Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Graduate programs are offered in Atmospheric Science, Earth Science, and Marine Science. Within marine sciences the subdisciplines include: biological, chemical, geological and physical oceanography.
Master's Degree Requirements
The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. Specific course requirements are determined by the advisory committee of each student. However, MEA 601 Seminar is required of all thesis M.S. students no later than the third semester in residence. Marine science students are required to take core courses in two of the three subdisciplines other than their own.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
Specific courses are determined by the student's advisory committee. Registration in seminar, MEA 801, is required of all Ph.D. students no later than the fourth semester in residence. Marine science students are required to take core courses in all three subdisciplines other than their own; this requirement may be fulfilled at the M.S. level.
Student Financial Support
Research and teaching assistantships are available.
Other Relevant Information
Students are assigned initial advisors upon admission. It is the student's responsibility to secure the consent of a faculty member to serve as the permanent advisor who will chair or co-chair the advisory committee.
Admission Requirements
A Bachelor's degree with research experience or a Master's degree is required for entry into the Ph.D. program. A Bachelor's degree in a science, mathematics or engineering is required for entry into the M.S. program in Atmospheric science, Earth Science, and Biological, Chemical, Geological or Physical Oceanography. Undergraduate field camp is required of all students in the M.S. program in earth science; this requirement may be fulfilled before or after admission. An M.S. degree with a non-thesis option for students is available and admission to this option must be requested at the time of application.
Applicant Information
- Delivery Method: On-Campus
- Entrance Exam: None
- Interview Required: None
Admission Deadlines
- Fall: June 25 (US); March 1 (Intl)
- Spring: November 25 (US); July 15 (Intl)
Faculty
Lecturers
- Viney Pal Aneja
- DelWayne R. Bohnenstiehl
- Jason Cordeira
- Adam Curry
- Nicholas Dygert
- David B. Eggleston
- David Paul Genereux
- Timothy Glotfelty
- Peter Jeurgen Harries
- Ruoying He
- David Kimmel
- Gary M. Lackmann
- Elana L. Leithold
- Jay Frederick Levine
- Jing-pu Liu
- David A. McConnell
- Kay McMonigal
- Nicholas Meskhidze
- Helena Mitasova
- Lewis Andrew Owen
- Matthew David Parker
- John Peters
- Markus Dirk Jan Petters
- Zhen Qu
- Walter A. Robinson
- William J. Showers
- Lian Xie
- Sandra E. Yuter
- Anantha Aiyyer
- Paul Kevin Byrne
- Christopher Lee Osburn
- Astrid Schnetzer
- Karl William Wegmann
- Carli Arendt
- Stuart Bishop
- Magdalena Alyssa Ellis Curry
- Catherine Van Wie Davis
- Lily Hughes
- Ethan Gordon Hyland
- Sarah Larson
- Ryan William Paerl
- Andres Camilo Rey Sanchez
- Arianna Soldati
- Otis B. Brown
- Curtis Congreve
- Brian K. Eder
- Elisabeth Streit Falk
- Kenneth E. Kunkel
- Roberto Javier Mera
- Carrie J. Thomas
- Joseph Brendan Zambon
- Fredrick Semazzi
- Charles Ernest Knowles
- Satya Pal Singh Arya
- Jerry M. Davis
- David John DeMaster
- John Crothers Fountain
- James Patrick Hibbard
- Thomas Sawyer Hopkins
- Leonard J. Pietrafesa
- Sethu Raman
- Allen J. Riordan
- Dale A Russell
- Ping-Tung Shaw
- Edward F. Stoddard
- Donna Lee Wolcott
- Thomas G. Wolcott
- William Howard Battye
- Geoffrey Weszely Bell
- Scott Anthony Braun
- Michael Brennan
- Subrahmanyam Bulusu
- Brian A. Colle
- Jeffrey Cunningham
- Johannes Michael Leopold Dahl
- Kathie Dello
- David R. Easterling
- Scott Howard Ensign
- Troy Gilmore
- Peter Hamilton
- Russel S. Harmon
- Barron Halton Henderson
- Nam-Young Kang
- David E. Kingsmill
- Branko Kosovic
- Emlyn Howard Koster
- Benjamin Kravitz
- Nicole Deneault LaDue
- Romuald Lipcius
- Huiqing Liu
- David Mechem
- Siddhartha Mitra
- Maria Janeth Molina
- Andrew Newell
- Lester Perry
- Sharon Phillips
- Brandon Puckett
- S. Trivikrama Rao
- Joseph Rudek
- Blake Schaeffer
- Jenni Stanley
- Robert Christopher Tacker
- Susan White
- Shaocai Yu
- Yang Zhang
- Yin San Zhang
- Xiangdong Zhang
Courses
This course will prepare students to explain the conditions necessary for learning to occur in college geoscience classes; plan lessons that address geoscience literacy standards and incorporate activities that feature multiple levels of Bloom's taxonomy; describe how they would determine if student work meets defined learning goals; create effective geoscience learning environments for lecture and lab settings; analyze the teaching of others using validated instruments; and design a geoscience teaching and learning research project.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate odd years
Wind structure in atmospheric surface layer and planetary boundary layer; temperature structure and stability; mixed layer and inversions; turbulence intensity and scale; meteorological factors affecting dispersion of pollutants; diffusion theories and models; diffusion and transport experiments; plume rise, fumigation and trapping; removal processes; effects of buildings and hills; effects of local winds.
