Earth and Environmental Sciences

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: basic high school science and math. Lab is a hands-on introduction to geochronology, paleontology, and historical geology with field trips. (See W1401 for lectures only.) Dinosaurs: a spectacular example of a common, highly successful form of life, dominant for 135 million years. Where did they come from? Why were they so successful? Why did they die out? A basic introduction to interface between geology and biology.

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Enrollment limited. Students must also sign up for the corresponding lab course, EESC BC1011 to receive credit. Note BC1001 is not required for an environmental policy major. This class examines the basic principles of environmental science using current local and global environmental news as case studies. Issues covered are climate change, invasive species, water resources, sustainability, etc. A major goal is for students to understand the science behind environmental issues. Readings from the scientific literature, various newspaper articles, magazines and an online textbook are carefully coordinated with the topics. Because of our location, the lab curriculum features studies of the Hudson River and its forested shorelines. The lab is closely paired with the lecture and features hands-on and inquiry-based lab and field studies of statistics, data presentation, writing in the format of a scientific paper, data collection (on land and on the Hudson River), water chemistry, microbiology, microscopic and macroscopic life in the river, birds and plants in Riverside Park, biodiversity on a green roof, local geology, topographical maps, compass use, and museum studies. Students must also register for one of the eight lab sections EESCX1011. Students must take both lecture and lab.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Corequisites: EESC BC1001 Students enrolled in EESC BC1001 must enroll in this required lab course. Students cannot enroll in this course unless also enrolled in BC1001.

Explore the geology of the sea floor, understand what drives ocean currents and how ocean ecosystems operate. Case studies and discussions centered on ocean-related issues facing society.

Explore the geology of the sea floor, understand what drives ocean currents and how ocean ecosystems operate. Case studies and discussions centered on ocean-related issues facing society.

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: basic high school science and math. Dinosaurs: a spectacular example of a common, highly successful form of life, dominant for 135 million years. Where did they come from? Why were they so successful? Why did they die out? A basic introduction to the interface between geology and biology.

Students entering college usually have had little exposure to Environmental Science with few High Schools teaching an Environmental Science Class and even fewer an AP Environmental Science Class.  For this reason, many students do not know that Environmental Science exists as a major nor what it means to major in Environmental Science and related fields.  The goal of this class is to introduce students to Environmental Science along with the related fields of Sustainability and Environmental Justice.  This introduction to Environmental Science and Sustainability will occur through a mix of talks, classic and recent journal articles, and guest speakers. Students will have weekly readings which over the course of the semester will cover a wide swath of topics.  The instructors along with guest speakers who are experts in their field, will come and talk to students about their work as well as their journey through their career.  The class will be discussion-driven with students expected to contribute every week.  There will be a reading to prepare for class each week.  Students will post responses to the readings before coming to class in order to be prepared for discussions.  In addition, students will be expected to lead discussions and participate in activities during the semester.  The class is limited to students participating in the Environmental Science Pathways Scholars Program. 

Students will:

• be exposed to a wide swath or Environmental Science Literature
• be exposed to topics in Environmental Justice
• begin to hone skills characteristic of an Environmental Scientist
• become better prepared for Barnard and an Environmental Major

Prerequisites: none; high school chemistry recommended. Survey of the origin and extent of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial materials, that are non renewable, finite resources, and the environmental consequences of their extraction and use, using the textbook Earth Resources and the Environment, by James Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This course will provide an overview, but will include focus on topics of current societal relevance, including estimated reserves and extraction costs for fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels, sources and future for luxury goods such as gold and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in consumer electronics (e.g. ;Coltan; mostly from Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such as superconducting magnets and rechargeable batteries (e.g. heavy rare earth elements, mostly from China). Guest lectures from economists, commodity traders and resource geologists will provide ;real world; input. Discussion Session Required.

Prerequisites: high school algebra. Recommended preparation: high school chemistry and physics; and one semester of college science. Origin and development of the atmosphere and oceans, formation of winds, storms and ocean currents, reasons for changes through geologic time. Recent influence of human activity: the ozone hole, global warming, water pollution. Laboratory exploration of topics through demonstrations, experimentation, computer data analysis, and modeling. Students majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences should plan to take EESC W2100 before their senior year to avoid conflicts with Senior Seminar.

Recommended 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.

