Applications to watershed hydrology, groundwater resource evaluation, groundwater contamination, geotechnical problems, and geologic processes. This course offers an integrated examination of chemical processes operating in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere and interior of the Earth, and their role in the evolution of the Earth System. In addition, the Earth's present and past climate system and the origin and evolution of the chemistry of the atmosphere, the oceans, and the solid earth will be explored. The fundamental principles governing the dynamic processes within and around the planets are treated in some detail. Core equations are developed and used to analyze nebula condensation, planetary accretion, convection in mantles and atmospheres, radiative and conductive heat transport, seismic waves, hurricanes, volcanism, and meteorite impacts, among others.
Emphasis is on fundamentals and problem solving.
An independent course of study may be pursued under the direction of an adviser on those topics not specifically listed in the form of regular courses. Examination of chemical and physical processes responsible for Antarctic ozone hole and Arctic and mid-latitude depletion. Also, modeling of ozone depletion, future scenarios, and common myths. Introduction An introduction to the basic principles of atmospheric structure and its response to natural and anthropogenic perturbations. It includes the role of the sun, atmospheric constituents, and Earth's surface in determining Earth's climate and its sensitivity to change.