The Blue Planet

Environmental Science 101, Fall 2006
Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences

 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Les McFadden                       OFFICE: Northrop 141

PHONE: (505) 277-4204                                         MAILBOX: in Northrop 141, Dept. Main Office

E-MAIL: lmcfadnm@unm.edu                               OFFICE HOURS: 10:00- 12:00 T; 

                                                                                   10:00 -11:00 TH

TIME: Tu-Th 12:30 -1:45, Northrop 122                

CLASS WEB SITE:  http://epswww.unm.edu/facstaff/lmcfadnm/envsci101

This course is an introduction to Earth system science, where we take a comprehensive view of the materials, processes, and history of the Earth and its four primary interacting systems – the atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), biosphere (living things), and geosphere (rock).  We also consider the marked changes that human activities are causing in these systems, both globally and locally.

Right: A photograph of the stratigraphy of rock layers in southern Utah. This sequence of rock units records episodes of Earth history occurring over many millions of  years, during which an astonishing variety of environmental changes have occurred.  Erosion of the canyon itself has been accomplished only in the last few million years, exposing the ancient rocks to modern study (and appreciation of their beauty!).  Large floods in the early 20th Century caused the demise of the Mormon pioneer community of Pareah, for reasons that will be addressed in this class.

SELECTED TOPICS AND THEMES:  Part of our goal in this course is to examine and discuss issues involving current environmental change at both global and local scales, for example:

  • Global warming and human and natural influences on climate
  • Albuquerque and New Mexico’s water use, its effects on the Rio Grande, and the future
  • Energy options and trade-offs – coal, solar, nuclear, hydropower, etc.

TEXTBOOK: Skinner, B.J., Porter, S.C., and Botkin, D.B., The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science (2nd ed.): John Wiley & Sons (1999).

Reading is a crucial part of the course - it is essential to complete the assignments as scheduled.  Please feel free to bring up questions from readings in class.

EXAMS and QUIZZES:  Exams will be designed primarily to test your understanding of concepts, but some memorization of important facts and terminology is necessary.  Exam questions will derive primarily from lecture and discussion material, but the textbook reading is important reinforcement.

REVIEW SESSIONS:  A one hour review session will be scheduled one or two days prior to the midterm exams; normally they are scheduled between 4 and 5 p.m.

“Pop” quizzes are unscheduled but will be given in the last 5-10 minutes of a class period.  They will be based on that same day’s lecture or discussion, with open notebooks allowed – therefore you are likely to do very well on the quizzes as long as you attend class, keep involved, and take good notes.

KEEPING UP WITH THE NEWS:  Because much of Earth system science concerns issues of environmental, social, and political importance, it will be your job to keep track of current events, and to bring one relevant news item to me for possible brief discussion in class.  Newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and web materials are good, or even video recordings (if truly news).  So that news discussions are distributed throughout the term, turn in your item following the schedule below.  Don’t forget about it – these are easy points!!

                                          Last name:     A-H           due before Midterm Exam 1

                                                                    I-O           due between Midterms 1 and 2

                                                                    P-Z           due after Midterm 2

GRADING:  Grading will be weighted as below:

                                                     Midterm Exam 1:        25%

                                                     Midterm Exam 2:        25%

                        Final Exam (~20% comprehensive):        25%

                     “Pop” quizzes (about 5; drop lowest):        20%

                       News Item:                                                 5%

  • No late work will be accepted.
  • No extra credit is given in this class (i.e. no one will have a chance to earn points that everyone does not have).  The way to get “extra credit” is to do your best on the regular work!

Important dates and deadlines:

  • Last day to change grading options: Sep. 15, 2006
  • Last day to drop without a grade: Sep 29, 2006
  • Last day to withdraw without dean’s approval: Dec. 8, 2006
  • FINAL EXAM:  December 14, 2006.    

 

MAKE-UPS: Because your lowest quiz and problem scores are dropped, no make-up quizzes will be given except in truly exceptional documented cases.  If you cannot take an exam for legitimate reasons, you must contact me before the exam to document these reasons and discuss how a make-up will be scheduled.  If you miss an exam without notifying me beforehand, you must provide clear documentation of illness or other unavoidable difficulty as soon as possible after the test date to qualify for a make-up exam.

Students with documented disabilities should discuss their needs with me as soon as possible so that accommodations can be arranged.