Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences offers courses in climate study, earth science, oceanography, geology, chemical geology, atmospheric science, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs and paleontology.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Please note: Some courses are held at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, NY.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Global Warming will dominate civic discourse and inform economic, social, and governmental policies throughout the 21st century, in all walks of life. This course will cover the basics of climate science, anthropogenic global warming, proposed solutions and policy challenges facing society in response to our changing planet. This course will increase your confidence and ability to engage in public discourse on the subject of climate change, climate change solutions, and public policy concerning our collective future.
Course Number
EESC1009W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12410Enrollment
177 of 200Instructor
Baerbel HoenischMaureen RaymoThe trip is restricted to first-years and sophomores from Columbia College/General Studies, Barnard College, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Early application is advised, and no later than November 12. A spring-break excursion focused on the geology of Death Valley and adjacent areas of the eastern California desert. Discussion sessions ahead of the trip provide necessary background. Details at: https://eesc.columbia.edu/content/eesc-un1010.
Course Number
EESC1010W001Points
2 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Fr 17:30-19:00Section/Call Number
001/12416Enrollment
20 of 20Instructor
Folarin KolawoleNY based scientists conduct enriching laboratory- and field-based research on a variety of topics related to environmental science. In this course we will visit various field and lab sites to learn about the different methodologies utilized by these scientists. With hands-on experiments and data collection you will experience a day in the life of a scientist, develop new skills, and explore various career paths.
Course Number
EESC2022X001Points
2 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Fr 18:00-19:15Section/Call Number
001/00160Enrollment
3 of 18Instructor
Elizabeth CookLogan BrennerCourse Number
EESC2100W001Points
5 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Th 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
001/12424Enrollment
43 of 50Instructor
Mingfang TingGisela WincklerCourse Number
EESC2100W002Points
5 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 13:10-14:25Th 13:10-14:25We 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
002/16962Enrollment
7 of 25Instructor
Michela BiasuttiJennifer MiddletonRecommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Exploration of how the solid Earth works, today and in the past, focusing on Earth in the Solar system, continents and oceans, the Earth's history, mountain systems on land and sea, minerals and rocks, weathering and erosion, glaciers and ice sheets, the hydrological cycle and rivers, geochronology, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, energy resources. Laboratory exploration of topics through examination of rock samples, experimentation, computer data analysis, field exercises, and modeling. Columbia and Barnard majors should plan to take W2200 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with the Senior Seminar.
Course Number
EESC2200W001Points
5 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Tu 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
001/12441Enrollment
42 of 50Instructor
Steven GoldsteinSidney HemmingPrerequisites: high school algebra. Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics.
Role of life in biogeochemical cycles, relationship of biodiversity and evolution to the physical Earth, vulnerability of ecosystems to environmental change; causes and effects of extinctions through geologic time (dinosaurs and mammoths) and today. Exploration of topics through laboratories, data analysis, and modeling. REQUIRED LAB: EESC UN2310. Students will be expected to choose a lab section during the first week of class from the options listed in the Directory of Classes. Co-meets with EEEB 2002
Course Number
EESC2300V001Points
5 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12449Enrollment
50 of 50Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanCourse Number
EESC2310V001Points
0 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
We 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
001/12455Enrollment
0 of 0Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanCourse Number
EESC2310V002Points
0 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
We 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
002/12461Enrollment
0 of 0Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanCourse Number
EESC2310V003Points
0 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
We 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
003/12464Enrollment
0 of 0Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanCourse Number
EESC2310V004Points
0 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
004/12466Enrollment
0 of 0Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanCourse Number
EESC2310V005Points
0 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-19:00Section/Call Number
005/12468Enrollment
0 of 0Instructor
Paul OlsenMatthew PalmerSonya DyhrmanThe centerpiece of this course is a geological field trip during Spring Break in Barbados. The class will meet weekly before the trip to prepare for it and after the trip to synthesize what was learned and to create a field guide. Subjects to be covered: plate tectonics, convergent plate margins and accretionary prisms, local Barbados geology; ice ages, Milankovitch cycles, sea level; introduction to coral reefs and fossil coral reef geology; Barbados terrestrial ecology; limestone caves, hydrology; dating methods; overview of Barbados history, economy, culture. In order to observe the modern-day coral reef (the modern day live analog to the fossil coral reefs we will see) the class will go snorkeling. In order to observe the effects of cave formation and water flow in limestone terrains the class will participate in an extensive visit to a cave. The class will also participate in an exercise in geological mapping of a series of coral reef terraces.