Typically offered in Spring only
Meteorological remote sensing data sets used in operational forecast and research applications. Sensor physical principles. Emphasis is on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of observational data so that the student can judge adequacy of purpose for their applications.
Typically offered in Fall only
Fundamental laws and concepts of thermodynamics and electromagnetic radiative transfer considered in an atmospheric context. Application of these principles to a number of meteorological problems, including radiative climate models, the global energy balance, atmospheric aerosols, lidar/radar backscatter and remotely sensed temperature fields.
Typically offered in Fall only
A comprehensive look at climate integrated across terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric perspectives. Topics include an in-depth look at climate proxies, drivers of future, current and past climate change, climate monitoring approaches, and climate model projections. Students will be exposed to the quantitative aspects (chemistry, physics, theory, observations, models) scientists use to place constraints on climate conditions over broad spatial and temporal scales. MEA 415 is open to upper-level undergraduate science majors interested in learning more about Earth's climate systems and the dynamics within. MEA 515 is open to all graduate students with the expectation of an additional climate assessment course project relevant to the student's own research discipline. Students cannot receive credit for both MEA 415 and MEA 515.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate even years
Prepares students to analyze climate data for decision making under uncertainties in climate conditions and projections. Diverse observational and model generated climate data sets are considered. For observed data, the assumptions and statistical methods used to assess trends are explored and critically analyzed. Subsequent course work focuses on spatial analyses of climate-related anomalies and trends and on ensemble predictions, including their application to climate sensitive systems. Students become proficient in the visualization of climate information. This course requires permission from the instructor to join.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course will present the basic science of climate change, including chemical and physical systems and processes. The students will be introduced to how the climate system works and the role of greenhouse gases in the climate system. Students will learn about climatological data, climate models and how predictions/projections are made. Emphasis will be placed upon relating predicted/projected changes to manifestations such as sea level rise and changes in the distribution and character of precipitation. Topics include the primary climate components, ocean-atmospheric teleconnections, decadal and multi-decadal climate indices, natural and anthropogenic climate variability, and climate model projections.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall only
Climate Adaptation investigates the technological, economic, communication, scientific and legal challenges inherent to adaptation to climate change. This course provides practical hands-on experience for professionals in developing adaptation strategies in climate sensitive sectors. Content draws heavily on case studies in international development, infrastructure, health, energy, and transportation sectors.
