| Earth Sciences |
ESCI #803 - Fluvial Hydrology
Credits:
4.00
Mechanics of natural open channel flows: forces, the’ ·(‚ÿÿÿÿ Mechanics of natural open channel flows: forces, the contin
continuity and energy principles, velocity distributions,
flow resistance, fluvial erosion and sediment transport,
channel form, computation of flow profiles, weirs,
hydraulic jumps, and stream flow routing. Lab and field
exercises. Prereq: one year each of calculus and physics.
Special fee.
ESCI 805 - Principles of Hydrology
Credits:
4.00
Physical principles important in the land phase of the¿
hydrologic cycle, including precipitation, snow melt,
infiltration and soil physics, and surface and subsurface
flow to streams. Problems of measurement and aspects of
statistical treatment of hydrologic data. Field trips.
Transportation fee. Prereq: one semester of calculus and
one year of physics. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 810 - Groundwater Hydrology
Credits:
4.00
Principles for fluid flow in porous media with emphasis on
occurrence, location, and development of groundwater, but
with consideration of groundwater as a transporting medium.
Major topics include well hydraulics, regional groundwater
flow, exploration techniques, and chemical quality.
Laboratory exercises involve use of fluid, electrical, and
digital computer models to illustrate key concepts. Prereq:
ESCI 805 or permission. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 815 - Global Atmospheric Chemistry
Credits:
3.00
Introduction to the principles of atmospheric chemistry
and their relationship to biogeochemical cycles, climate,
and global change. Focus is on understanding the basic
physical and chemical processes that determine the trace
gas distribution in the global troposphere. An introduction
to atmospheric vertical structure and global circulation
dynamics provides the foundation. Chemical cycles of
important C, S, N molecules are examined, including their
possible perturbation by human activities. Basic
photochemical processes outlined, particularly with respect
to reactive nitrogen hydrocarbons, and the
production/destruction of ozone. Prereq: one year college
chemistry. (Also offered as EOS 815.)
ESCI 816 - Atmospheric Aerosol and Precipitation Chemistry
Credits:
3.00
Description and examination of the processes determining
the chemical and physical charateristics of atmospheric
aerosol particles and precipitation. Important foci include
the role of aerosol particles in the long-range transport
and deposition of geochemical materials, optical properties
of these particles and their impact on the global radiative
balance, cloud microphysical processes relevant to both
radiative effects and precipitation scavenging, and
heterogeneous reactions at the solid-liquid, solid-gas, and
liquid-gas interfaces in the atmosphere. Major segments of
the course are devoted to the removal of gases and
particles from the atmosphere by wet and dry deposition
processes. Most attention will be paid to processes active
in the troposphere, but important differences between the
troposphere and stratosphere, radiative effects of
stratospheric aerosol particles, and exchange between the
troposphere and stratosphere are addressed. Prereq: one
year college chemistry or permission. (Also offered as EOS
816.)
ESCI 817 - Macro-scale Hydrology I
Credits:
4.00
Focus on the numerous roles of water in the Earth System.
Topics include the global water cycle, impacts of the
greenhouse effect and other anthropogenic disturbances,
hydrologic modeling, soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer
schemes, water quality, GIS and water-related remote
sensing tools. Based on extensive reading of current
scientific literature, the students and instructor jointly
select a research topic in macro-scale hydrology which will
result in the preparation of a manuscript for publication
in a refereed scientific journal. Course designed to be
taken two consecutive semesters (fall and spring). Prereq:
principles of hydrology or permission. (Also offered as EOS
817.)
ESCI 818 - Macro-scale Hydrology II
Credits:
4.00
Students and instructors jointly select a research topic
in macro-scale hydrology to be analyzed in depth during
the course of the semester. A primary goal is the
preparation of a manuscript for publication in a refereed
scientific journal. Extensive library research, reading of
recent and relevant scientific literature, technical
analysis, writing. Course designed to be taken two
consecutive semesters (fall and spring). Prereq:
macro-scale hydrology I. (Also offered as EOS 818.)
(Alternate years only.)
ESCI #825 - Igneous Petrology
Credits:
4.00
The evolution of igneous rocks as determined from field,
petrographic, chemical, experimental, and theoretical
studies. Application of thermodynamics to igneous
petrogenesis. Physical properties of magmas. Prereq:
mineralogy; petrography; adequate background in calculus,
chemistry, and physics. Field trips. Special fee. Lab.
