2011-2012

The composition and circulation of the atmosphere with a focus on explaining the fundamentals of weather and climate. Topics include solar and terrestrial radiation, clouds, and weather patterns.

Overview of oceanography for those interested in Earth system science. Focus is on physical, chemical, and biological processes that drive biogeochemical cycling in the oceans. Coastal systems also reviewed, with emphasis on California waters. Corequisites: Mathematics 2B and Physics 3B or 7C. Prerequisite: Chemistry 1C.

Supervised original research in areas of Earth System Science. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.

Designed to introduce first-year graduate students to research. Students explore research opportunities and develop a proposal for a summer research project under the direction of a faculty mentor.

A mechanistic perspective on ecosystem processes. Covers ecosystem development, element cycling, and interactions with plants and microbes. The role of ecosystems in environmental change is also addressed. Prerequisite: Chemistry 51C. Same as Biological Sciences E118.

Covers the origin and evolution of the Earth, its atmosphere, and oceans, from the perspective of biogeochemical cycles, energy use, and human impacts on the Earth system. Earth System Science 1 and 25 may not both be taken for credit.

Application of systems theory in hydrologic, land surface, and biogeochemical modeling. Design, identification, and calibration of conceptual models. Principles of dynamic systems and modeling approaches, theory of linear systems and mathematical concepts of differential calculus, theoretical concepts of parameter estimation and optimization theory.

Elements of the hydrologic cycle including precipitation, infiltration, evapotranspiration, ground water, and runoff. Unit Hydrograph theory and routing methods. Introduction to precipitation/runoff relationship and watershed modeling. Statistical methods and flood frequency analysis. Discussion section covers advanced topics. Prerequisite: CEE170 or MAE130A or equivalent, or consent of instructor.

Basic principles of hydrologic modeling are practiced in detail. Concepts of watershed, floodplains delineation, hydrologic impact, design studies, and GIS tools are discussed. Focus on the USACE (HEC) software tools (HEC-HMS) and HECRAS) along with their associated GIS interfaces

Topics include conservation of fluid mass, storage properties of porous media, matrix compressibility, boundary conditions, flow nets, well hydraulics, groundwater chemistry, and solute transport. Design projects and computer applications included. Prerequisites: CEE20 or equivalent; CEE170 or MAE130A or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Concurrent with CEE172.