Earth & Environment

• GRS ES 620: Aquatic Optics and Remote Sensing
  An introduction to the use of optical measurements and remote sensing to study the biogeochemistry and water quality of aquatic environments. Covers fundamental concepts and measurements in optics/remote sensing and provides hands-on experience with real data.
• GRS ES 623: Ecosystem Biogeochemistry
  Nutrient and biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems; global biogeochemistry. Topics include anthropogenic effects on ecosystem cycles and productivity, wetland ecology and biogeochemistry, ecosystem restoration, ocean productivity, climate change and temperate, tropical, and aquatic ecosystems, oceans and the global CO2 budget, marine sediment chemistry. (Offered alternate years.)
• GRS ES 640: Marine Geology
  Examines the evolution of ocean basins and marginal seas, changes in structure and composition of ocean basin throughout the last billion years, and the contribution of oceanic geological processes to the chemistry and biochemistry of earth.
• GRS ES 671: Geochemistry
  (Meets with CAS ES 371.) Chemical features of Earth and the solar system; geochemical cycles, reactions among solids, liquids, and gases; radioactivity and isotope fractionation; water chemistry; origins of ore deposits; applications of geochemistry to regional and global problems.
• GRS ES 683: Geodynamics II Fluids and Fluid Transport
  Large- and small-scale phenomena in oceanic, atmospheric, and land-surface fluids. Properties of gases and liquids; surface body forces; statics; flow analysis; continuity and momentum conservation. Darcy's Law; potential, open channel and geostrophic flow; dimensional analysis; diffusion, turbulence. Offered alternate years.
• GRS ES 719: Colloquium in Terrestrial Biogeoscience
  Introduction to the field of Terrestrial Biogeoscience through weekly research presentations and discussions with GRS faculty and distinguished guests. Students also meet weekly with lead faculty member to discuss primary literature related to each presentation. Also offered as GRS BI 719 and GRS GE 719.
• GRS ES 720: Practicum in Terrestrial Biogeoscience
  Analysis and synthesis of the primary literature via in-depth case studies in terrestrial biogeoscience. Students meet weekly with faculty to read papers from the primary literature, synthesize results, and prepare a peer-review quality paper on the case study. Also offered as GRS BI 720 and GRS GE 720.
• GRS GE 600: Environment and Development: A Political Ecology Approach
  Theory and practice of development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. Introduces history of development and the environment; explores select themes in development and environmental studies (e.g. rural livelihoods, conservation, urbanization, and climate change); and considers alternative development paradigms.
• GRS GE 620: Methods of Environmental Policy Analysis
  Introduction to the analysis of environmental policy, the implications of environmental problems for public decision making, the tools available to decision-makers, and their effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages.
• GRS GE 625: United States Environmental Policy
  Survey and historical overview of key environmental policies and regulations in the United States. Emphasis on policy development, including formulation and implementation of federal pollution control regulations since the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Considers possible future policy needs.
• GRS GE 640: Digital Image Processing - Remote Sensing
  At least introductory statistics (and preferable multivariate statistics) recommended. This course pursues both the algorithms involved in processing remote sensing images and their application. Topics include preprocessing, image transformations, image classification and segmentation, spectral mixture analysis, and change detection. Examples cover a wide range of environmental applications of remote sensing. Students do a project
• GRS GE 645: Physical Models in Remote Sensing
  Devoted to understanding the physical processes involved in remote sensing. Emphasis based on topics of radiative transfer in the atmosphere, at the surface, and in sensors. Reflectance modeling, advanced sensor systems, and geometric effects. A short research paper is required.
• GRS GE 656: Terrestrial Ecosystems and the Carbon Cycle
  Explores the past, present, and possible future dynamics of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Key topics include the physical climate system, variability, ecosystem processes, land use issues, and impacts of global change on society.
• GRS GE 660: Food, Energy, and Water Policy
  Economic and policy analysis of how to manage ecosystems for the provision of food, energy, and water. Introduces cost-benefit analysis, dynamic optimization, and ecosystem service valuation as tools for understanding the optimal management of ecosystems and tradeoffs.
• GRS GE 675: Urban Ecology
  The biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics include the physical environment, patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function, global change, urban environment pollution and management, and sustainable urban development. Also offered as GRS BI 675.
• GRS GE 683: Geodynamics II: Fluids and Fluid Transport
  Large and small scale phenomena in oceanic, atmospheric, and land surface fluids. Properties of gases and liquids; surface body forces; statics; flow analysis; continuity and momentum conservation. Darcy's Law; potential, open channel geostraphic flow; dimensional analysis; diffusic turbulence.
• GRS GE 710: Scientific Assessments of Environmental Issues: Process and Evaluation
  A seminar on the history, practice, and evaluation of scientific assessments of environmental issues. Examples include stratospheric ozone, climate change, and biodiversity. Assessments are examined as scientific communications challenges and criteria for their success or failure are discussed. Also offered as GRS IR 728.
• GRS GE 712: Reg Enrgy Model
  
• GRS GE 715: Global Change Initiative: Education and Research
  Interdisciplinary perspectives on global change issues, combined with focus on how to develop effective classroom lessons to address these issues. GLACIER fellows are assigned readings from various disciplines and perspectives on global change and required to develop lesson plans.
• GRS GE 719: Colloquium in Terrestrial Biogeoscience
  Introduction to the field of Terrestrial Biogeoscience through weekly research presentations and discussions with GRS faculty and distinguished guests. Students also meet weekly with lead faculty member to discuss primary literature related to each presentation. Also offered as GRS BI 719 and GRS ES 719.

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