(Offered alternate years with ESCI 826.)
ESCI 826 - Metamorphic Petrology
Credits:
4.00
The metamorphism of pelitic, mafic, and calc silicateÿ¿
rocks as determined from field, petrographic, mineral
chemistry, experimental, and theoretical studies. Closed-
and open-system reactions, multisystems, reaction space.
Calculation of pressure, temperature, time paths. Prereq:
mineralogy; petrography; adequate background in calculus,
chemistry, and physics. Field trips. Special fee. Lab.
(Offered alternate years with ESCI 825.)
ESCI 832 - Regional Geology and Advanced Structure
Credits:
4.00
Readings, discussion, and field/lab exercises in the›ÿ¿
tectonic analysis of mountain systems. Emphasis on the
northern Appalachian Orogen. Application of modern
structural analysis. Prereq: structural geology or
permission. Field excursion; lab fee.
ESCI 834 - Applied Geophysics
Credits:
4.00
Gravity, magnetic, seismic, and electrical methods ofÿ¿
investigating subsurface geology. Fieldwork and use of
computers in data analysis. Prereq: one year of calculus;
introductory geology; one year of college physics;/ or
permission. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 841 - Geochemistry
Credits:
4.00
Course focuses on the application of chemical principles to
solve problems in the Earth sciences. Students learn the
chemical tools of thermodynamics and kinetics, element
partitioning, conservation of mass, and isotope
geochemistry. Explore geochemical properties/processes in
the deep Earth and the Earth surface, atomsphere and marine
systems, and cosmochemistry and investigate the
interactions between these components of the Earth system.
Lab.
ESCI 845 - Isotope Geochemistry
Credits:
4.00
Course focuses on the application of radiogenic,
radioactive and stable isotopes to improve students'
knowledge about the processes and timescales relevant to
the formation of the planet and solar system, the evolution
of the Earth system and interactions in the hydrosphere and
biosphere. Topics include geochronology, tracer
applications, Earth surface applications, as well as
applications in the hydrosphere and biosphere. Systems
discussed include the classic radiogenic systems (K-Ar,
Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf and U-Th-Pb), traditonal (H, C, N, O)
as well as nontraditional (e.g., Mg, Ca, Fe) stable isotope
systems, and radioactive isotopes (e.g., radiocarbon).
Course consists of lecture, where students are exposed to
these applications, and a lab section to work through any
questions on the homework assignments, discuss relevant
papers from the literature, and carry out a project.
Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 846 - Analytical Geochemistry
Credits:
4.00
Introduction to the theory, instrumentation, and
applications of analytical methods in geochemistry.
Prereq: one year of chemistry or geochemistry;/ or
permission. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 847 - Aqueous Geochemistry
Credits:
4.00
Processes that determine the geochemical characteristics
of water bodies. Emphasis on the geochemical continuum of
terrestrial water and its geochemical evolution. Topics
include the influence of cyclic salts, the nature of
weathering reactions, the CO2-CACO3 system, the formation
and dissolution of salts and authigenic mineral formation.
Prereq: one year of chemistry or geochemistry;/ or
permission. Lab.
ESCI 850 - Biological Oceanography
Credits:
4.00
Biological processes of the oceans, including primary and
secondary production, trophodynamics, plankton diversity,
zooplankton ecology, ecosystems and global ocean dynamics.
Field trips on R/V Gulf Challenger and to the Jackson
Estuarine Laboratory. Prereq: one year of biology or
permission of instructor. (Also offered as ZOOL 850, EOS
850.) Special fee. Lab. (Not offered every year.)
ESCI 852 - Chemical Oceanography
Credits:
3.00
Water structure, chemical composition, and equilibrium¿
models; gas exchange; biological effects on chemistry;
trace metals; and analytical methods. Prereq: permission.
Optional 1 credit lab (see ESCI 852L).
ESCI 854 - Sedimentology
Credits:
4.00
This course focuses on modern sedimentary processes and¿
ancient sedimentary records through the examination,
identification, and interpretation of sediments and
sedimentary rocks. Topics such as sediment transport
mechanisms, depositional environments, and time in
sedimentary records will provide a strong framework for any
student studying Earth processes and sedimentary systems.
Special fee.
ESCI 858 - Introduction to Physical Oceanography
Credits:
3.00
A descriptive treatment of atmosphere-ocean interaction;
general wind-driven and thermohaline ocean circulation;
waves and tides; continental shelf and near-shore
processes; instrumentation and methods used in ocean
research. Simplified conceptual models demonstrate the
important principles. Prereq: college physics; introduction
to oceanography;/ or permission.
ESCI 859 - Geological Oceanography
Credits:
4.00
Major geological features and processes of the ocean›ÿ¿
floor; geological and geophysical methods; plate
tectonics. Prereq: permission. Lab.
ESCI 862 - Glacial Geology
Credits:
4.00
Course provides a survey of glacier dynamics and processes,
with an emphasis on understanding the origin and
significance of glacial deposits and landforms. The first
half of the course examines the physics of glaciers, and
the second half focuses on glacial geologic processes.
Lectures discuss glaciers and ice sheets as key agents of
large-scale geomorphic change, as well as their central
role in the Earth's past and present climate system. Labs
involve analysis of glaciological data, glacial-geologic
map interpretation, and short field exercises. Course
incorporates one mandatory weekend field trip that explores
the glacial landscapes of New England. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 864 - Data Analysis in Earth System Science
Credits:
4.00
Analytical and numerical methods used to understand
geospatial and time series data sets encountered in Earth
system science research. Students develop skills in data
analysis, primarily through writing and modifying their own
computer programs, focused on particular aspects of real
data sets. Understanding various data types, formats, and
projections, and how to handle them, are also covered.
Prereq: one year calculus, one year chemistry, basic
statistics;/or permission. (Also listed as EOS 864.)
ESCI 865 - Paleoclimatology
Credits:
3.00
Course reviews the study of past changes in the Earth's¿
climate system. Main discussion topics include
astronomical theories of ice ages, Quaternary dating
methods, Antartic and Greenland ice core records,
greenhouse gases, marine-based climate proxies, glacial
megafloods, and linkages between ocean circulation and
abrupt climate change. Emphasis on climate variability
during the Qauternary period (the last approximately 1.8
million years), a time interval dominated by cycles of
global glaciation. Lectures include discussion of recent
and emerging scientific papers in order to keep pace with
the latest findings in paleoclimatic research.
ESCI 866 - Volcanology
Credits:
4.00
Provides a comprehensive overview of volcanic processes and
their influences on planetary evolution and modern-day
Earth systems. Lectures discuss the generation and
properties of magma, tectonic setting of volcanism,
eruption styles, volcanic landforms and products,
monitoring of active volcanoes, volcanic hazards, and
volcanism on other planets. Laboratory topics include
modeling volcanic processes, hand-sample observation,
topographic map interpretation, volcanographical data
analysis, and two afternoon field trips. As volcanology is
a rapidly developing field of active research, the course
incorporates discussions of recent and emerging scientific
papers from the literature and student-led udpates of
ongoing volcanic activity. Prereq: on year of calculus and
one Earth Science course or permission. Special fee. Lab.
ESCI 870 - Fundamentals of Ocean Mapping
Credits:
4.00
An introduction to the principles and practice of
hydrography and ocean mapping. Methods for the measurement
and definition of the configuration of the bottoms and
adjacent land areas of oceans, lakes, rivers, estuaries,
harbors and other water areas, and the tides or water
levels and currents that occur in those bodies of water.
(Also listed as OE 870.) Prereq: college physics. Lab.
ESCI 871 - Geodesy and Positioning for Ocean Mapping
Credits:
3.00
The science and technology of acquiring, managing, and¿
displaying geographically-referenced information; the size
and shape of the earth, datums and projections;
determination of precise positioning of points on the earth
and the sea , including classical terrestrial-based methods
and satellite-based methods; shoreline mapping, nautical
charting and electronic charts. Prereq: one year of
calculus and one year of college physics. (Also offered as
OE 871.)
ESCI 895 - Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Study on an individual or group basis in geologic,
hydrologic, or oceanographic problems, under members of
the graduate staff. Topics include: geochemistry,
geomorphology, geophysics; glaciology; groundwater,
structural, and regional geology; crystallography,
mineralogy; petrology; thermodynamics; ore deposits; earth
resource policy; paleontology; sedimentation; stratigraphy;
water resources management; chemical, physical, and
geological oceanography; earth systems; earth science
teaching methods. Prereq: permission of staff concerned.
May be repeated.
ESCI 896 - Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
See description for ESCI 895.
ESCI 897 - Colloquium
Credits:
Presentation of recent research in the earth sciences by
guest speakers and department faculty. May be taken four
times. Cr/F.
ESCI 898 - Directed Research
Credits:
2.00
Research project on a specified topic in the Earth
Sciences, guided by a faculty member. Cr/F.
ESCI 899 - Master's Thesis
Credits:
1.00 to 6.00
May be repeated up to a maximum of 6 credits. Cr/F.
ESCI 903 - Advanced Hydrology
Credits:
3.00
Application of quantitative methods to selected hydrologic
problems. Critical examination of deterministic and
stochastic models with emphasis on conceptualizing the
hydrologic problem, developing appropriate models,
obtaining solutions, and evaluating models and solutions in
terms of basic assumptions, data requirements, and
verification of results. Prereq: ESCI 805; computer
methods; basic statistics.
ESCI 906 - Statistical Hydrology
Credits:
4.00
Application of statistical principles to hydrologicð›ÿ¿
problems. Covers laws of probability; parameter
estimation; discrete and continuous distributions of
importance in hydrology, inference, regression and
multivariate analysis, and elementary time series analysis.
Prereq: ESCI 805; basic statistics;/or permission. (Offered
alternate years with ESCI 803.)
ESCI #907 - Geostatistics
Credits:
3.00
Introduction to statistical methods of quantifying spatial
variability with emphasis on the application of these
methods to the earth and environmental sciences. Topics
including sampling strategy; variography; kriging;
simulation; and Monte Carlo techniques. Prereq: basic
statistics or permission. (Offered alternate years.)
ESCI 952 - Advanced Chemical Oceanography
Credits:
3.00 or 4.00
Readings on physical, chemical, and biological processes
that affect the distribution of chemical components in
estuaries and the open ocean. Lab includes projects
investigating selected processes. Prereq: ESCI 852 or
permission.
ESCI 972 - Hydrographic Field Course
Credits:
4.00
A lecture, lab, and field course on the methods andð›ÿ¿
procedures for the acquisition and processing of
hydrographic and ocean mapping data. Practical experience
in planning and conducting hydrographic surveys. Includes
significant time underway (day trips and possible multi-day
cruises) aboard survey vessel(s). Prereq: Introduction to
Ocean Mapping; Geodesy and Positioning for Ocean Mapping;
or permission. (Also listed as OE 972.)
ESCI 973 - Seafloor Characterization
Credits:
3.00
Remote characterization of seafloor properties using›ÿ¿
acoustic (echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers, side-scan,
multibeam and interferometric sonars) and optical (video
and laser linescanner) methods. Models of sound interaction
with the seafloor will be explored as well as a range of
possible geologic, geotechnical, morphologic, acoustic, and
biologic descriptors. Prereq: permission. (Also listed as
OE 973.)
ESCI 993 - Advanced Seminar
Credits:
1.00
Focused seminar in a discipline of earth sciences: earth,
ocean, atmosphere, or hydrology. May be repeated up to a
maximum of 4 credits.
ESCI 994 - Advanced Seminar
Credits:
1.00
See description for ESCI 993.
ESCI 995 - Advanced Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Advanced work on an individual or group basis. Prereq:¿
permission. May be repeated.
ESCI 996 - Advanced Topics
Credits:
1.00 to 4.00
Advanced work on an individual or group basis. Prereq:¿
permission. May be repeated.
ESCI 997 - Seminar in Earth Sciences
Credits:
1.00
Readings, discussion, and presentation of recent
investigations in the earth sciences. Required of all M.S.
students in Earth Sciences. Cr/F.
ESCI 998 - Proposal Development
Credits:
1.00
Introduction to research in the earth sciences and
development of thesis and directed research proposals.
Required of all M.S. students in Earth Sciences.
ESCI 999 - Doctoral Research
Credits:
Cr/F.