Climate Change

Lecture, two hours; field work, one hour. An investigation of the mechanisms that underlie responses of organisms to human-caused environmental changes. Activities include field trips, literature discussions, and lectures. Focuses on issues of interest in Southern California, including nitrogen deposition, invasions, and habitat fragmentation.

Introduction to Earth materials and processes. Topics include rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, Earth surface processes, Earth resources, geologic time, and Earth history. Laboratory work involves hands-on study of geologic materials, maps, and exercises pertaining to geologic processes.

Examines circulation of the world oceans and ocean chemistry as it relates to river, hydrothermal vent, and atmospheric inputs. Geological features, the wide variety of biological organisms, and global climate changes, such as greenhouse warming, are also studied.

A series of fundamental and applied scientific problems are addressed, illustrating the pervasive role of mathematical analysis. Topics may include energy utilization, the climate system, the “greenhouse effect,” ozone depletion and air pollution, ecological consequences of water pollution, nutrient cycles. Open only to members of the Campuswide Honors Program or consent of instructor.

An overview of global environmental changes including climate change, sea level rise, biodiversity loss, land and ocean degradation, and resource depletion. Discusses scientific, cultural, historical, and policy dimensions of these issues as well as possible solutions. Prerequisites: Earth System Science 60A or 25 and Chemistry 1B or H2B.

Composition, physics, and circulation of Earth’s atmosphere with an emphasis on explaining the role of atmospheric processes in shaping the climate system. Topics include: atmospheric composition, the global energy balance, radiative transfer and climate, atmospheric circulation and climate sensitivity. Corequisites: Mathematics 2B or a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Calculus BC examination, Physics 3B or 7C.

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.

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.

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.