Rutgers Undergraduate Courses Related to Climate and Environmental Change
04:567:340 SCIENCE AND HEALTH JOURNALISM (skills course) (3) 04:567:415 MEDIA, SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (3) 11:670:101 INTRODUCTION TO METEOROLOGY (3) 11:670:102 INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE SCIENCE (3) 11:670:111-112 WEATHER, CLIMATE, AND TELEVISION I, II (1.5 each) 11:670:211 METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS 11:670:212 COMPUTATIONAL METHODS FOR METEOROLOGY (3) 11:670:323 THERMODYANMICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE (3) 11:670:324 DYNAMICS OF THE ATMOSPHERE (3) 11:670:334 SEVERE WEATHER FORECASTING FIELD TRIP (3) 11:670:414 HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES (3) 11:670:431 PHYSICAL METEOROLOGY (3) 11:670:433 WEATHER ANALYSIS AND FORECASTING I: SYNOPTIC METEROLOGY (4) 11:670:434 II: WEATHER ANALYSIS AND FORECASTING II: MESOSCALE METEROLOGY (3) 11:670:444 TROPICAL METEOROLOGY (3) 11:670:451 REMOTE SENSING OF OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE (3) 11:670:453 AIR QUALITY MONITORING 11:670:461 CLIMATE DYNAMICS (3) Department of Environmental Sciences 11:375:322 ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT (3) The purpose of this course is to critically examine the technology of energy systems that will be acceptable in a world faced with global warming, environmental pollution, and declining supplies of oil. The course examines traditional (oil, natural gas, coal), renewable energy sources (solar, wind, biomass), and other non-carbon emitting sources (nuclear) and reduced carbon sources (co-generation, fuel cells). Both devices as well as overall systems will be analyzed. 11:375:346 INTRODUCTION TO ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY (3) Principles of atmospheric chemistry. Issues include the Antarctic ozone hole, ozone smog, acid rain, air toxics, greenhouse gases, and aerosols. Environmental implications of changing atmospheric composition. 11:375:431 SPECIAL TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: THE TERRESTRIAL CARBON CYCLE (3) Prerequisites: Biology 119:115 or 119:103 AND Chemistry 101:160:161 The goal of the course will be to capture the major land processes that affect the amount of carbon in the global atmosphere. We will cover a simplified global carbon cycle, general land use change, wetlands, peatlands, and “blue carbon”, de- / reforestation and carbon offsets schemes, agricultural practices and soil erosion, and urban landscapes all through the lens of carbon cycle impacts. Department of Marine & Coastal Sciences 11:628:204 THE WATER PLANET (3) 11:628:221 HUMAN INTERACTIONS WITH COASTAL OCEAN (3) 11:628:303 OCEAN SCIENCE INQUIRY (3) 11:628:342 MARINE CONSERVATION (3) 11:628:451 PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY (4) Physical and chemical properties of sea water. Sound and radiation in the oceans. Heat, water, and momentum exchange at air-sea interface. Tides, waves, and currents. 11:628:497,498 SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN MARINE & COASTAL SCIENCES (3) Department of Ecology Evolution and Natural Resources 11:216:320. CONTROVERSIES IN SUSTAINABILITY (3) (used to be called Sustainable Environmental Management)(online) 11:216:451. GLOBAL CHANGE ECOLOGY (3) 11:216:468. CHINA AND ITS ENVIRONMENT (3) 11:374:102 GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE (3) 1:374:115 WATER AND SOCIETY (3) 11:374:220 ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS (3) 11:374:269 POPULATION, RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (3) 11:374:279 POLITICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (3) 1:374:299 INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABILITY (3) 11:374:313 US ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (3) 1:374:315 INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY (3) 11:374:325 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION (3) Effective communication can be as important to achieving environmental goals as good science. Because corporations, government agencies, and advocacy groups realize this, there are increasing numbers of jobs that require these skills; public information and communication positions are available in a variety of settings. These positions require not only effective oral and written communication skills, they also require an understanding of how to develop effective outreach plans. 