Prerequisites: MEA 517 or permission from instructor
Typically offered in Spring only
Investigates the discipline-based geoscience education lenses of the cognitive, affective, and behavioral barriers to climate literacy and the practical interventions for addressing them. Critically analyzes key aspects of climate science, common misconceptions, mental models, cultural influences, and risk perceptions about climate change. Students engage with the public and design projects for overcoming barriers to climate change literacy. The course features relevant readings, classroom discussions, student peer-review, and summative and formative course feedback though course assignments and exams. Minimum of 50% seats reserved for Climate Change and Society Certificate program students.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall only
The course covers history, regulations, sources, physics, and chemistry of major air pollutants and factors affecting their transport and fate. Emphasis is placed on atmospheric chemistry and physics underlying five major air pollutant problems including urban outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution, acid deposition, stratospheric ozone reduction, and global climate change. Credit will not be allowed for MEA 425 and MEA 525.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered every third semester
Introduction to principles and practice of physical oceanography. The equation of state of seawater; energy transfer to the ocean by thermal, radiative and mechanical processes; the heat budget; oceanic boundary conditions; geographical distributionof oceanic properties; observational methods; conservation equations; simple waves and tides; physical oceanography of North Carolina coastal zone. Application of Fourier analysis techniques to interpretation of low-frequency motions in ocean and atmosphere. Review of Fourier method. Filtering of tidal signals. Spectral estimates and calculation of current ellipses. Identification of coherent motions and their empirical orthogonal modes. Data from field experiments used in lectures and homeworkassignments. Credit is not allowed for both MEA 460 and MEA 540
Typically offered in Fall only
Environmental dependencies, biological productivity, and trophic relationships in plankton, nekton and benthos; Sampling methods and experimental design; Human impacts on marine systems.Credit is not allowed for both MEA 449 and MEA(ZO)549.
Typically offered in Fall only
Biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in coastal rivers and estuaries with selected topics on the origin, physics, and chemistry of estuarine waters and sediments. Emphasis is placed on organic matter and nutrient cycling in estuaries within the context of anthropogenic effects and climate change.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate even years
Space-time relationships between physics and biology; influence of Reynolds Number on aquatic life style; aspects of physical and biological mathematical modeling; influence of biology on physical phenomena; influence of static physical/chemical properties on biology; influence of dynamic physical phenomena (turbulence, waves and advection) on biology within the water column and its boundaries. Credit is not allowed for both MEA454 and 554
Prerequisite: MEA 460 and MEA/ZO 449
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate even years
Quantitative study of sediment transportation in the marine environment including introduction to fluid mechanics and sediment transportation theory. Processes and products of sediment transportation in specific marine environments from estuaries todeep sea and the interpretation of sediment transport processes from sedimentary structures. Credit not allowed for both MEA 411 and MEA 562
Typically offered in Fall only
Aquatic microbes are key drivers of biogeochemistry on Earth. They also influence the 'health' of valuable ecosystems, e.g. estuaries, coasts, lakes, as well as, larger organisms (e.g. shellfish, humans). In this course, multiple facets of aquatic microbiology will be covered, including (not limited to): population diversity, spatial and temporal dynamics, sampling methodologies, metabolisms, and their environmental and societal importance. A primary goal for this course is for students to be exposed to key paradigms and current challenges within the field of aquatic microbiology, but also a general perspective on how aquatic microbes thrive in nature. Although largely a classroom-based course, select class periods will be devoted to hands-on activities and/or measurements providing students with methodological experience or in-depth exposure to key topics.
Prerequisite: BIO 183
Typically offered in Fall only
A comprehensive overview of the geological aspects of oceanography. Topics include: a) marine geophysics and the evolution of ocean basins, b) sedimentological processes and the formation of marine deposits, c) marine geochemistry and authigenic sedimentation, d) paleoceanography and the interpretation of marine stratigraphy.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate odd years
Chemical processes controlling the composition of oceans, including discussions of chemical equilibria, biological cycling of nutrients and use of chemical tracers in marine environment; consideration of origin and chemical history of oceans. Creditis not allowed for both MEA 473 and MEA 573
Typically offered in Spring only
Physicochemical principles related to igneous petrogenesis. General principles and specific problems including origin, differentiation and emplacement of magmas and the possible relationships of igneous processes to global tectonics.
Prerequisite: MEA 440
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Theory of quantitative analysis of geologic material by electron beam application; laboratory operation of electron microprobe to acquire chemical composition and x-ray images of geologic material.
