Geography 40
Global Environmental Change
Fall 2004



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Instructor: Professor John Chiang
email: jchiang@atmos.berkeley.edu

office phone: 642-3900
office: 547 McCone
office hours: Tuesday 10-12
Class Location: 145 McCone
Class Time: MW, 9:30-11

Course control number: 36442
Units: 4
GSI: Rebecca Anderson
email: timbaloo@yahoo.com
office phone:
office: 569 McCone
office hours: Wednesday 2-4
GSI: Dan Schmidt
email: dps11@berkeley.edu
office phone:
office: 569 McCone
office hours: TH 9-10 & F 10-11
Discussion Sections: All sections meet in 135 McCone
101 Monday 1-3
102 Tuesday 2-4
103 Wednesday 1-3
104 Thursday 10-12

Course description: Earth System Science is an interdisciplinary field that describes the cycling of energy and matter between the different spheres (atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and lithosphere) of the earth system.
The course will cover: 
1) The fundamentals of the earth system (the way the world works)
2) Past changes in the Earth system (big events in earth history)
3) Present changes in the Earth system (current trends and the human effect)
Specific topics include an introduction to climate, atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation and chemistry, ice ages, extreme climate events, global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion.
Required Text:
The Earth System (KKC), by L.R. Kump, J.F. Kasting, and R.G. Crane, 2nd edition, 2004.
The text is on reserve in the Earth Sciences Library, ground floor, McCone Hall
We will occasionally make available articles to be reviewed in lab section.
Additional Texts (Recommended Reading):
Elemental Geosystems (EG), 4th editon, 2004.
The texts will be on reserve in the Earth Sciences Library, ground floor, McCone Hall
Grading:
Midterm - 25% of grade
Lab - 40% of grade (includes weekly lab assignments and quizzes)
Final Exam - 35% of grade
Syllabus:
Week 1 Introduction
Lab No lab this week
Wednesday, January 21 Introduction and overview (as pdf) KKC Ch 1

Week 2 Systems; Global energy balance
Lab Maps and box models
Monday, January 26 Introduction to systems (as pdf) KKC Ch 2
Wednesday, January 28 Global energy balance (as pdf) KKC Ch 3

Week 3 Global energy balance; Atmospheric circulation
Lab Global energy balance
Monday, February 2 Global energy balance, cont'd... (as pdf) KKC Ch3
Wednesday, February 4 Global energy balance; Atmospheric circulation
(as pdf)
KKC Ch4

Week 4 Atmospheric circulation
Lab Atmospheric circulation
Monday, February 9 Atmospheric circulation, cont'd... (as pdf) KKC Ch4
Wednesday, February 11 Atmospheric circulation, ocean circulation
(as pdf)
KKC Ch5

Week 5 Ocean circulation
Lab No lab this week
Monday, February 16 No class - holiday
Wednesday, February 18 in-class quiz

Week 6 Ocean circulation; solid earth
Lab Ocean circulation
Monday, February 23 Ocean circulation (as pdf) KKC Ch5
Wednesday, February 25 Ocean circulation, cont'd... (as pdf) KKC Ch5

Week 7 Solid earth
Lab Solid earth
Monday, March 1 Solid earth (as pdf) KKC Ch7
Wednesday, March 3 Solid earth, cont'd... (as pdf) KKC Ch7

Week 8 Midterm
Lab No lab this week; TA's have additional office hours (TBA)
Monday, March 8 Rock cycle and midterm review (as pdf) KKC Ch7
Wednesday, March 10 Midterm

Week 9 Carbon cycle
Lab Carbon cycle
Monday, March 15 Organic carbon cycle (as pdf) KKC Ch8
Wednesday, March 17 Inorganic carbon cycle (as pdf) KKC Ch8

Week 10 Spring Break - no class
March 22 and 24

Week 11 Earth history
Lab Discussion of scientific method
Monday, March 29 Scientific method;
Rise of earth, life, atmosphere, and oxygen

(as pdf)
KKC Ch10-11
Wednesday, March 31 Long term climate regulation; & earth history (as pdf) KKC Ch12

Week 12 Pleistocene glacations
Lab Carbon cycle; earth history
Monday, April 5 Pleistocene glaciations I: observations (as pdf) KKC Ch 14
Wednesday, April 7 Pleistocene glaciations II: hypotheses (as pdf) KKC Ch 14

Week 13 Short-term climate variability
Lab Quiz 2; and Pleistocene glaciation lab
Monday, April 12 Short-term climate variability I (as pdf) KKC Ch15
Wednesday, April 14 Short-term climate variability II (as pdf) KKC Ch15

Week 14 El Niño; Global warming
Lab Chasing El Niño
Monday, April 19 El Niño (note: the small section on Global
warming covered in class will be included in the Wednesday slides). (as pdf)
KKC Ch15
Wednesday, April 21 Global Warming I (as pdf) KKC Ch16

Week 15 Global warming; Ozone depletion
Lab Global Warming
Monday, April 26 Global Warming II (as pdf) KKC Ch16
Wednesday, April 28 Stratospheric ozone depletion (as pdf) KKC Ch17

Week 16 Biodiversity
Lab No Lab
Monday, May 3 Ecosystems (R. Anderson) (as pdf) (as text)
Wednesday, May 5

Week 17 Review for Final
Lab No Lab
Monday, May 10 Notes for Final Exam as pdf
Wednesday, May 12

Week 18 Finals week
Thursday, May 20, 12:30-3:30 p.m. Final Exam in 20 Barrows

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