11:374:335 COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE (3) 11:374:426 CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY (3) This course is an advanced seminar that examines topics in social, cultural and political aspects of climate change policy. We will look at the science of climate change and why it has been so contested in some quarters; the existing and predicted physical, cultural and societal impacts of climate change and how policies are developed to avoid or adapt to these; how vulnerability to climate change is measured and whether societies will be able to adapt to forecasted changes; multiscale policies from local levels to international levels to mitigate or adapt to climate impacts; and the ethical and social justice dimensions of policies for climate change. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences 01:460:102 INTRODUCTORY GEOLOGY II (3) 01:460:110 SEA CHANGE: THE RISE AND FALL OF SEA LEVEL AND THE JERSEY SHORE (3) 01:460:202 ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY (3) 01:460:203 BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A HABITABLE PLANET (3) 01:460:204 WATER PLANET (3) 01:460:208 THE LAST 11,000 YEARS (3) 01:460:212 EARTH AND LIFE THROUGH TIME (3) 01:460:418 GEOLOGICAL MODELING (3) 01:460:434 THE QUATERNARY PERIOD (3) 01:460:476 HISTORY OF THE EARTH SYSTEM (3) 01:450:101 EARTH SYSTEMS (3) 01:450:101:90 (ONLINE) EARTH SYSTEMS (3) 01:450:102 TRANSFORMING THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT (3) 01:450:213 THE GLOBAL CLIMATE SYSTEM (3) 01:450:311 NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS (3) 01:450:313 CLIMATE CHANGE (3) 01:450:370 CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIETY (3) 01:450:403,404 ADVANCED PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY (3) 01:450:413 CLIMATE SYSTEM AND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE (3) 01:750:140 THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT (3) 01:506:249 CLIMATE POLITICS: A DEEP HISTORY 01:510:248 HISTORIES OF THE LITTLE ICE AGE 11:300:340 COMMUNICATING & TEACHING CLIMATE SCIENCE (3) 11:300 (or 704):416 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM (3) Sustainability Minor/Certificate Fact Sheets On Incorporating the Sustainability Minor into Undergraduate Degree Programs can be found here.+ Read more.
Pre-requisites: 04:567:310 or 04:567:325, journalism major
To introduce students to the specialized fields of science, health and technology writing
Prerequisites: Junior or Senior status, journalism major
This course will consider the intersections of science, media, and society. With a focus on both
theory and practice, it explores the media's role in understanding and communicating about the
most critical science and environmental issues of the day.+ Read more.
Overview of current weather maps; structure of the atmosphere and the role of moisture in the development of dew, clouds, and precipitation; air masses, fronts, cyclones, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Elements of weather forecasting, instrumentation and communication.
Major climatic controls; climatic classifications and comparisons of major climatic types; an overview of current climate issues such as global warming and El Nino; overview of the global climate.
Pre- or Corequisite: 11:670:201 (for 111), Prerequisite: 11:670:111 (for 112)
Provides a theoretical foundation of television broadcasting and meteorology to supplement the hands-on television experience gained from the WeatherWatcher Living-Learning Community. By examining the history and characteristics of television, critical analyses of news and weather-related programming, and special topics pertaining to meteorology, students will gain a rounded understanding of the medium and its impact on the field of meteorology and broadcasting. This WeatherWatcher Living-Learning Community academic course is required of all first-year residents.
Pre- or Corequisite: 11:670:201
Surface observation codes. Preparation of surface, upper air, and sounding charts. Forecast guidance, weather map interpretation, and preparation of weather forecasts. Map discussions.
Prerequisite: 11:670:211 or permission of instructor
Introduction to the basic concepts of programming and computation for meteorology and earth science students. Elements of compiled and interpreted languages. Development of skills necessary for the reading, analyzing, and plotting of meteorological and climatic data.
Prerequisites: 01:640:152; 11:750:194 or 11:750:204
Thermodynamics of the atmosphere; energy conservation; ideal gas law; water and its transformations; moist air; aerosols; hydrostatic stability and convection; vertical motion; cloud formation; precipitation.
Prerequisite: 01:640:251; 11:670:323
Hydrodynamics of the atmosphere; equations of motion on rotating earth; vorticity, potential vorticity, and divergence; boundary layer dynamics.