Prerequisite: MEA 410
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate even years
Introduction to: risk assessment, health effects, and regulation of air pollutants; air pollution statistics; estimation of emissions; air quality meteorology; dispersion modeling for non-reactive pollutants; chemistry and models for tropospheric ozone formation; aqueous-phase chemistry, including the "acid rain" problem; integrated assessment of air quality problems; and the fundamentals and practical aspects of commonly used air quality models. Credit is allowed only for one of CE/MEA 479 or CE/MEA 579
Prerequisite: CE 373,CE 282; or CHE 311(CHE Majors); or MEA 421(MEA Majors), Corequisite: ST 370; ST 380(MEA Majors)
Typically offered in Spring only
Topics include numerical solutions to ODEs/PDEs, atmospheric chemistry, cloud and aerosol microphysics, emission modeling, meteorological modeling, and model design, applications, and evaluation. It is targeted for students who would like to learn about air quality modeling and who are prospective air quality model users.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Free surface flows of water and air occurring in natural fluid systems and influencing environmental transport and mixing. Review of fundamental principles of fluids, covering the scales relevant to both engineering and geo-physical applications. Topics and examples include waves, instability, stratification, turbulent boundary layers, jets and plumes, and open channel flows. Cannot receive credit for both CE 581 and MEA 581.
Typically offered in Fall only
The course provides foundations in methods for GIS-based surface analysis and modeling. The topics include proximity analysis with cost surfaces and least cost paths, multivariate spatial interpolation and 3D surface visualization. Special focus is on terrain modeling, geomorphometry, solar irradiation, visibility, and watershed analysis. Students are also introduced to the basic concepts of landscape process modeling with GIS and to the principles of open source GIS. Introductory level knowledge of GIS or surveying/ geomatics principles is required.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
The course provides an overview of UAS mapping technology and its rules and regulations. The principles of UAS data collection are explained along with optional hands-on practice with in flight planning and execution. The main focus is on processing imagery collected from UAS using structure from motion techniques and deriving orthophoto mosaics and ultra-high resolution digital elevation models of land surface, vegetation and structures. More advanced topics include multi-temporal 3D data analysis, fusion with lidar data and 3D visualization.
Typically offered in Summer only
Physical aspects of groundwater flow in geological media. Saturated and unsaturated flow, Darcy's equation, heterogeneity and anisotropy, storage properties of geological materials, effective stress, governing equations for steady and unsteady flow, recharge, groundwater exchange with surface water, groundwater flow to well,s estimation of hydraulic properties of aquifers.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Opportunity for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to study timely special problem areas in Marine Science and Engineering
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in earth sciences, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in atmospheric science, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Field study of classic geologic localities and geomorphic processes not indigenous to North Carolina. Typical areas: New England and adjacent Canada, northern Mexico and southwestern United States and Pacific Northwest. Representative subjects include Canadian Shield, Precambrian mineral deposits, San Andreas fault, desert geomorphology, Grand Canyon stratigraphy, modern and ancient reefs and glaciated volcanoes. Mineral, rock and fossil collecting. Required student reports.
Prerequisite: MEA 101 or MEA 120, Senior standing
Typically offered in Fall only
Presentation by each student of one seminar on his/her current research.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Special topics in earth sciences, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in atmospheric science, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Capstone project for the Climate Change and Society program. Students will carry out research in collaboration with an on-campus or off-campus partner in a climate-related sector. Students will address a real-world climate adaptation problem or issue and will prepare a written report describing the outcome of their research.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion of the assignment.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
For students in non thesis master's programs who have completed all other requirements of the degree except preparing for and taking the final master's exam.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Thesis Research
Prerequisite: Master's Student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research.
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Summer only
For students who have completed all credit hour requirements and full-time enrollment for the master's degree and are writing and defending their thesis. Credits Arranged
Prerequisite: Master's student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Basic concepts and laws governing motion of atmosphere and oceans developed from first principles, including approximations valid for environmental flows, kinematics, dynamics and thermodynamics of fluid flows as well as introduction to environmental turbulence. Credit is not allowed for both MEA 463 and MEA 700
Typically offered in Fall only
An understanding of aerosols as primary air pollutants, indoor versus outdoor pollution, transformation processes, prediction of atmospheric concentrations, scavenging of aerosols, transport of air pollutants on a regional scale, discussion of national experiments to characterize and study impact of urban-industrial pollution, tropospheric aerosol and weather, stratospheric aerosol, effect of aerosols on atmospheric warming and cooling and air-quality models.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Brief review of classical and physical hydrodynamics; scale analysis of dynamic equations; atmospheric instabilities; dynamics of tropical convections; perturbation theory and approximations for atmospheric wave motions.
