Courses

In this course you will learn about our climate system and what sets Earth’s climate apart from other planets in the solar system and makes complex life possible. Physical, biological and chemical processes on Earth adhere to fundamental laws that you will learn about through examples facilitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Essential questions to be explored will include how climatic variability and change has and does affect life on the planet. No prior training is required and there are no prerequisites.

Earth science is the study of our planet and all of the physical processes that shape it both today and in the distant past with real-world implications for society, from evolution and extinction to natural disasters. Some of these processes are introduced to popular culture from an unreliable source: disaster movies. This course is an introduction to how geoscientists apply biology, chemistry, and physics to better understand our dynamic planet, and will survey a wide range of topics from earthquakes and landslides to glaciers and climate change.

Examine how civilization—the collective sum of all human activities—has grown into a global geosystem that is changing Earth’s surface environment at a phenomenal rate. The main focus will be on three of the most serious forms of anthropogenic global change: global warming, ocean acidification, and loss of biodiversity.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the most common forms of environmental pollution and their impacts on human and ecosystem health. The course integrates the science of pollution sources and persistence in the environment with social and political issues surrounding environmental justice and sustainable development. Students will be expected to connect their understanding of course material to their lived experience beyond the university classroom.

Geologic structure and evolution of planet earth. Principles of plate tectonics, rocks and minerals, processes of mountain building, continent and ocean formation, earthquakes, volcanism, development of landforms by running water and glaciers. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day or two-day field trip required.

Physical, chemical, and geological character of the oceans and ocean basins. Origin of the oceans. Ocean processes and agents. Economic value of the oceans. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours. One all-day field trip required. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors

The science behind natural disasters and their impacts on society, focusing on earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires, often through Southern California-based examples. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours.

Topically-driven exploration of evolution, environmental change, and the history of life on Earth via the fossil record with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles as a laboratory. How the changing Earth and life co-evolved through time.

Climate systems from the beginning of Earth history to the present; tools and techniques used to reconstruct prehistoric climate records; effects of climate variations on development of life forms on Earth. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors.

Survey of natural geological/environmental processes (systems) and variability active near Earth’s surface in the region that houses most life (the Biosphere). Corequisite: ENST-100

The role of metals in life, from the origin of life to modern environmental problems. Satisfies New General Education in Category D: Life Sciences

Causes of earthquakes and nature of large faults; earthquake hazard and risk; world’s great earthquakes; understanding the Richter scale. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 2 hours; one field trip required. Not available for major credit to earth or geological sciences majors. Concurrent enrollment: MDA 140.

Minerals and their formation in Earth geosystems; includes discussions of mineral properties, crystal structures, uses and biogeochemical importance. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 6 hours; required field trips. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 215aL). Corequisite: CHEM 105aL or CHEM 115aL; recommended preparation: any introductory GEOL course.

Formation and identification of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks; interpretation of tectonic and environmental settings based on rock type and chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 3 hours; required field trips. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 215bL). Prerequisite: GEOL 315L.

Processes of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition that shape the land surface; landscape response to tectonism; recognition and interpretation of depositional environments in the stratigraphic record. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 334L, GEOL 451L.) Corequisite: GEOL 315L.

Field and theoretical aspects of rock deformation, analysis of structural systems, and stress and strain; orogenic belts and plate tectonics; introduction to field techniques and construction of geologic maps. Recommended preparation: GEOL 320L.

Introduces systems behavior in the context of climate dynamics. Modules of instruction geared to climate system application to real world problems. Lecture, 3 hours, laboratory, 2 hours. Prerequisite: MATH 125

Survey of physical, chemical, and geological oceanography emphasizing the role of the oceans in modulation of climate, atmospheric composition and biogeochemical cycles; paleoceanography and paleoclimate. Corequisite: CHEM 105bL, MATH 126; recommended preparation: PHYS 151L or PHYS 135abL.

Introduces fundamental concepts on data science for earth and environmental science applications. Students will learn to load, filter, analyze, and summarize data in python using widely available software packages. Following an introduction to data science in python, student will learn techniques for data visualization and data-driven modeling in the Earth and environmental sciences. We will additionally cover best practices around writing code including reproducibility, version control, and file structure management. Students will explore the full breadth of computational research through the completion of a computational research portfolio project on any topic of their choosing in the Earth and environmental sciences.

Introduction to mathematical methods giving insight into Earth and Environmental data. Topics include: probability and statistics, timeseries analysis, spectral analysis, inverse theory, interpolation. Recommended Preparation: MATH 126, familiarity with matrix algebra.

Earth’s development as a habitable planet, from origin to human impacts on global biogeochemical cycles in the ocean, land, atmosphere. Discussion of environmental alternatives. Prerequisite: BISC 120L or BISC 121L; CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL.

Introduction to field techniques used in a variety of Earth Science disciplines. Field and digital techniques for map making including use of GIS, GPS, and digital tablets. Field analyses of rocks and rock structures. Map interpretation and digital processing of field data. Includes weekly labs and some weekend field trips.

Origin and evolution of life; Precambrian life; evolutionary history of major groups during the Phanerozoic; mass extinctions; deep time and evolutionary processes. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 3 hours; required field trips. (Duplicates credit in former GEOL 333L.) Recommended preparation: any introductory GEOL course.

Systematics and evolutionary thought; constructing evolutionary trees; phylogenetic comparative methods (character evolution, coevolution, conservation, biogeography, diversification rates); dinosaur evolution, diversification and systematics.

Plate tectonics, magnetic and gravity fields, earthquakes, seismic waves, reflection and refraction seismics, heat transport, mantle convection, deep Earth structure, data analysis. Includes field trip. Prerequisite: MATH 126; corequisite: PHYS 135bL or PHYS 152L.

Seismic wave theory, ray theory, reflection, refraction, data processing, signal enhancement, field instrumentation and techniques on land and at sea; geological interpretation of seismic data. One field trip.

Examination of the tools used to reconstruct past climate change and a thorough discussion of past climate changes on earth with an emphasis on the recent past. Enroll in ENST 445. Prerequisite: ENST 320b
Recommended Preparation: any introductory GEOL course

Geosystems, such as mantle convection, active faults, climate, and the carbon cycle, will be studied using numerical models and concepts such as chaos, universality, emergence, and intermittency. Lecture, 3 hours, laboratory, 2 hours. Prerequisite: MATH 125; recommended preparation: MATH 126.

Composition and origin of Earth; principles of physical chemistry applied to aqueous systems; reaction-diffusion modeling; principles of hydrology; environmental problems. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory/discussion, 2 hours. Prerequisite: CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL and MATH 126.

Ten days to four weeks of field study in an area of geological complexity, with preparatory instruction.

Concepts in hydrogeology and their application to environmental problems. Topics include groundwater chemistry and hydrology, contaminants and their behavior. Guest lectures on regulations and remediation techniques. Recommended preparation: GEOL 460L.

Relationships between microbiota and the earth environment including the hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere, with consideration of the potential for life on other planets. Enroll in BISC 483. Prerequisites: (BISC 120Lg or BISC 121Lg) and (CHEM 105bL or CHEM 108L)

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Writing of a thesis under individual faculty supervision. Not available for graduate credit.