Prerequisites: (11:670:210 or 11:670:211) and permission of instructor.
Techniques for the forecasting and safe observation of severe convection; case study analysis of observed events. Two-week field trip required.
Prerequisites: 01:640:151; 01:750:194 or equivalent
Physical processes governing the occurrence and movement of water through the atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Techniques for collecting and analyzing hydrologic data and predicting the hydrologic states of particular systems.
Atmospheric optics; atmospheric radiation and applications to climate; atmospheric convection; cloud and precipitation formation; turbulence and boundary layer processes; atmospheric electricity.
Prerequisites: 11:670:210 or 11:670:211; 11:670:324
Dynamics and thermodynamics of the atmosphere applied to current weather situations and case studies. Cyclone and frontal theory, jet streams, and quasi-geostrophic diagnostics. Weather discussions, map analysis, and forecast preparation. Lecture and Laboratory.
Prerequisite: 11:670:433
Real-time analysis and nowcasting of mesoscale atmospheric phenomena, including heavy snow, cold-air damming, severe weather, and flash floods. Case studies and weather discussions. Laboratory.
The dynamics and thermodynamics of the tropics, including regional and large-scale tropical circulations and their role in the global general circulation, tropical wave dynamics, convection and convective systems, synoptic, intraseasonal, and seasonal variability; monsoons, the El Nino/Southern Oscillation, tropical cyclones and hurricanes.
Methods, instruments, and their application to observations of ocean and atmosphere. Sensing of oceanic parameters such as temperature, salinity, currents, sea state, turbidity and pollutants.
Prerequisites: : 01:640:251 and (01:160:160 or 01:160:162 or ((01:160:159 or 01:160:161) and 11:670:212))
A theoretical foundation to understand the principles and governing equations regarding chemical transformation and transport of atmospheric pollution; introduction to and practice in computer programming and numerical techniques as used in approaches to study the atmosphere.
The climate system and how it is changing due to natural and human causes, including past climate variations, El Nino, global warming, climate modeling, nuclear winter, mitigation options, and geoengineering.+ Read more.
Instructor: Mary Whelan. Meets Tues and Fri 9:15 – 10:35 am ENR Room 323
Graduate students welcome, please contact Martha Pineda at mb6z[at]envsci.rutgers.edu.+ Read more.
Characteristics of water: hydrologic cycle; runoff and erosion; river systems; past and present climates. Environmental impact; resources of water; political and economic aspects of water.
This course is designed to identify the ways that scientific knowledge can be used to resolve environmental problems. The contemporary problem of loss of marine resources and difficulties of restoring and conserving them is placed in a human and environmental context to obtain a broad perspective on the application of science to societal goals. Topics will be multidisciplinary to document the complexity of environmental problems and their potential solutions. Topics will be related to effects of global climate change, pollution, loss of natural environments, management of threatened and endangered species, extraction of living and non-living resources, and mitigation of natural hazards.
Prerequisites: 1 semester of General Biology OR 1 semester of General Chemistry OR Introduction to Environmental Science OR Introduction to Oceanography (or permission of instructor).
The goal of this course is to familiarize undergraduate students with different topical and emerging issues facing the oceans. The course, led by graduate students and post-doctoral researchers along with a faculty advisor, will touch on key principles in oceanography and environmental sciences and equip students with a deeper understanding of the science behind a number of “hot topics” in marine science prevalent in media coverage. Through a combination of weekly lectures, group discussions and exercises, which draw from the primary literature, this course further aims to enhance critical thinking, the integration of science principles, and science
communication. Current topical areas include climate change impacts, sea-level rise, hurricanes, threats to coastal habitats, ocean resources, and emerging ocean technologies.
Prerequisites: 11:628:320 or 11:704:351
This course focuses on coastal zones as ecosystems of global significance. They are heterogeneous, complex, and biologically diverse. Increasingly, this is where human populations are concentrated. Conservation issues are urgent and not easily addressed because of fragmented jurisdictions and competing uses. The course attempts to draw students into thinking about conservation issues and conservation tools and the linkages between science and policy. Following a series of lectures and discussions on issues, conservation tools, and the properties of coastal ecosystems, the course follows the text in using case studies to exemplify those issues and the steps already taken to address them. As part of the evaluation of student performance, students prepare their own case studies.
