Catalogue 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Earth Science
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Faculty: See Earth Science and Geography Department
Early Advising: Knowledge of earth science is useful in a variety of careers. Therefore, we urge potential majors to consult with a faculty member in earth science as soon as possible to determine a course of study that reflects the interests and aspirations of the student. The earth science program also offers courses at the 100-level designed for students who may not intend to pursue earth science at more advanced levels. These courses are appropriate for students curious about the earth and its life, especially those with concerns about environmental degradation and its impact on people living in both urban and rural settings.
Postgraduate Work: Students interested in graduate study in earth or environmental science should be aware that graduate and professional schools usually require courses beyond the earth science concentration requirements. In general, students should have a year of biology, chemistry, physics and/or calculus, depending on the field of interest. Appropriate courses include BIOL 105 and BIOL 106 ; CHEM 108 /CHEM 109 or CHEM 125 ; PHYS 113 and PHYS 114 ; and MATH 101 and MATH 102 or MATH 121 /MATH 122. We urge students to begin coursework in other sciences as soon as possible, since this assists them in successful completion of the earth science major.
Advisers: Kirsten Menking, Jill S. Schneiderman, Jeffrey Walker.
Major
Correlate Sequence in Earth Science
Earth Science: I. Introductory
Earth Science: II. Intermediate
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ESCI 201 - Earth Materials: Minerals and Rocks Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The earth is made up of many different materials, including minerals, rocks, and ions in solution, representing the same atoms recycled continually by geological and biogeochemical processes. This course covers the earth materials in their plate tectonic context. We approach this study through field techniques (outcrop description and hand specimen identification), and laboratory work (optical microscope and X-ray analysis). Jeffrey Walker.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 202 - Public Policy and Human Environments
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 202 , ESSC 202 , GEOG 202 and URBS 202 ) This course combines the insights of the natural and social sciences to address a selected topic of global concern. Geographers bring spatial analysis of societal and political-ecological changes, while Earth Scientists contribute their knowledge of the diverse natural processes shaping the earth’s surface. Together, these distinctive but complementary fields contribute to comprehensive understandings of the physical limitations and potential, uses and misuses of the Earth’s natural resources.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 203 - Earth History Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
In this course we study the methods and principles employed in deciphering the geologic history of Earth and the development of life on the planet. We emphasize the geologic evolution of the North American continent and the main features of the fossil record. Students learn to recognize the patterns of both biologic and tectonic evolution of Earth through time, from the Archean to the present. Woven throughout the course is consideration of the history of geologic thought through examination of the ideas of James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, and Alfred Wegener. Jeff Walker.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 211 - Sedimentology Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Sediments and sedimentary rocks preserve information about the rocks that were eroded to form them, the fluids and forces that transported them, the mechanisms by which they were deposited, and the processes by which they were lithified. This course introduces the principles of sedimentology, including sediment composition, fluid mechanics, bedform analysis, and depositional environments. The Department.
Weekend field trips may be required.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
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ESCI 220 - Cartography: Spatial Data Visualization with GIS Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 220 ) Geographic information systems (GIS) give us the ability to display and analyze data, and thus give us broader perspectives on social and environmental processes and patterns. Map-making and communication with spatial data are therefore fundamental aspects of Geography. This course uses GIS to make thematic maps and to acquire and present spatial data in diverse ways. In addition, we explore the culture, politics, and technology of historical cartography, and we examine how maps have been used as rhetorical and political texts. Throughout the course, we focus on strategies for clear, efficient, and intentional communication through graphic presentation of data. Thus, the course integrates problems of design, esthetics, and communication with techniques for manipulating quantitative data. In the final project, students apply ideas to a topic of their individual interest. ArcGIS is used in labs for map production and data analysis. Mary Cunningham.
Prerequisite(s): One 100-level Geography or Earth Science course, or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods and one 2-hour lab.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 221 - Soils
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 221 ) Soils form an important interface between the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. As such, they are critical to understanding the functioning of ecosystems. This course studies soil formation, and the physical and chemical properties of soils critical to the understanding of natural and constructed ecosystems. Field trips and laboratory work focus on the description and interpretation of local soils.
Prerequisite(s): One introductory course in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science; or ENST 124 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 224 - GIS: Spatial Analysis Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 224 ) Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasingly important and widespread packages for manipulating and presenting spatial data. While this course uses ArcGIS, the same software as Cartography, the primary focus here is spatial analysis (calculating patterns and relationships), rather than map design for data visualization. We explore a variety of techniques for answering questions with spatial data, including overlay, map algebra (math using multiple input layers), hydrologic modeling, surface interpolation, and site selection. Issues of data collection through remote sensing and sampling are addressed. GIS involves a more rapid introduction to the software than Cartography does; it is useful to take both Cartography and GIS (preferably in that order) to gain a more complete understanding of spatial data analysis and manipulation. Neil Curri.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 2-hour laboratory.