Priority: Priority is given to junior and senior majors and concentrators in Earth Science or Environmental Science at Columbia College and the School of General Studies, and Barnard College Environmental Science majors and minors. Others (non-DEES majors and non-Barnard Environmental Science students) may also be allowed to enroll if space permits. All students need permission of the instructor. Students who sign up will be put on a waitlist and will be considered after contacting the instructor.
Course Number
EESC3010W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 19:30-21:20Section/Call Number
001/12475Enrollment
17 of 20Instructor
Steven GoldsteinSidney HemmingLecture, laboratory and field study of regional forest types from upland to coast and from urban to rural, forest ecosystem services, impacts of land-use and climate change on forests, reconstruction of past forests, forest pests, forest fires and forest conservation (corridors). Field trip sites for data collection include: maritime, pine barrens, eastern deciduous and NYC urban forests. Format: lecture, laboratory, field trip, data collection and analysis, student presentations.
Course Number
EESC3021X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Th 13:10-15:40Section/Call Number
001/00161Enrollment
16 of 16Instructor
Terryanne Maenza-GmelchPrerequisites: Enrollment limited to 12 students. Permission of the instructor required. This class looks at the response of wildlife (birds and plants) to climate change and land-use issues from the end of the last glaciation to the present. We visit wildlife refuges along a rural-suburban-urban gradient in order to observe and measure the role refuges play in conservation. Case study topics are: (1) land-use change over time: a paleoenvironmental perspective, (2) environmental transformations: impact of exotic and invasive plants and birds on local environments and (3) migration of Neotropical songbirds between their wintering and breeding grounds: land-use, crisis and conservation. Format: lecture, student presentations, field trips and data collection/analysis.
Course Number
EESC3026X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 13:10-15:40Section/Call Number
001/00162Enrollment
16 of 16Instructor
Terryanne Maenza-GmelchUrban Ecosystems will cover scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand complex systems and the natural and social-ecological relationships at work in cities. You will learn the basics of ecological process and patterns of ecosystems especially applied in cities, understand how humans interact with and impact ecological processes and patterns in cities, and explore approaches for dealing with current and future urban challenges. Format: Lecture, discussion, small group work, field trips
Course Number
EESC3027X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 13:10-15:00Th 13:10-15:00Section/Call Number
001/00163Enrollment
16 of 25Instructor
Elizabeth CookCourse Number
EESC3040X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Fr 08:40-11:10Section/Call Number
001/00831Enrollment
13 of 20Instructor
Dana NeacsuCourse Number
EESC3050X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/00164Enrollment
0 of 30Instructor
Brian MaillouxThis is a calculus-based treatment of climate system physics and the mechanisms of anthropogenic climate change. By the end of this course, students will understand: how solar radiation and rotating fluid dynamics determine the basic climate state, mechanisms of natural variability and change in climate, why anthropogenic climate change is occurring, and which scientific uncertainties are most important to estimates of 21st century change.
This course is designed for undergraduate students seeking a quantitative introduction to climate and climate change science. EESC V2100 (Climate Systems) is not a prerequisite, but can also be taken for credit if it is taken before this course.
Course Number
EESC3109W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/12499Enrollment
14 of 25Instructor
Adam SobelCourse Number
EESC3201W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12507Enrollment
19 of 30Instructor
Meredith NettlesCourse Number
EESC3801X001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/00165Enrollment
20 of 40Instructor
Elizabeth CookLogan BrennerJenna LawrenceGuided, independent, in-depth research culminating in the senior thesis in the spring. Includes discussion about scientific presentations and posters, data analysis, library research methods and scientific writing. Students review work in progress and share results through oral reports. Weekly seminar to review work in progress and share results through oral and written reports.
Course Number
EESC3901W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Th 16:10-18:00Section/Call Number
001/12520Enrollment
18 of 50Instructor
Jacqueline AustermannSidney HemmingElizabeth CookAn overview of approaches to estimating ages of sedimentary sequences and events in Earth history-to be-co listed at Stony Brook and Rutgers. Intended for students with good backgrounds in the physical sciences, who want to use geochronological techniques in their studies. Because of the hands-on nature of geochronology and thermochronology, we are going to run the course as a series of 5 workshops held on Saturdays (possibly a Sunday depending on scheduling)
Course Number
EESC4090W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Sa 10:00-16:00Section/Call Number
001/12529Enrollment
14 of 20Instructor
Sidney HemmingCourse Number
EESC4210W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 08:40-09:55Th 08:40-09:55Section/Call Number
001/12539Enrollment
13 of 35Instructor
Dhruv BalwadaAn overview of the geophysical study of the Earth, drawing upon geodesy, gravity, seismology, thermal studies, geomagnetism, materials science, and some geochemistry. Covers the principal techniques by which discoveries have been made, and are made, in deep Earth structure. Describes fundamental properties and features of the crust, mantle, and core.