The course provides students with the natural science basis to appreciate co-dependencies of natural and human systems, which are central to understanding sustainable development.  After completing the course, students should be able to incorporate scientific approaches into their research or policy decisions and be able to use scientific methods of data analysis.  The semester will highlight the climate system and solutions from both physical and ecological perspectives; water resources; food production and the cycling of nutrients; and the role of biodiversity in sustainable development.  The course emphasizes key scientific concepts such as uncertainty, experimental versus observational approaches, prediction and predictability, the use of models and other essential methodological aspects.

Prerequisites: declared major in Earth and environmental sciences and the departments permission. Students with particular interest in one of the many components of the Earth and environmental sciences should approach a director of undergraduate studies during the registration period so that tutorial-level exposure to the subject can be arranged. Each point requires two hours each week of readings, discussion, and research work under the close supervision of a member of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, American Museum of Natural History, or Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In consultation with the supervisor, the student selects a topic for intensive study and the time and place of the tutorial discussion sessions. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of 12 points, with a maximum of 6 points with each staff member.

Prerequisites: declared major in Earth and environmental sciences and the departments permission. Students with particular interest in one of the many components of the Earth and environmental sciences should approach a director of undergraduate studies during the registration period so that tutorial-level exposure to the subject can be arranged. Each point requires two hours each week of readings, discussion, and research work under the close supervision of a member of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, American Museum of Natural History, or Goddard Institute for Space Studies. In consultation with the supervisor, the student selects a topic for intensive study and the time and place of the tutorial discussion sessions. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of 12 points, with a maximum of 6 points with each staff member.

Prerequisites: One year of college science or EESC V2100 or permission of the instructor. Acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of environmental data, assessment of spatial and temporal variability. Focus on water quality issues and storm surges. Uses existing and student-generated data sets. Basic principles of statistics and GIS, uses standard software packages including EXCEL and ArcGIS. Includes a half-day field trip on a Saturday or Sunday. General Education Requirement: Quantitative and Deductive Reasoning (QUA).

Big Data is changing how we interact with and understand the environment. Yet analyzing Big Data requires new tools and methods. Students will learn to use Python programming to analyze and visualize large environmental and earths systems data sets in ways that Excel is not equipped to do. This will include both time series and spatial analyses with programming occurring interactively during class and assignments designed to strengthen methods and results. Students will learn to write code in Python, plot, map, sub-select, clean, organize, and perform statistical analyses on large global scale data sets, using the data in analysis, and take any data set no matter how large or complicated.

Big Data is changing how we interact with and understand the environment. Yet analyzing Big Data requires new tools and methods. Students will learn to use Python programming to analyze and visualize large environmental and earths systems data sets in ways that Excel is not equipped to do. This will include both time series and spatial analyses with programming occurring interactively during class and assignments designed to strengthen methods and results. Students will learn to write code in Python, plot, map, sub-select, clean, organize, and perform statistical analyses on large global scale data sets, using the data in analysis, and take any data set no matter how large or complicated.

Prerequisites: Any 1000-level or 2000-level EESC course; MATH UN1101 Calculus I and CHEM UN1403 General Chemistry I or their equivalents. The origin, evolution, and future of our planet, based on the book How to Build a Habitable Planet by Wallace S. Broecker. This course will focus on the geochemical processes that built Earth from solar material, led to its differentiation into continents and ocean, and have maintained its surface at a comfortable temperature. Students will participate in a hands-on geochemistry project at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Students address real-world issues in sustainable development by working in groups for an external client agency. Instruction in communication, collaboration, and management; meetings with and presentations to clients and academic community. Projects vary from year to year. Readings in the course are project-specific and are identified by the student research teams.

Guided, 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. Prerequisite to EESC W3901.

Guided, 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.

Prerequisites: Permission of the chair required. Does not provide major credit. Advanced projects for students who have adequate backgrounds to work independently with guidance from a member of the faculty.

Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general physics, or the instructors permission. Basic physical processes controlling atmospheric structure: thermodynamics; radiation physics and radiative transfer; principles of atmospheric dynamics; cloud processes; applications to Earths atmospheric general circulation, climatic variations, and the atmospheres of the other planets.

Prerequisites: Course Cap 20 students. Priority given to graduate students in the natural sciences and engineering. Advanced level undergraduates may be admitted with the instructors permission. Calculus I and Physics I & II are required for undergraduates who wish to take this course. General introduction to fundamentals of remote sensing; electromagnetic radiation, sensors, interpretation, quantitative image analysis and modeling. Example applications in the Earth and environmental sciences are explored through the analysis of remote sensing imagery in a state-or-the-art visualization laboratory.