Prerequisite: MEA 422
Typically offered in Spring only
Review of basic equations and concepts of planetary boundary layers. The closure problem and semi-empirical theories of turbulence, buoyancy effects on mean flow and turbulence, instrumentation and observational platforms for PBL experiments, observed characteristics of atmospheric boundary layers, numerical and physical modeling of PBL and its parameterization in large-scale atmospheric circulation models.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
This course is offered alternate years
Statistical description of turbulence, including probability, correlation and spectrum functions. Statistical theory of homogeneous turbulence, spectral dynamics and Kolmogorov's local similarity hypotheses. Effects of shear, thermal stratification and earth's rotation. Observed structure and scales of turbulence in PBL and free atmosphere. Higher-order closure models and large eddy simulations of atmospheric turbulence.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Lagrangian vs. Eulerian descriptions of turbulence and diffusion. Statistical theories of absolute and relative diffusion from continuous and instantaneous releases. Effects of shear, thermal stratification and earth's rotation on atmospheric dispersion. Lagrangian similarity theories of diffusion in the surface layer and mixed layer. Random walk, Monte Carlo and large eddy simulations of atmospheric dispersion. Urban and regional dispersion models.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Modeling mesoscale weather phenomena including midlatitude cyclones, mesoscale convective complexes and squall lines. Application of finite difference, spectral and implicit methods and coordinate transforms to these problems. Utilization of explicit representations of moist processes. Development of parameterizations of convective clouds, planetary boundary layer and moist processes.
Prerequisite: MEA 705
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Inertia-gravity waves. Mechanical and thermally forced waves. Generation, circulation and maintenance of mesoscale convective storms and systems. Symmetric instability. Wave-CISK, quasi-geostrophic and semi-geostrophic fronts and fronto-genesis. Meso-B/Y frontogenesis. Lee and coastal cyclogenesis.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Structure, physics and dynamics of convective clouds and cloud systems; fundamental equations for modeling convection; microphysical parameterization schemes; influence of instabilities on convective cloud systems; severe thunderstorms dynamics; tornadogenesis theories; mesoscale convective systems; upscale feedback effects of convection; cumulus parameterization schemes.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate odd years
Frontogenesis theory; inertial and conditional symmetric instability; mesoscale gravity waves and wave-CISK; conveyor belts; seeder-feeder processes and precipitation generating cells; classification and dynamics of precipitation band types.
Prerequisite: MEA 444
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate even years
Parameterization of physical processes in atmospheric modeling, including numerous hands-on experiments to allow evaluation and analysis of process representation in models. Emphasis on experimental design: Using numerical models as a tool with which to test scientific hypotheses. Investigation of data assimilation and ensemble prediction techniques. Journal discussion and student presentations are featured prominently. A semester project allows students to apply knowledge to thesis projects, and synthesize class concepts. Some comfort level with Linux computing environment, shell scripting, and programming languages such as FORTRAN required.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Offered in Even Years
Evolution of physical and dynamic structure of synoptic and sesoscale storm systems occurring in middle and high latitudes. Recent advances in understanding these storm systems through intensive field experiments and computer modeling. Introduction to contemporary analysis techniques through laboratory exercises shedding light on storm structure, dynamics and scale interaction.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Climate system. Fundamental equations and time scales. Atmosphere, ocean, biosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere subsystems. Computational numerical methods. Physical processes; atmosphere-ocean coupling, role of radiation, clouds and land surface processes. Climate anomalies due to changes in atmospheric composition, boundary conditions and extra-terrestrial forcing. Model validation, climate change detection, past climates and future climate scenarios.
Prerequisite: MEA 705
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Review of basic equations and concepts of turbulent transfer in geophysical flows, air-sea interaction processes and their importance to man's activities, theory and observation of wind-generated ocean surface waves, turbulent transfers in planetaryboundary layer of marine atmosphere, oceanic mixed layer, development of thermocline and inversion.
Prerequisite: MEA 422 or MEA 560
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Application of Fourier analysis to interpretation of low-frequency motions in ocean and atmosphere. Review of Fourier method. Filtering of tidal signals. Spectral estimates and calculation of current ellipses. Identification of coherent motions and their empirical orthogonal modes. Data from field experiments used in lectures and homework assignments.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Basic discussion of the techniques and terminology of synoptic physical oceanography; focus on water characteristics and their relationship to currents in the individual oceans; a systematic quantitative description of the character of ocean waters and their movements.
Prerequisite: MEA 560
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Basic study of mechanics of ocean circulation with emphasis on various simple models of circulation systems.