Course Number
EESC4300W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/12544Enrollment
12 of 30Instructor
Goran EkstromPrerequisites: Introductory Biology. Earth Science and one course in ecology recommended. Treelines are the boundaries between forests and low stature alpine and tundra vegetation, thought to be controlled by climate and therefore likely to respond to climate change. In 1807 Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland described treeline as a global phenomenon and a bioclimatological reference that all other vegetation could be referenced against. Despite being clearly linked to climate, the mechanisms that control treeline formation and persistence remain an active area of scientific research and debate. The lack of a complete mechanistic understanding of how climate controls the location of treeline opens the important question of how treeline will respond to climate change. Furthermore, while physical site characteristics determine the potential location of treeline, trees may be absent for a variety of factors, complicating the predicted ecosystem response to a changing climate. These factors include local peculiarities of the environment, a regional lack of capable species, or a multitude of disturbances, including those caused by humans. This course is focused on the ecology treeline in light of global climate change and will provide students with a foundational understanding of fundamental ecological concepts as they pertain to this important ecological boundary between ecosystems and biomes. In addition, students will learn to (1) find, read, and discuss the primary scientific literature, and (2) communicate their findings via written, oral, and audio-visual formats. Topics include ecophysiology, population ecology, community ecology, biogeochemistry and ecosystem ecology.
Course Number
EESC4560W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12547Enrollment
20 of 25Instructor
Kevin GriffinCourse Number
EESC4885W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12552Enrollment
20 of 30Instructor
Robert AndersonCourse Number
EESC4920W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 10:10-11:25Th 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/12556Enrollment
33 of 30Instructor
Jerry McManusCourse Number
EESC4924W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 11:40-12:55Th 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/12560Enrollment
12 of 30Instructor
Roisin CommanePrerequisites: course in solid earth geology or geophysics; one year of general physics
Plate tectonics is the foundation of our understanding of all Earth processes including the climate system. This course will focus on four aspects of the development of the plate tectonic theory: the history of science concerning ideas about the evolution of the Earth including accounts of the plate tectonic revolution from the point of view of the people, many at Columbia, who led the way; geophysical methods such as the magnetic, gravity, heat flow and seismic tools and techniques that sparked, and continue to advance, the revolution; unresolved tectonic questions including the generation of mountain belts, the splitting of continents and the formation of large igneous provinces; climatic effects of plate tectonics such as changes in sea level and planetary albedo, the erosion and weathering of mountains, volcanic CO2 release and subduction recycling of carbon.
Course Number
EESC4947W001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Section/Call Number
001/12564Enrollment
12 of 40Instructor
W BuckCourse Number
EESC6001G001Points
1 ptsSpring 2024
Section/Call Number
001/14856Enrollment
32 of 80Instructor
Kaleigh MatthewsCourse Number
EESC6003G001Points
4 ptsSpring 2024
Section/Call Number
001/17833Enrollment
4 of 20Instructor
Kaleigh MatthewsCourse Number
EESC6300G001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Mo 15:30-16:45We 15:30-16:45Section/Call Number
001/12566Enrollment
3 of 40Instructor
William MenkeCourse Number
EESC6700G001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Mo 10:10-11:25We 10:10-11:25Section/Call Number
001/14737Enrollment
7 of 20Instructor
Terry PlankCourse Number
EESC6901G001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 13:10-14:25Th 13:10-14:25Section/Call Number
001/12589Enrollment
12 of 30Course Number
EESC6928G001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Times/Location
Tu 14:40-15:55Th 14:40-15:55Section/Call Number
001/12592Enrollment
5 of 15Instructor
Adam SobelThis course explores environmental justice (EJ) through an anti-colonial lens that centers the perspectives of dispossessed communities in different places around the world. Our primary focus site is New Orleans communities working toward food sovereignty, but we will also learn from initiatives in Palestine, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Readings and discussions will cover themes that include interdisciplinarity, the history of science(s) and knowledge production, decolonizing the geosciences, and relations based in mutuality (as opposed to extractivism). Students will be trained in community-based research methods in part by developing an anthropological lens – first through a self-ethnography workshop that focuses on positionality and then through their own mini-ethnography projects.
The weekly three-hour seminars will be divided in two. The first half will be lectures, guest lectures, and workshops. After a short break, the second portion of the seminar will be reserved for discussions.
Course Number
EESC9810G001Points
3 ptsSpring 2024
Section/Call Number
001/13004Enrollment
30 of 30Instructor
Hadeel AssaliPrerequisites: the instructors permission. Current research developments in atmospheric sciences including tropical climate variability, stratospheric dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, remote sensing of the Earths atmosphere, and global climate modeling.