Prerequisites: introductory geology or the equivalent, elementary college physics and chemistry, or the instructors permission. Minerals come in dazzling colors, amazing shapes and with interesting optical effects. But mineralogy is also an essential tool for the understanding of Earth evolution. Minerals represent fundamental building blocks of the Earth system and planetary bodies. Minerals form through geological and biological processes such as igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary from high to low temperatures, from the deep interior to the Earth’s surface and related to volcanism, tectonics, weathering, climate and life. Minerals are one of our most important sources of information on such processes through Earth’s history. Minerals also represent important natural resources and are fundamental to the global economy and modern technology as we know it. The goal of this class is to (1) understand the physical and chemical properties of minerals, (2) learn techniques of mineral identification with an emphasis on optical mineralogy, (3) understand the relationship between minerals and the broader geological context.

Prerequisites: Introductory geology and one year of calculus. Recommended preparation: One semester of college physics. Introduction to the fundamental concepts of structure and deformation processes in the Earth's crust. Fundamental theories of stress and strain, rock behavior in both brittle and ductile fields, large-scale crustal contractional and extensional structures with focus on their geometries and mechanics of formation. Introduction to the principles of earthquake mechanics with emphasis on physical processes. Laboratory sessions (part of the lecture) will cover techniques of structural analysis, recognition and interpretation of structures on geologic maps, and construction of interpretive cross sections.

Understanding the fundamental processes driving our Climate System is more important than ever. In this course, I will give an overview of the archives in which evidence of terrestrial paleoclimate is preserved, the approaches to developing and applying proxies of climate from these archives, approaches for constraining the time represented by the information, and interpretations that have been developed from such archives. Important archives to be included are ice cores, caves, wetlands, lakes, trees, and moraines. The time interval covered will be mostly the last few tens of thousands of years, and chronometers based on radiocarbon, U-series and cosmogenic nuclide dating will be presented. A particular emphasis will be put on natural climate processes and interactions that are relevant for the ongoing climate crisis and potential solutions. The course will consist of formal lectures that alternate with recitation and discussing examples and problem solving.

Prerequisites: none; high school chemistry recommended. This course is open to graduate students, and juniors and seniors within DEES, Sus Dev, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and APAM - or with the instructors permission. Survey of the origin and extent of mineral resources, fossil fuels, and industrial materials, that are non renewable, finite resources, and the environmental consequences of their extraction and use, using the textbook Earth Resources and the Environment, by James Craig, David Vaughan and Brian Skinner. This course will provide an overview, but will include focus on topics of current societal relevance, including estimated reserves and extraction costs for fossil fuels, geological storage of CO2, sources and disposal methods for nuclear energy fuels, sources and future for luxury goods such as gold and diamonds, and special, rare materials used in consumer electronics (e.g. ;Coltan; mostly from Congo) and in newly emerging technologies such as superconducting magnets and rechargeable batteries (e.g. heavy rare earth elements, mostly from China). Guest lectures from economists, commodity traders and resource geologists will provide ;real world; input.

Prerequisites: For graduate students, basic background in chemistry, physics and earth science. For undergraduates, basic background in chemistry and physics, plus EESC UN2200 Solid Earth and EESC UN3101 Geochemistry for a Habitable Planet, or permission from the instructor. 

An introduction to the processes that drive the universe, the formation of our solar system, and the history and evolution of our planet. Topics include stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis (origin of the elements), principles of radioactive decay and geochronology, composition of the solar system and the Earth, evolution of the mantle and crust, and using isotopes to trace to geological processes.  

Prerequisites: introductory college-level biology and chemistry. An overview of the biology and ecology of the oceans with a focus on the interaction between marine organisms and the physics and chemistry of the oceans.

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: a solid background in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Physical properties of seawater, water masses and their distribution, sea-air interaction influence on the ocean structure, basic ocean circulation pattern, relation of diffusion and advection with respect to distribution of ocean properties, ocean tides and waves, turbulence, and introduction to ocean dynamics.

Prerequisites: advanced calculus and general physics, or the instructors permission. Methods and underpinnings of seismology including seismogram analysis, elastic wave propogation theory, earthquake source characterization, instrumentation, inversion of seismic data to infer Earth structure.

