Earth & Environment

• CAS GE 501: Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing
  Examines advanced concepts in radiative transfer and information extraction relevant to remote sensing. Emphasis on applications of digital image processing to remote sensing problems.
• CAS GE 502: Field Measurements for Remote Sensing
  Field measurements to support remote sensing activities. Theory and measurement of upwelling and downwelling flux fields with field radiometers and spectrometers; forest canopy leaf area using specialized instruments; hemispherical canopy photography; GPS field location and surveying techniques; simple forest mensuration.
• CAS GE 503: Micrometeorology: Energy and Mass Transfer at the Earth's Surface
  Modern theories and techniques for measurement and analysis of physical processes occuring at the Earth's surface: radiation regimes; energy and mass exchange; agricultural and forest micrometeorology: remote sensing and modeling of land surface properties and processes.
• 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 509: Applied Environmental Statistics
  Survey of modern probability-based statistical methods in environmental science. Core concepts in likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to address spatial, time-series, and latent variable models and non-Gaussian, non-linear, heterogenous, and missing data. Project-based course focused on applications to data.
• 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 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 519: Energy, Society, and the Environment
  Focus on applied political economy and the intersection of policy, energy systems, and environmental systems. Project based learning, with an emphasis on energy technology and obstacles to deployment.
• CAS GE 520: Topics in Energy and Environmental Policy
  Topics vary from year to year. Topic for Spring 2014: Lead Poisoning Prevention Analysis. Analysis and follow up of a 2013 study that received responses from more than 40 states about lead poisoning prevention efforts about unsafe work in child-occupied buildings. Students identify and consult experts and learn about lead poisoning prevention.
• CAS GE 521: Environmental Law and Policy
  Survey of the major features of environmental law and relevant procedural and constitutional issues. Comparison of practical realities (political, economic, social, geographic, biological) with the ideal context for what should be. Projects include legal research and mock advocacy.
• 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 523: Marine Urban Ecology
  Marine Urban Ecology is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how human and ecological processes can coexist in human-dominated systems. Topics, ecosystems, and organisms associated with urbanization in the Greater Boston area. Part of the Marine Semester. Also offered as CAS GE 523.
• 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: Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
  Analyzes the interface of ecosystem process modeling and remote sensing, modeling terrestrial primary production, and potential of remote sensing for collecting biotic and abiotic data in ecosystem process studies.
• 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 550: Modeling Environmental and Social Systems
  Techniques of organizing energy, environmental, or social systems into mathematical computer models. Includes the theory underlying different modeling techniques, programming skills, and a hands-on research project in which students develop their own models.

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