Courses

MLect. and lab. Introduces the atmospheric environmentof the Earth: elements and controls of climate and their implications for hydrology, vegetation, and soils. Emphasizes distribution of physical features across the Earth's surface and interactions between humans and their environment, especially those leading to global change on the decade to century time scale. Approved for GT-SC1. Meets MAPS requirement for natural science: nonlab or lab. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

MLect. and lab. Introduces landscapes and flowing water, emphasizing the formation and geographic distribution of mountains, volcanoes, valleys, and deserts, and their shaping by rivers and glaciers. Includes field trips. Approved for GT-SC1. Meets MAPS requirement for natural science: nonlab or lab. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Surveys mountain environments and their human use with illustrations from temperate and tropical mountain areas.

Prereqs., ATOC 1050 and 1060, or GEOG 3601/ATOC 3600/ENVS 3600, or GEOG 1001 and 1-semester calculus. Same as ATOC 3300. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Surveys and analyzes plant and animal distributions on a world scale from ecological and historical perspectives. Emphasizes human impact on species. Prereq., GEOG 1001.

Examines hydrologic processes in the surface environment, emphasizing the environment of the western United States. Emphasizes natural processes and their management to augment water resources. Prereq., GEOG 1001 and 1011. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) Geography (GEOG), Environmental Studies (ENVS) or Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EBIO) majors only.

Describes the basic components of the climate system: the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and lithosphere. Investigates the basic physical processes that determine climate and link the components of the climate system, including the hydrological cycle and its role in climate, climate stability, and global change. Covers forecasting climate, its applications, and human dimensions. Restricted to Geography or Environmental Studies majors only. Prereqs., ATOC 1050 and 1060, or GEOG 3301/ATOC 3300, or GEOG 1001 and 1-semester calculus. Same as ATOC/ENVS 3600. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science. Prerequisites: Restricted to Geography or Environmental Studies majors only.

Interdisciplinary science, studying the interactions between atmospheric processes and living organisms (plants, animals, and humans). Discusses how organisms adapt to a changing environment. Uses a practical,problem-solving approach to explore these interactions. Prereq., GEOG 1001. Same as ENVS 4201.

Studies weathering, mass-wasting, fluvial, wind, and marine processes and the resulting landforms. Prereq., GEOG 1011 or any 1000-level sequence in geological sciences. Same as GEOL 4241. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) Environmental Conservation (EVOC), Geography (GEOG), Geology (GEOL) or Environmental Studies (ENVS) majors only.

Emphasizes landscapes formed by running water. Includes basic fluid mechanics, sediment transport, hillslope and channel erosion, and sediment yield. Prereqs., Geog 1011 and 3511. Recommended prereq.,Geog 3023. Same as Geog 5251.

Surveys the major terrestrial components of the cryosphere, including permafrost, glaciers, and ice sheets. Emphasizes physical processes involving ice, including thermal behavior, ice deformation, and mass balance, but also considers biogeochemical processes and landforms associated with ice. The climate context, including human interactions and recent climate history, will be considered. The course will be taught in a combination lecture-seminar format. Prereq., GEOG 1011 or GEOL 1010. Recommended prereq., GEOG 4241.

Understanding the climate of the Arctic requires a synthetic, system oriented approach. The course focuses on the intimate linkages between the atmosphere, ocean and land that give the Arctic region its unique character, link the Arctic to the larger global climate system, and promote understanding the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic. Prereq., GEOG 1001. GEOG 4271 and 5271 are the same course.

Emphasizes terrestrial-aquatic linkages in headwater catchments, focusing on hydrologic pathways, isotopic and geochemical tracers, nutrient cycling, water quality, experimental manipulations, and modeling. Prereq., GEOG 1011 and 3511. Recommended prereq., parametric statistics.

Offers a multidisciplinary and quantitative analysis of physico-chemical processes that operate in seasonally snow-covered areas, from the micro- to global-scale: snow accumulation, metamorphism, ablation, chemical properties, biological aspects, electromagnetic properties, remote sensing, Gis, and quantitative methods. Prereqs., GEOG 1001 or 1011, and any statistics course. Same as GEOG 5321.

Surveys and analyzes climatic characteristics of mountain environments worldwide. Prereq., GEOG 1001 or ATOC 1050 or 1060. Same as GEOG 5331.

Surveys principles of forest geography and ecology. Includes both individual tree responses to environmental factors and species interactions within communities. Emphasizes forest dynamics and their relation to management problems. Prereq., GEOG 1001. Same as GEOG 5371.

Discusses chemical and physical properties of soils, soil development, distributions, and management relevant to understanding plant-soil relationships in natural and human-altered landscapes. Prereq., GEOG 1011. Recommended prereq., inorganic chemistry. Same as GEOG 5401.

Interprets and analyzes hydroclimatic data, surface, and groundwater. Critically evaluates water use, emphasizing problems associated with geographic maldistribution, appropriations, irrigation, industry, pollution, and regional development. Same as GEOG 5501.

The human section reads and discusses contemporary research philosophies and methodologies in human geography. Practices the development of research proposals and presentation of research ideas and results. The physical section reads and discusses contemporary research philosophies and methodologies in physical geography (climatology, geomorphology, biogeography, and soils geography). Practices the development of research proposals and presentation of research ideas. Restricted to geography graduate students.

Involves a research seminar concerned with problems of mass and energy exchange in the Earth-atmosphere system. Selects topics from such areas as air quality, bioclimatology, hydrology, climate change, and the climates of urban, agricultural, and natural environments. Restricted to graduate students.

Examines global climates from the standpoint of synoptic and dynamic climatology. Prereqs., GEOG 3201 or equivalent, 3000-level course in climate/atmospheric sciences, and instructor consent. Restricted to graduate students.

Presents recent research topics that vary from year to year. Consult the online Schedule Planner for specific topics. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Restricted to graduate students. Prerequisites: Restricted to Graduate Students only.

Restricted to graduate students. Same as GEOG 4251.

Understanding the climate of the Arctic requires a synthetic, system oriented approach. The course focuses on the intimate linkages between the atmosphere, ocean and land that give the Arctic region its unique character, link the Arctic to the larger global climate system, and promote understanding the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic. Prereq., GEOG 1001. GEOG 4271 and 5271 are the same course. Prerequisites: Restricted to Graduate Students only.

Restricted to graduate students. Same as GEOG 4321.