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ESCI 226 - Remote Sensing
0.5 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 226 ) Many key environmental questions today are studied at least in part with remotely sensed data. Imagery from satellite sensors, such as LandSat, or airborne sensors, provide insights into questions regarding oil spills, sea ice extent, agricultural land uses, urban expansion, deforestation, forest health, weather, and many other phenomena. This 6-week course provides a short introduction to remotely sensed data, including principles of image capture, e.g., radiative energy, electromagnetic spectra, and spectral signatures, and basic approaches to image classification and interpretation. Using accessible image interpretation software, we practice different approaches for using imagery to address environmental questions. This course complements GIS, Cartography, and other courses concerned with mapping and land change analysis. It has no prerequisites, but willingness to explore new software and data is important.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 231 - Geomorphology: Surface Processes and Evolution of Landforms Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 231 ) Quantitative study of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that create Earth’s many landforms. Topics include weathering and erosion, landsliding and debris flows, sediment transport by rivers and glaciers, the role of climate in landscape modification, and the use of landforms to document earthquake hazards. Lab exercises emphasize fundamental skills in geomorphologic analysis such as mapping, surveying, interpretation of aerial photography, and use of Geographic Information Systems software. Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period. An overnight weekend field trip may be required.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 235 - Water
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 235 ) Sixty to seventy percent of Dutchess County residents depend on groundwater supplies to meet their daily needs. Industrial pollution and road salt have contaminated many of these supplies, spawning legal actions and requiring costly remediation. Ensuring adequate and safe groundwater supplies for humans and ecosystems requires extensive knowledge of the hydrologic cycle and of how contaminants may be introduced into water resources. We explore how rainfall and snowmelt infiltrate into soils and bedrock to become part of the groundwater system, learn what factors govern subsurface flow, and discuss the concept of well-head protection, which seeks to protect groundwater recharge areas from contamination. Using Vassar’s teaching well at the field station we perform a number of experiments to assess aquifer properties, water chemistry, and presence of microbial contaminants. Comfort with basic algebra and trigonometry is expected.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 , ENST 124 , or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 251 - Global Geophysics and Tectonics
1 unit(s)
What can physics and simple math tell us about the earth? By utilizing an array of techniques, geophysicists gain an understanding of the processes that shape our planet. Reflection and earthquake seismology give us insight into deep earth structure, plate tectonic mechanisms, mountain building, basin formation, and hazard mitigation. Variations in the earth’s gravitational field yield information on density contrasts beneath the surface, from the scale of mountain ranges to buried artifacts. Heat flow variations are useful in determining regional subsurface thermal structure, fluid advection, and climate variation. Laboratories are designed to use the skills required in most geology related fields. They involve the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, and construction of simple computer models.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or ESCI 121 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 254 - Environmental Science in the Field
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 254 ) The environment consists of complex and often elegant interactions between various constituents so that an interdisciplinary approach is required to understand how human interactions may affect it. In this course, we study a variety of aspects of a specific environment by considering how biological, chemical, geological, and human factors interact. We observe these interactions first hand during a weeklong field trip. Some of the questions we may consider are: How does a coral polyp create an environment that not only suits its particular species, but also helps regulate the global climate? How has human development and associated water demands in the desert Southwest changed the landscape, fire ecology, and even estuary and fisheries’ health as far away as the Gulf of California? How have a variety of species (humans included) managed to survive on an island with the harsh environment of the exposed mid-ocean ridge of Iceland? The course is offered every other year, and topics vary with expertise of the faculty teaching the course.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 260 - Conservation of Natural Resources
1 unit(s)
(Same as GEOG 260 ) Natural resources are perennially at the center of debates on sustainability, planning, land development, and environmental policy. The ways we conceptualize resources can be as important to understanding these issues as their actual distributions are. This course provides a geographic perspective on natural resource conservation, using local examples to provide deeper experience with resource debates. We focus particularly on forest resources: biodiversity, forest health, timber resources, forest policy, and the ways people have struggled to make a living in forested ecosystems. We discuss these issues on a global scale (such as tropical timber piracy and forest conversion), and we explore them locally in the Adirondacks of New York. This course requires that students spend October Break on a group study trip in the Adirondacks. Students must be willing to spend long, cold days outside, including some strenuous physical activity (unless special permission is arranged with the instructor).
