All Earth and environmental systems evolve because — at a fundamental level — mass, energy and momentum associated with these systems are transported over space. The purpose of this course is to provide an introductory examination of: (i) transport processes that are important in a wide variety of Earth and environmental systems; and (ii) how principles of conservation provide a unifying language that underlies both classic and emerging styles of analyzing how Earth and environmental systems "work." Accordingly, we will apply this unifying language to topics as varied as, for example, magma dynamics and volcanic eruptions, ocean waves and tsunamis, nutrient transport and trophic interactions in rivers, lakes and estuaries, sediment and soil transport, cave evolution, crystal growth and dissolution, river floods, and flow/reactions within rock fractures. In doing so, we will discover numerous, delightful commonalities among these nominally disparate topics; and we will nurture a style of thinking that is a cornerstone of "modeling" the behavior of Earth and environmental systems.
The course is aimed at senior-level and graduate students majoring in the Earth and environmental sciences. Students in related fields possessing an interest in, and flare for, interdisciplinary studies are welcome to participate. The course is designed to challenge students to use the math and physics they have previously studied to explore the behavior of simple Earth and environmental systems. Considerable attention will be given to illustrating how to (actually) describe physical problems in mathematical terms.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: physics and calculus; senior or graduate standing in the Earth or environmental sciences or related fields
Class time: MWF at 10:00
Instructor: David Furbish
Text: none; the course will involve assigned reading from various sources
Grading: Course grades will be based on scores earned form problem sets and a research project with presentation.
A PDF containing the course description on this page, including principal course modules, can be obtained at the link below.
Course Description
