Welcome to the GEOS 300, Earth System Science, webpage for the Fall 2016 semester.
Course Syllabus
Tues., 23 Aug., Lecture: Handout & review syllabus; Chapter 1: Overview of the Earth System and the course.
Thurs., 25 Aug., Lecture: Chapter 2: Systems, components, feedbacks, system diagrams, Daisyworld, albedo, equilibrium states, perturbations, forcings.
Tues., 30 Aug., Quiz #1 on Chapter 2. Lecture: Begin Chapter 3: EM radiation, flux, inverse square law, Planck function, Wein's law, Stefan-Boltzman law, planetary energy balance.
Thurs., 1 Sept., Quiz #2 on radiation. Lecture: Chapter 3: One-layer atmosphere model to demonstrate greenhouse effect. See P. 45 of book.
Tues., 6 Sept., Lecture: Chapter 3: Derivation of barometric law starting with Charles' and Boyle's Law, ideal gas law, and hydrostatic equation.
Thurs., 8 Sept., Quiz #3 on previous lecture. Video on Pres. Obama and climate change. Lecture: Vertical temperature structure; gases and aerosols.
Tues., 13 Sept., Lecture: Hydrometeors and clouds, and the effects of clouds. Heat transfer: conduction, convection, phase change.
Thurs., 15 Sept., Quiz #4. Lecture: Static stability and instability; radiative equilibrium, radiative-convective equilibrium, radiative-convective models.
Tues., 20 Sept., Peer review of first 600 word essay assignment that is due Sunday, Sept. 25.
Thurs., 22 Sept., Quiz #5. Lecture: Conclude Chapter 3 and begin Chapter 4: The Atmospheric Circulation. Three-cell model, Coriolis.
Tues., 27 Sept., Quiz #6. Lecture: Pressure gradients, Pressure gradient forces, Equations of motion. Hydrostatic and geostrophic approximations.
Thurs., 29 Sept., Quiz #7. Lecture: Scale analysis of the equations of motion to show where the hydrostatic and geostrophic approximations come from.
Tues., 4 Oct., Exam #1: Chapters 2, 3, and 4
Thurs., 6 Oct., Return and review Exam #1.
Tues., 11 Oct., Quiz #8 (survey). Lecture:Geostrophic wind, hydrologic cycle, saturation vapor pressure. Then begin Chapter 5: Ocean circulation: gyres, Ekman spiral, transport, and pumping.
Thurs., 13 Oct., Quiz #9. Lecture:Vorticity: planetary, relative, absolute, conservation of, and cause of asymmetry of ocean gyres.
Tues., 18 Oct., Lecture: How to calculate vorticity. Then, ENSO.
Thurs., 20 Oct., Lecture: Temperature, salinity, and density of seawater. Thermohaline circulation.
Tues., 25 Oct., Big History.
Lecture: The Literacy of Long-Form Thinking,
Review salinity, density, surface water, ENSO, Thermohaline circulation. Begin Chapter 6: The Cryosphere.
Thurs., 27 Oct., Quiz #10. Lecture: Phase diagrams, cloud microphysics and precipitation processes, the effects of particulate matter on clouds and precipitation.
Tues., 1 Nov., Peer review of second 600 word essay assignment that is due Sunday, November 6.
Thurs., 3 Nov., Lecture: Briefly, National Snow and Ice Data Center, then begin Chapter 7: Circulation of Solid Earth, magnetic dynamo in liquid core; convecting mantle, plate tectonics.
Tues., 8 Nov., Lecture: Begin Chapter 8: The Carbon Cycle, Biological Pump
Thurs., 10 Nov., Lecture: Finish Chapter 8
Tues., 15 Nov., Guest lecture: Dr. Kristen Kaczynski
Thurs., 17 Nov., Exam #2: Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Tues., 22 Nov., Thanksgiving Break
Thurs., 24 Nov., Thanksgiving Break
Tues., 29 Nov., Review Exam #2. Then, movie on ice sheets, climate, sea-level.
Thurs., 1 Dec., Lecture: Pages 272 - 282, Chapter 14: Pleistocene Glaciations
Tues., 6 Dec., Lecture: Climate change.
Thurs., 8 Dec., No class. Finish essay #3 and review for final.
Final Exams are on week of Dec. 12
Dr. Mayor's page
CSU Chico Atmospheric Lidar Research Group
This page updated 1/31/2012.