Students wishing to register under Earth Science must have had at least one previous earth science course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 271 - Structural Geology: Deformation of the Earth
1 unit(s)
Structural geology explores the deformation of Earth’s crust caused by the movement of its tectonic plates and the resulting structures that are produced at scales ranging from the microscopic to the mountainous. It underpins the oil and gas industry and mining because fossil fuels and precious metals are commonly associated with folds and faults. It is also important in earthquake and landslide hazard prediction. Lab exercises emphasize the fundamentals of geologic mapping, how to use geometric principles to predict what lies in the subsurface from surface observations, and how rocks behave under varying conditions of stress. Many exercises occur in the field.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 or permission of the instructor.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory/field period. An overnight weekend field trip may be required.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 277 - Biogeochemistry Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Our planet is uniquely suited in our solar system to support complex life. In turn, the engines of biology have altered Earth’s geochemistry in ways that have allowed for the development of higher animals and the establishment of a relatively stable climate system. How do Earth’s biology, chemistry, and geology work together to create the Earth System we know today? Throughout the course we explore case studies from Earth History such as the oxygenation of the atmosphere, the colonization of the continents by land plants, and the advent of calcifying organisms. Lab and field exercises give us a chance to collect and analyze biogeochemical data. In the process, we cement our understanding of biogeochemical cycles and how humanity is altering them today. Laura Haynes.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 151 .
Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 297 - Readings in Earth Science
0.5 unit(s)
Contemplating Time. Deep time, the concept of geologic time recognized by Persian polymath Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Chinese naturalist Shen Kuo in the 11th century and developed further by James Hutton during the 18th century Scottish Enlightenment, has been called the single greatest contribution of geology to science. The concept provides a critical link between earth science and environmental change. Using reading and reflection, the aim of this course is to help students develop a feeling for the enormity of Earth’s duration in relation to human life spans. Students contemplate the nature of time from geoscientific, religious, and literary perspectives. Reading works by Loren C. Eiseley, Mircea Eliade, Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen Jay Gould, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Shunryu Suzuki, and Elie Wiesel, among others, we consider subjects such as the two great metaphors of time, arrows and cycles, in relation to natural and anthropogenic environmental change. The class meets weekly for contemplative practice and is suitable for students at any level.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: OTH -
ESCI 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of a field, laboratory or library study. The project, to be arranged with an individual instructor, is expected to have a substantial paper as its final product. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
Earth Science: III. Advanced
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ESCI 300 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course 300-ESCI 301 .
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 301 - Senior Research and Thesis Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Critical analysis, usually through observation or experimentation, of a specific research problem in earth science. A student electing this course must first gain, by submission of a written research proposal, the support of a member of the earth science faculty with whom to work out details of a research protocol. The formal research proposal and a final paper and presentation of results are required parts of the course. A second faculty member participates in the final evaluation. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Yearlong course ESCI 300 -301.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 321 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
This course investigates fundamental geologic controls on environmental issues such as resource distribution and use, ground and surface water pollution, and atmospheric pollution. A specific topic is selected each year, and work in the class includes a survey of relevant literature, field visits to local sites, and development of a group project.
Topic for 2021/22b: Eocene Paleoceanography. (Same as ENST 321 ) 56 million years ago, our planet was in a hothouse climate state with very high atmospheric CO2: crocodiles swam at the poles and Antarctica was covered in palm forests. Fossil fuel emission projections suggest that we may reach a similar CO2 concentration in the coming centuries. We use samples from a deep-sea sediment core, located close to Antarctica, to investigate the climate and ocean history of this warm period. Specifically, we use the fossils of tiny creatures called foraminifera to help us reconstruct ecosystem and ocean chemistry changes through time. Participants learn methods in sediment processing and preparation, microfossil identification, and geochemical method development and analysis. Along the way we learn about large scientific collaborations and what it’s like to work within the International Ocean Discovery Program. Laura Haynes.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 221 .
One 4-hour period.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 323 - History of Geological Thought 2020 Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as STS 323 ) In this course we examine the historical context and scientific ideas put forth by natural philosophers and scientists including Thomas Burnet, Nicolas Steno, James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Charles Darwin, Alfred Wegener, Marie Tharp, Bruce Heezen, Stephen Jay Gould, Niles Eldredge, Neil Shubin, James Lovelock and Walter Alvarez. Topics of study include geologic time, continental drift and plate tectonics, evolution and punctuated equilibrium, Gaia, and bolide impacts. This intensive requires a one-week field trip to Great Britain in the first week of Spring Break. Jill Schneiderman.
Prerequisite(s): Must be a science or Science, Technology, and Society major at the sophomore, junior or senior level, or by permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 325 - Mass Extinctions Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
It is often argued that our planet today is undergoing the “sixth mass extinction”. What defines a mass extinction in the rock record? What forces are able to cause such immense destruction of life on Earth? And, what are the outcomes of mass extinction for life on the planet? In this course we use the geologic record as our guide to understanding the consequences of asteroid impacts, rapid greenhouse gas emissions, and glaciation for the Earth System. We also explore ongoing controversies in the scientific literature regarding the cause of these catastrophic events. In group discussions, we probe the ways that the context of past mass extinctions can be used to inform conservation policy. Laura Haynes.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 203 or permission of the instructor.
