Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Natural disasters play a fundamental role in shaping landscapes and structuring ecosystems. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to both the natural and social science of disasters. This course will explore the geologic processes that cause natural disasters, the ecological and social consequences of disasters, and the role of human behavior in disaster management and mitigation. Through exploring these concepts, this class will provide you with a broad background in the geosciences and the basic tools needed to understand: how earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and hurricanes occur; the myriad of ways that we can mitigate against their impacts; and the way in which we can "calculate the cost" of these disasters.

Introduction to the basic principles of the hydrologic cycle and water budgets, precipitation and infiltration, evaporation and transpiration, stream flow, hydrograph analysis (floods), subsurface and groundwater flow, well hydraulics, water quality, and frequency analysis.

Geologic history of invertebrates and their inferred life habits, paleoecology, and evolution. Introduction to paleobotany and vertebrate paleontology.

This course covers the fundamentals of atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and aims to put these in the context of climate change in the 21st century. Large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation, the global energy balance, and the global energy balance, and the global hydrological cycle. We will introduce concepts of fluid dynamics and we will apply these to the vertical and horizontal motions in the atmosphere and ocean. Concepts covered include: hydrostatic law, buoyancy and convection, basic equations of fluid motions, Hadley and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere, thermohaline circulation, Sverdrup ocean flow, modes of climate variability (El-Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode). The course will incorporate student led discussions based on readings of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and recent literature on climate change. Aimed at undergraduate or graduate students who have no prior knowledge of meteorology or oceanography or training in fluid mechanics. Previous background in calculus and/or introductory physics is helpful. This is a general course which spans many subdisciplines (fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, oceanography, hydrology).

This course covers the fundamentals of atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and aims to put these in the context of climate change in the 21st century. Large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulation, the global energy balance, and the global energy balance, and the global hydrological cycle. We will introduce concepts of fluid dynamics and we will apply these to the vertical and horizontal motions in the atmosphere and ocean. Concepts covered include: hydrostatic law, buoyancy and convection, basic equations of fluid motions, Hadley and Ferrel cells in the atmosphere, thermohaline circulation, Sverdrup ocean flow, modes of climate variability (El-Nino, North Atlantic Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode). The course will incorporate student led discussions based on readings of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report and recent literature on climate change. Aimed at undergraduate or graduate students who have no prior knowledge of meteorology or oceanography or training in fluid mechanics. Previous background in calculus and/or introductory physics is helpful. This is a general course which spans many subdisciplines (fluid mechanics, atmospheric science, oceanography, hydrology).