Ecosystem

Investigates how sustainability can be implemented in a variety of contexts including water, energy, nonrenewable resources, biodiversity, and urban policy, and also how it could be measured.

Students attend weekly seminar to discuss current issues in global sustainability. Weekly attendance at Global Sustainability Forum also is required. Seminar utilized to analyze forum presentations and to prepare senior research paper. Prepare/ write research paper under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisites: Earth System Science 190A-B and satisfaction of the lower-division writing requirement.

A mechanistic perspective of the structure and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Includes processes such as nutrient cycling, biogeochemical cycling, mass balance, energetics, terrestrial hydrology, and water cycle.

An introduction to the physical environment, biological systems, and human-environment interactions. Explores physical principles such as fluid transport and reaction rates using environmental examples as well as principles of populations, ecosystems, carrying capacity, and sustainable use of resources.

Addresses ways in which humans are altering the global environment, with consequences for the ecology of animals, plants, and microbes. Discussion on how these biologically oriented questions relate to human society, politics, and the economy. Same as Biological Sciences 9K.

Introduction of scientific, technological, environmental, economic, and social aspects underlying the threat and understanding of global climate change. Human and natural drivers of climate. Impacts of climate on natural, managed, and human systems, including their vulnerability and ability to adapt.

Seminar and lecture, three hours. Explores basic topics in ecology and evolutionary biology and applications to agriculture, conservation, environmental issues, and public health. Format involves discussion of scientific journal articles and other readings, with focus on learning to evaluate scientific evidence. Prerequisite or corequisite: Biological Sciences E106.

Examines the ecological processes of the coastal environment. Investigates the causes of coastal ecosystem degradation and strategies to restore the ecosystem balance or prevent further coastal ecosystem health degradation. Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A-B and Social Ecology E8. Concurrent with CEE267.

Sources, dispersion, and effects of air pollutants. Topics include emission factors, emission inventory, air pollution, meteorology, air chemistry, air quality modeling, impact assessment, source and ambient monitoring, regional control strategies. Prerequisites: MAE91; MAE130A or CEE170. (Design units: 2)

Lecture, three hours. Examination of contemporary water problems worldwide, with particular attention to the competing demands for water in the western U.S., and water demand by the poor in developing countries. History and analysis of U.S. water policies at local, state, and federal levels.