One 3-hour period.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 335 - Paleoclimatology: Earth’s History of Climate Change
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 335 ) In recent decades, record high temperatures and extreme weather events have led scientists and policy makers to grapple with the fact that human activities are affecting the climate system. At the same time, scientists have come to realize that climate is capable of dramatic shifts in the absence of human intervention. The science of paleoclimatology seeks to understand the extent and causes of natural climatic variability in order to establish the baseline on top of which anthropogenic changes are occurring. In this course we examine the structure and properties of the oceans and atmosphere and how the general circulation of these systems redistributes heat throughout the globe; study how cycles in Earth’s orbital parameters, plate tectonics, changes in ocean circulation, and the evolution of plants have affected climate; and explore the different lines of evidence used to reconstruct climate history. Weekly laboratory projects introduce students to paleoclimatic methods and to records of climatic change from the Paleozoic through the Little Ice Age.
Prerequisite(s): 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour classroom/laboratory/field period.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 340 - Advanced Urban and Regional Studies Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 340 and GEOG 340 ) Topic for 2021/22a: Renewable Energy and Climate Action. Climate action is a central issue of our time, and within this, plans for progress (including the Green New Deal) depend on reforming our energy systems. This course seeks to understand the shape of our rapidly changing landscapes of energy production, with a focus on New York City, New York State, and Vassar’s carbon neutrality goals. We use a variety of methods, including mapping, case studies, and readings, as we try to understand regions of production, leading technologies, the challenges and opportunities for developing them, and the environmental and social implications of these emerging systems. Can renewable energy produce a more equitable, and less exploitive energy regime? How are these shifting landscapes pushing us to rethink geographies of energy? What does it take to embrace these energy systems in a way that is more just—across communities, places, and generations—than we have seen historically? Mary Cunningham.
One 3-hour period.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 351 - Volcanology
1 unit(s)
Volcanoes are an important window into the workings of the earth’s interior. They are also spectacular landscape features: serene in repose, and often violent in eruption. This course addresses the physical aspects of volcanoes, including such topics as the generation of magmas, styles of eruptions, products of eruptions, tectonic controls on the formation of volcanoes, and methods for predicting eruptions and mitigating the hazards associated with volcanic activity. An optional field trip to an active volcano is possible.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 201 .
One 4-hour period.
Not offered 2021/22.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 361 - Modeling the Earth Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as ENST 361 ) Computer models are powerful tools in the Earth and Environmental Sciences for generating and testing hypotheses about how the Earth system functions and for allowing simulation of processes in places inaccessible to humans (e.g., Earth’s deep interior), too slow to permit observation (e.g., orbitally controlled ice sheet growth and decay), or too large to facilitate construction of physical models (e.g., circulation of the world ocean). Taking readings from the scientific literature, we create and then perform experiments with simple computer models, using the STELLA iconographic box-modeling software package. The course emphasizes Earth’s climate system; topics include our planet’s radiative balance with the sun and resulting temperature, the flow of ice in glaciers, the role of life in moderating Earth’s climate, how temperature profiles in permafrost record the last two centuries of global warming, and the impacts of fossil fuel combustion on ocean acidification. Toward the end of the semester, students apply the skills they have acquired to a modeling project of their own devising.
Kirsten Menking.
Prerequisite(s): One 200-level course in the natural sciences.
Satisfies the college requirement for quantitative reasoning.
One 4-hour period.
Course Format: INT -
ESCI 375 - Advanced Topics in Paleontology
1 unit(s)
This course explores emerging issues in the study of life’s history, including but not limited to changes in biodiversity over time (evolution, extinction), paleoecology, biosphere-climate interactions, or biomechanics. Each course offering focusses on a specific topic and may include reading and discussing relevant literature, field or museum trips, and/or participation in a research project.
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: 200-level work in Earth Science or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour period.
Not offered in 2021/22.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 381 - Historical Volcanology Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Volcanic eruptions are among the most spectacular geological events, and their associated hazards present many challenges to human civilization. Much of our current knowledge of volcanic systems is based on the largest or most recent eruptions. In this course we investigate the methods that are employed to investigate the temporal and spatial evolution of volcanic systems. Through a combination of literature review and hands on practice, we explore the stratigraphic, geochemical, and geophysical techniques Earth scientists use to probe the evolution of modern and ancient volcanic systems. Field work may be required. The Department.
Prerequisite(s): ESCI 201 or permission of the instructor.
One 4-hour lab.
Course Format: CLS -
ESCI 399 - Senior Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Execution and analysis of a field, laboratory, or library study. The project, to be arranged with an individual instructor, is expected to have a substantial paper as its final product. The department.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Course Format: OTH
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