Typically offered in Fall only
Description and models of dynamic processes on the shelf, including seiches and tides in gulfs, propagation of tides and storm surges, wind-induced coastal upwelling, continental shelf waves and coastally trapped waves. Steady circulation driven by winds, river plumes and density forcing, formation of shelf-break fronts; and influence from deep-ocean currents.
Prerequisite: MEA 700
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Examination of worldwide relationships between physical-chemical environment and planktonic organisms. Organism descriptions; effects of light, temperature, salinity, density, water motion and chemical constituents on organisms; interactions among different organisms emphasizing competition and predation; community structure, distribution and succession; and mathematics models of distribution, production and interaction.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Sources and fates of organic material in the geochemical environment. Microbial transformations of organic compounds. The use of biomarkers to study depositional environments. Petroleum, natural gas and coal formation. Extraterrestrial organic geochemistry.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Processes involved in the biogeochemical cycling of C, N, S and related biogenic elements. Stable isotopic and other geochemical signatures of biological processes. Introduction to modeling chemical distributions in sediments. The impact of biogeochemical processes on atmospheric chemistry.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Detailed examination of chemical processes occurring in marine environment. Chemical evolution of the oceans, continental and submarine weathering, particle scavenging of reactive elements from water, column, formation of biogenic and metaliiferousdeposits, sediment diagenesis and marine geochronology.
Prerequisite: CH 331, MEA 560
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
This class offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the principles of isotope chemistry and its application to geological, atmospheric, and biological systems. Key topics include: isotope systematics; isotope measurements and analyses; common radiogenic (U, Ar, Pb, Sr, C, Be) and stable (H, O, C, N, S) isotope systems; applications to geochronology, paleobiology, paleoclimatology, environmental tracking, archeology, and more. This course is aimed at graduate students interested in using isotopes as a tool for examining the natural world.
Restriction: Graduate Standing or Permission of the Instructor
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Local, regional and global scale chemical interactions, transport and behavior of trace gases (sulfur carbon, nitrogen, hydrocarbon, and photo-chemical oxidants) in the atmosphere. covers three primary elements of air quality: anthropogenic and natural emissions of trace gases; interactions of the pollutants in the atmosphere; and monitoring and sampling of gaseous and particulate pollutants.
Typically offered in Spring only
Quantitative analysis of hydrological, geological, and geochemical factors controlling the transport and fate of organic and inorganic chemicals in groundwater. Acid-base, precipitation-dissolution, weathering, redox, complexation, sorption, and gas exchange reactions. Advection, diffusion, and dispersion in porous media, analytical solutions to the advection-dispersion equation. Non-aqueous-phase (organic) liquids.
Typically offered in Spring only
This course is offered alternate years
Principles of rock mechanics and their application in solving geologic problems; finite strain analysis of deformed rocks; advanced techniques of structural analysis; petrofabrics; development of various geologic structures. Emphasis upon application of principles and techniques in the field.
Prerequisite: MEA 451
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Examination of geology of areas within Appalachian orogenic belt. Lectures, discussions, reading and review of current literature and consideration of ideas concerning geological evolution of region. Required field trips.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
In-depth examination of current ideas in plate tectonic theory. Plate tectonic controls on orogeny, orogenic belts, magmatism and metallogeny.
Typically offered in Fall only
This course is offered alternate years
Opportunity for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to study timely special problem areas in Marine Science and Engineering
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in earth sciences, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in atmospheric science, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Geophysical methods as applies to exploring the earth's mineral and energy resources and to investigating subsurface geological structure and physical properties. Principles, measurements, analyses, and interpretations of gravity, magnetic, electric, electromagnetic, seismic methods. Required research paper.
Typically offered in Spring only
Presentation by each student of one seminar on his/her current research.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in earth sciences, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
Special topics in atmospheric science, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Special topics in earth sciences, provided to groups or to individuals.
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planing for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion of the assignment.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall and Spring
Dissertation Research
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer
For graduate students whose programs of work specify no formal course work during a summer session and who will be devoting full time to thesis research.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Summer only
For students who have completed all credit hour requirements, full-time enrollment, preliminary examination, and residency requirements for the doctoral degree, and are writing and defending their dissertations.
Prerequisite: Doctoral student
Typically offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer