GEC2000

http://ees2.geo.rpi.edu/abrajanoCourses/public_html/gec2005.html

Fall 2005
ERTH-4500; IENV-4500
Prof. Abrajano

Administrative Info (schedule, grades, textbook, etc.)
Syllabus
Assignments
Lecture Notes and Library Reserves

Administrative Info return to top of page

Classes meet Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 11:50 AM in the Science Center building (SC 3W13). Prof. Abrajano will have office hours from 3-5 PM on Tuesdays at Science Center 2C04. At other times, he is likely to be found in his lab, MRC-327, but an appointment is needed for queries requiring extensive discussions. He can be reached by phone at x6036 (voice mail) or x 2354 (lab) and by email at abrajt@rpi.edu.

No TA for the course.

Grades for this course will be assigned on the basis of three exams to be held on September 29 (Thursday), October 31 (Monday) and December 8 (total of 50%), 3-5 written assignments (20%), class presentation (25%) and class participation (5%).

Undergraduate students will be required to submit an ABSTRACT with their presentations. Graduate students will be required to present a full paper (10 pages double-spaced MAXIMUM, excluding Figures, Tables and List of References) in addition to the abstract and actual class presentations.

Click here for an EXAMPLE of past examinations.

Books and References

There is no textbook for this part of the course, but lecture materials have been drawn from Global Environmental Change by K.K. Turekian. (or 1, 2), Holland, H.D, The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans, Princeton University Press, 1984, and Schlesinger, W.H., Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change, Academic Press, 1991, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC Report).

Individual reference lists will be prepared as appropriate for each topic and case study.

Syllabus return to top of page

*(DISCLAIMER: The materials included in these web lecture notes are not presented as my authored original work, and may contain phrases, figures, tables, worked out examples or even entire sections from books, papers, and public web sources. My web-published lecture notes are intended solely to assist current students by augmenting their class notes or follow lectures they may have missed.)

Link to the Folsom Library.

Module 1a Introduction, What is "Global Environmental Change?" (PPT.pdf)

Module 1b Introducing the Earth, Solid Earth Spheres, Global Earth Processes (PPT1.pdf, PPT2.pdf)

Module 2a Earth's Shallow Spheres I (Pedosphere and Terrestrial Biosphere)

· Lecture 3 Soil and Soil Forming Processes (PPT3.pdf)

· Lecture 4 Soil Types and Soil Distribution (PPT4.pdf)

· Lecture 5 Terrestrial Biosphere, Global Distribution of Major Biomes (PPT5.pdf)

· Lecture 6 Terrestrial Biogeochemical Cycles, Hubbard Brook (PPT6.pdf)

· EXAM 1

Module 2b Earth's Shallow Spheres II (Oceans and Atmospheres)

· Lecture 7 The Earth’s Atmosphere: Structure and Chemistry (PPT7.pdf)

· Lecture 8 Evolution of the Atmosphere and Ocean (PPT8.pdf)

· Lecture 9 The Earth’s Ocean: Structure and Chemistry (PPT9.pdf)

Module 3 Climate: Radiation Balance and Recent Climatic History (Some Notes)

· Lecture 10 Climate and Forcing (PPT10.pdf)

· Lecture 11 Global Warming I (PPT 11.pdf)

· EXAM 2

· Lecture 12 Global Warming II (+ Tropo Chemistry) (PPT12.pdf)

· Lecture 13 Global Warming: Impacts, Science and Policy (PPT13.pdf)(Video)

Module 4 Threats to Biodiversity (Robinson Lecture PPT) (Reference)

Module 5 El Nino: Science and Human Impact (PPT11.pdf) (Also visit http://rainbow.ldgo.columbia.edu/)

Module 6 Stratospheric Chemistry and Ozone Hole: Science and Human Impact (Also visit: http://jwocky.gsfc.nasa.gov and http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/tour/). (PPT)

Module 8 Student Presentations:

STUDENT	Presentation topic	Date


ARRIGI, Julie	Emissions balance for alternative energy	21-Nov
BURROWS , JILL	Biodiesel as an alternative fuel source	21-Nov
CLUBINE , KATHERINE	The Effects of Global Environmental Change on Transboundary Issues	5-Dec
GAGNE , AMY	Mercury in the Environment	21-Nov
JANISCH , SARAH	Biodiversity in the Adirondack Forest	28-Nov
MORRIS-KING, James	Climate change and biodiversity - economin/iondustrial implications	28-Nov
LY , KEVIN	Natural disasters due to global warming and to most needy	5-Dec
OLIVA, Bryan	E-Trash and sustainable solutions	1-Dec
ROBERTS , NICOLE	Hurricanes and Global Warming: Katrina	21-Nov
SCHLEDER , JONATHAN	Global warming and winter recreation	5-Dec
SCHNEBELE , KAREL	Sustainable Residential Technology	1-Dec
SWINTON , MARK	Alternative fuels	1-Dec
URBANOWICZ , KATHRYN	Biodiversity-Philosophy	28-Nov

ASSIGNMENTS:

· Assignment 1 (Class participation in Biodiversity Discussion)

· Assignment 2 (Radiation Balance) (Answer)

· Assignment 3 We watched the video “Fallacy of Global Warming”, and listened to one of the experts say that “models of future global warming tend to portray gradual temperature increases over decadal to century time frames, whereas the record of climatic transitions in the past tend to be more abrupt.” Read the article published last month in the journal SCIENCE (“Role of land-surface changes in arctic summer warming” by Chapin et al, Science 310, 657-660), and: (1) list the observed changes in the Alaskan climate, landscape and vegetation and briefly (1 sentence each) describe their relation to global warming; (2) discuss how any warming effect provide a positive feedback for yet more future warming; and (3) discuss how item (2) may be connected with “abruptness” of climate changes.

· For your reading pleasure: Aliens Cause Global Warming

Part III: CLASS PRESENTATIONS

PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

PRESENTATION GRADING FORM (Example)

MORE TO COME!!

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