Geography & Environment

• CAS GE 504: Physical Climatology
  Physical principles governing the climate system and the spatial and temporal patterns of weather elements on regional and global scales. Physics of energy, mass, and momentum transfer; the observed state of the atmosphere; climate feedback processes; and climate change.
• CAS GE 505: Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  Provides a theoretical and practical introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Introduces the essentials in GIS, methods of data capture and sources of data, nature and characteristics of spatial data and objects, data structures, modeling surfaces, volumes and time, and data uncertainty. Emphasis is on applications. Laboratory exercises included.
• CAS GE 507: Dynamical Oceanography
  Introduction to the physical ocean system. Physical properties of seawater; essential ocean dynamics; mixing and stirring in the ocean; simple waves; observed current systems and water masses; and coupled atmosphere-ocean variability. Also offered as CAS ES 507.
• CAS GE 510: Physical Principles of the Environment
  Principles and concepts underlying the physical and ecological forces that cause environmental change. Topics include soil erosion, acid rain, thermal pollution, greenhouse effect, stratospheric ozone depletion, and loss of biodiversity.
• CAS GE 511: Ecological Economics
  Interrelationships among population, economic growth, environment, energy, and natural resource supplies, particularly in developing countries. Focus on possibilities and limitations of technological solutions to pressures of population on resources and environment. Critical examination of large-scale economic environmental models.
• CAS GE 512: Global Climate Change: Policy Modeling and Analysis
  Introduction to the analysis of climate change policies and associated economic issues. Students learn to analyze policy through computational energy-environmental-economic simulations that reflect insights of theoretical economic analyses. Emphasis on developing familiarity with state of the art modeling techniques.
• CAS GE 514: Dynamic Land Surface Hydrology
  Land surface hydrology with emphasis on the unsaturated zone. Development and applications of physics governing transport of water, vapor, and heat in soils and the near surface atmosphere. Effects of vegetation, topography, and water table runoff, evapotranspiration, and recharge.
• CAS GE 516: Multivariate Analysis for Geographers
  Applications of multivariate techniques to problems in spatial context, emphasizing interpretation. Review of regression and analysis of variance. Introduction to topics including canonical correlation, factor analysis, discriminant and clustering analyses.
• CAS GE 517: Hydrology Model
  
• CAS GE 518: Res Scarcity
  
• CAS GE 519: Energy, Society, and the Environment
  Overview of technical, historical, economic, social and environmental aspects of energy systems, including fossil fuels, nuclear, solar, wind, biomass, and energy end use efficiency and conservation.
• CAS GE 520: Topics in Energy and Environmental Policy
  Topics vary from year to year and may include the policy aspects of environmental regulation, risk assessment and environmental decision making, international environmental policy, natural resource policy, and energy policy.
• CAS GE 521: Environmental Law and Policy
  Survey of the major features of environmental law and relevant procedural and consitutional issues. Comparison of practical realities (political, economic, social, geographic, biological) with the ideal context for what should be. Projects include legal research and mock advocay.
• CAS GE 522: Environmental Policy and Decision-Making
  In-depth look at environmental policy and decision-making: how society addresses environmental problems. Includes discussion of the environmental movement, law, science, technology, economics, and international relations. Examines new issues facing environmental professionals and approaches to creating a sustainable world.
• CAS GE 525: Plant Physiological Ecology
  In-depth treatment of eco-physiological responses of plants and communities to environmental factors and climate change, as well as plant and community level impacts on the environment as manifested primarily in hydrologic, energy, and carbon cycles.
• CAS GE 529: Ecosys Rem Sens
  
• CAS GE 530: Forest Ecology
  The major biotic and abiotic factors influencing forest ecosystem composition, structure and function. Role of solar radiation, hydrology, soils, succession, and management of forest ecosystems. Includes New England case study. Three hours lecture plus discussion. Also meets with CAS BI 530.
• CAS GE 533: Risk Assessment
  Investigates the science behind regulation designed to protect people from environmental hazards, through a practical focus on chemical hazards. Students develop a working knowledge of the risk assessment process and perform simple risk assessments for chemicals in the environment.
• CAS GE 536: European Environmental Policy
  Focuses on key concepts, actors, and issues related to European integration, environmental policy making, and sustainable development. Also examines transatlantic environmental relations and the role of the European Union in global environmental governance. Also offered as CAS IR 536.
• CAS GE 539: His Geo Thought
  

Note that this information may change at any time.

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