Environmental Science 101
THE BLUE PLANET(3 cr)
SYLLABUS
Spring Semester, 2005
MWF 10:00 – 10:50 (Section 1) Room: 122 Northrop
Grades 
"HOME " by Carl Sagan
To understand global change and environmental concerns, this course
weaves together an understanding of Earth's lithosphere,
atmosphere and ocean and how ecosystems are linked to the physical
environment. Students are encouraged but not required to
enroll concurrently in 102L.
Instructor Zachary Sharp, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 337 Northrop Hall, Phone 277-4204; email; zsharp@unm.edu
Complete syllabus and notes for each lecture can be found on the web at
http://epswww.unm.edu/facstaff/zsharp/103/syllabus.htm
This should be a very valuable resource. I urge you to make
every attempt to download these notes.
Office Hours: MWF 2:00 – 3:00 PM;
Prerequisites: None
Texts: (REQUIRED) Taking Sides ( TS); clashing
views on controversial Environmental Issues (11th edition).
T.D. Goldfarb
(Optional) The Blue Planet (BP). An Introduction to Earth
System Science Skinner, B.J., Porter, S.C. and Botkin, D.B.
(This is a really good book. I strongly recommend it).
Scope: A introductory course of earth, atmospheric and ocean
science in relation to climate change and Man’s impact on the
environment.
Format: Three 50-minute lectures per week. Approximately
one lecture every other week will be devoted to open discussion of
assigned readings from “Taking Sides”.
Exams/Grading: Lecture: 3 midterms, 1 comprehensive final.
Homework: Five quizzes based on readings and class discussion.
*Exam material will be taken from lectures – attendance is
required*.
COURSE GRADE
The final course grade will be compiled from your
lecture exams and quizzes. The letter grade will be determined on
the basis of a class curve. Points will be distributed as
follows:
Lecture: Midterm I 100 points
Midterm II 100 points
Midterm III 100 points
Comprehensive Final 200 points
Quizzes,
100 points ( For further information )
Final schedule for UNM , Spring 2005; Monday, May 9th, 10:00a.m.–12:00 p.m., 122 Northrop
Quizzes: 5 discussions/quizzes @ 25
points each ( w/ lowest grade dropped, giving a
total of 100 points
Total for
class:
600 points
About quizzes: There are going to be 5 quizzes. The first four will be on a Monday morning following the discussion of the previous Friday. Each quiz will be about 10 minutes. The 5th quiz will be based on a discussion of alternative energy sources (or conventional sources). Prices, efficiency, etc. Your ideas can be taken from magazines, internet, phone interviews. What I hope to see in the fifth discussion is contributions from everyone on the real prices and possibilities of all energy alternatives. I would like to see us determine whether alternative energy costs are in-line with our present oil-based economy. Can we find affordable alternatives? To answer these questions we need to know the present-day prices of conventional and alternative energy sources. I hope that between us all, we will have all the answers. In place of a quiz, you are asked to turn in a two page (minimum) report on your findings. These can include phone interviews with PNM to find out what their operating costs are and what they are doing about seeking out alternatives. You can discuss government subsidies to various industries and see if they are equally distributed. You can look into the costs of single family alternative energy costs, or even the cost-benefit of installing solar heating panels on a home. Consider finding out the costs of our business-as-usual stuff. Chances are most everyone will end up just looking into alternative energy sources, and we have nothing to compare our costs with! Do not simply download summaries from the internet. This is YOUR report. Use your own words. You may include downloaded figures (and captions), but a fail in the course will be given to those who plagiarize . The report is mandatory, and cannot be considered one of the drop quizzes.
Statement of makeup quizzes and/or midterms
I am not fond of makeup exams. They cause
all of us more problems. Makeups will only be accepted with prior
notice. If you miss one quiz, that will be your drop quiz. Makeup
exams are not fun for me to make (and less fun to take), so try to
avoid them.
Qualified students with disabilities needing appropriate academic adjustments should contact me as soon as possible to ensure your needs are met in a timely manner. Handouts are available in alternative accessible formats upon request.
Week of: Topics:
Part 1 Introduction – Feedback and cycles/systems
Jan. 19th Class introduction;
definition of science; the scientific method – examples “are
cigarettes bad for your health?” Feedback: The complex interaction of
Earth, Air and Water. Economics of Pollution. The
automobile. The value of the environment.
Click on the green squares for
class notes. (You will need Acrobat Reader to open this file. If
it is not
already on your computer, you may download it for free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html
)
READING: 1-8 & 12-20 (basically, . . . philosophy of class
(BP).
Part II - The Earth: Origins & structure
Jan. 24th Formation of the
Universe, solar system 
PDF
format P
and of the Earth 
PDF
format P
Click on the squiggle 
for a
cool slide show of our planets. The pictures are described at the end
of the notes for Origin of Universe
Jan 28th Discussion
1. Issue 3: Are environmental regulations too restrictive?
READING for Discussion: 38-57. (TS)
P (in PDF format. This one
works!) and my accompanying slide show 
New
Rocks in PDF format P
Key for images (above)
Reading: Chapter 2 (23-41;
111-127 BP).
Old Midterm (CLICK HERE )\
Review for midterm - one page 
Got to http://www.scotese.com/pangeanim.htm for a cool 'animation' of the breakup of Pangea, and
To see the
future, click on
http://www.scotese.com/futanima.htm . It is worth the download
time. Reading (BP): (65-88; 91-104 BP).
Seismology
P
February 21st FIRST
MIDTERM
First midterm on-line for review 
Part III – The Atmosphere and Meteoric Water
March 23rd
Definition of the atmosphere and atmospheric components. The
electromagnetic spectrum, energy balance, position from the sun P
March
11th Review for Second Midterm OUTLINE
March 11th
SECOND MIDTERM
March 14-18th No Class: (Spring Break).
March 21st
Physical structure of the Oceans. Different layers,
circulation patterns, nutrients. 
P
P
Reading (241-255).
March 25th
Discussion 3: Issue 7.
Should the Arctic National Wildlife refuge be open to oil drilling?
117-137 , TS).
March 28th
Quiz 3
Part V – The Biosphere
March 30th
Definition of life. Trophic levels 
Slide show accompanying my lecture notes 
April 4thh Population. Biotic
and abiotic components and cycles. Human population.
Reading (343-359) P
April 8th Discussion 4: Issue 13. Is limiting population growth a key factor in protecting the global environment? (Reading: 213-231, TS).
April 11th Quiz 4.
Review for midterm. P
Part VI – Resources
An interesting article about hydrogen
April 29th Discussion
5: What are the costs of energy, both conventional
and alternative and report due This is our discussion
of economics of energy sources -- conventional and renewables.
Your report must be turned in at the end of this class
Quiz 5 (This is the 'report') Click here
for more info.
Geochemical Cycles and the carbon cycle. 
Reading
(476-488; 372-375) P
Part VIII Climate Change
May 2nd Manmade climatic
changes. Global warming, ozone layer, acid rain, photochemical
smog. Ozone 
and
pictures 
Reading
(478-488; Handout)
P
Ancient
climate change; evidence from rocks, isotopes, icesheets,
geomorphology. Milankovich cycles. 
Horse teeth tell of climate .Is there life on other planets? Reading: (315-327).
May 6th Overview and Review for Final FINAL REVIEW
FINAL Monday May 9th, 10-12 Room: 122 Northrop