Current topics in the Earth sciences.

Individual research in the students field of specialization at the masters level. DEES PhD students register for this in the semester in which thay take their Masters Exam.

Prerequisites: Graduate student status, calculus, or instructor permission Priority given to first year PhD students in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Computing has become an indispensable tool for Earth Scientists. This course will introduce incoming DEES PhD students to modern computing software, programming tools and best practices that are broadly applicable to carrying out research in the Earth Sciences. This includes an introduction to Unix, programming in three commonly used languages (Python, MATLAB and Fortran), version control and data backup, tools for visualizing geoscience data and making maps. Students will learn the basics of high performance computing and big data analysis tools available on cluster computers. Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, homework assignments and class projects. All topics will be taught through example datasets or problems from Earth Sciences. The course is designed to be accessible for Earth Science graduate students in any discipline.

Prerequisites: calculus. Recommended preparation: linear algebra, statistics, computer programming. Introduction to the fundamentals of quantitative data analysis in Earth and environmental sciences. Topics: review of relevant probability, statistics and linear algebra; linear models and generalized least squares; Fourier analysis and introduction to spectral analysis; filtering time series (convolution,deconvolution,smoothing); factor analysis and empirical orthogonal functions; covariance and correlation; methods of interpolation; statistical significance and hypothesis testing; introduction to Monte Carlo methods for data analysis. Problem sets and term project require use of MATLAB or Python.

This course provides a basic quantitative introduction to (electromagnetic) radiation in the climate system, focusing on the atmosphere. We will establish the language used to describe radiation and describe how sources of radiation are related to temperature and to the physical properties and chemical composition of the atmosphere. We’ll learn how radiation emitted by the earth and atmosphere is transported between elements of the climate system and the rest of the universe, combining this with information about how the optical properties vary with wavelength to understand phenomena as varied as the cooling rate of the atmosphere, how “radiative forcing” arises from compositional changes and how this varies in space, and why the amount of rain increases more slowly than the amount of water in the atmosphere. We’ll then consider light from the sun, which arrives as a collimated beam that’s diffused in the atmosphere. We’ll consider methods for computing the fate of incoming sunlight and explore how this depends on the distribution of the gasses, aerosols, and clouds that make up the atmosphere.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Advanced topics in radiogenic isotope and trace-element geochemistry. Origin and composition of the Earth, evolution of the continents and mantle, and applications to igneous and surficial processes.

Prerequisites: the permission of the instructor in charge of the students field of research. Individual research in the students field of specialization. The research may lead to a doctoral dissertation or to contributions for publications.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Discussion of current developments in rock and water geochemistry.

Climate change, racial injustice, and inequities are deeply intertwined. Colonialism, slavery, and the genocide of indigenous peoples are directly linked to natural resource exploitation, environmental degradation, and global warming. Our seminar aims to focus on placing race, gender, and class at the center of discussions of the environment, climate, and equity. Our goal is to create an academic space which enables collaborative dialogue, action, and insight for systemic change towards racial equity and understanding within a climate and environment context.

This seminar will cover the fundamentals of the theory of ice-sheet dynamics. While the focus will be on viscous ice-sheet flow, we will cover heat flow, basal sliding, hydrology more briefly later in the semester.

We will start from first-principles and introduce all the key concepts needed to build an ice flow model, including stress, strain, rheology, vector calculus, tensors, stress balance, mass conservation. We will use these concepts to derive the simplest possible ice flow models (e.g., assuming perfectly plastic rheology, the shallow ice approximation) and build in complexity from there. We will use these models to build intuition for the first-order dynamics of ice sheets, by examining them analytically and numerically where appropriate. We will use a similar approach for the other topics later in the semester.

As well as a better understanding of ice-sheet dynamics, our aim will be to introduce students to mathematical modelling, demonstrating the overall approach, key concepts will nondimensionalization, and the power of simple models for understanding how natural systems work. We will also aim to build proper intuition for what partial differential equations and solutions to them really are.

Many of these topics could be useful in areas outside glaciology and anyone interested is encouraged to join us.

Seismology Seminar: Topics in Global and Regional Seismology , Earth structure at global and regional scales; earthquake source analysis; seismotectonics; current topics in the geophysical literature.

Seismology Seminar: Topics in Global and Regional Seismology , Earth structure at global and regional scales; earthquake source analysis; seismotectonics; current topics in the geophysical literature.