University of Houston. Alternatively, students may attend field courses offered by other institutions after obtaining approval from the Undergraduate Work Committee of the Department of Geosciences. Financial aid is available through the Geosciences Department.

An Introduction to Earth and Planetary Physics. Planetary formation (accretion, cooling, heat transport) and evolution (mantle convection, deformation, plate tectonics). Rheology, and mineral physics (melting and differentiation). Techniques include gravity, magnetism, seismology and geodynamics, Taught in the context of the terrestrial planets (Earth, Mars and Venus).

Humans have profoundly altered the chemistry of Earth's air, water, and soil. This course explores these changes with an emphasis on the analytical techniques used to measure the human impact. Topics include the accumulation of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) in Earth's atmosphere and the contamination of drinking water at the tap and in the ground. Students will get hands on training in mass spectrometry and spectroscopy to determine the chemical composition of air, water, and soil and will participate in an outreach project aimed at providing chemical analyses of urban tap waters to residents of Trenton, NJ.

This class discusses fundamental aspects of Earth's climate with a focus on the fundamental atmospheric processes that render Earth "habitable," and how they may respond to the forcing originating from natural (such as volcanoes) and anthropogenic (such as emission of carbon dioxide and ozone-depleting gases) processes.