Prerequisite: 2 terms of calculus
Practical field/laboratory experience with faculty in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences.+ Read more.
Sustainability is one of the dominant economic, environmental and social issues of the 21st century. This course will use online materials (articles, papers, podcasts, video, etc.) to examine controversial topics like climate change, natural gas drilling, renewable energy, and others. Discussions will provide a forum for debate and further examination of the issues.
Analysis of the major global changes based on principles of ecosystems ecology; carbon, nutrient, and pollution cycling mechanisms and budgets; the methods used to study these phenomena.
This course will focus on major environmental and ecological issues in China in the past decades, such as pollutions, soil erosion, deforestation/reforestation, desertification and urbanization, as well as strategies to deal with the challenges. Driving forces, such as population pressure, economic growth, globalization, climate change and socio-politicial factors, will be examined through lectures and projects. The course will also introduce the growing opportunities (eg. business, private industry, academia and government agents) in environment and conservation areas.+ Read more.
Scientific and policy dimensions of international environmental affairs; problems, response mechanisms, regional and national activities, and alternative strategies.
This course introduces students to fundamentals of water resources issues in the United States and the world, and how they affect the development, design, evolution and sustainability of societies and economic viability. Included will be discussion of case examples where conflicts over water allocations, drought limitations, water quality problems and catastrophic floods are damaging societies and international relations. Students will be exposed to and discuss current and developing methods for reducing such problems in support of more sustainable societies.
The causes of modern environmental problems are complex and multi-faceted. As our understanding of this complexity has grown, societies have begun to explore solutions beyond the traditional government regulatory approaches. This class focuses on understanding the complex causes of environmental problems and the full range of non-regulatory approaches to improving the environment. By focusing on understanding the causes and contexts of environmental problems along with innovative environmental solutions, the class aims to provide students an understanding of under what conditions various environmental solutions are appropriate and should be applied.
The interaction between populations, resources, and the environment in the developed and
developing world.
People fight over issues like organic food or natural gas drilling because they have different values, define problems differently, and aim for different goals. In this introductory course, we use environmental issues to learn about political conflicts, government, and policy.
You see the word Sustainability attached to so many things, but what does it really mean? Are bamboo socks really important? Will electric cars save the world from climate change? What makes development sustainable? How do you measure success in sustainability? Given the long term risk of climate change, what management actions provide the most benefit and why aren’t we already doing them?
In this class, you will learn: Perspectives on sustainability: environmental, economic and social as well as the metrics for measuring components of sustainability.
Course objectives: To further develop your capacity to evaluate environmental policy issues, including: how policy issues rise to national action; the science and scientific controversies; major actors in U.S. environmental policy creation and their roles; the relationship between environmental policies and the context in which they operate; how budgets and public administration affect environmental policies; and how environmental policy issues reflect or do not reflect regional or factional differences. Given the enormous variety of environmental issues active at any one time, this course will focus on four high-profile issues as examples for learning about environmental policy development.
The creation of international institutions to deal with shared and global environmental problems, such as ocean use and population. Assessment of the effectiveness of existing/proposed regimes, using decision-making simulations.
Analysis of people's responses to environmental stresses or disturbances and the ways in which response patterns change. Second term is individual or group field research. + Read more.
Principles and concepts of plate tectonics and reconstructing past geography and environments; the history of Earth's climate, environments, biogeochemical cycles, and life through time. Designed for majors and minors.
History of climate and sea-level change over the past billion years.
Analyses of issues and case studies related to cleaning of the environment, finding and using resources, predicting and mitigating natural disasters, and understanding global change.
Understanding human-caused environmental changes in the context of Earth’s 4.6 billion year history. Geological and human timescales; planetary habitability; planetary, biological, and civilization flows of energy and entropy; feedbacks between life, the carbon cycle, and climate; the evolution of complex life; human alterations of the Earth system; intelligent life in the Universe.
Survey of the science, environmental impact, and resource allocation of water on the Earth. Characteristics of water; hydrologic cycle; runoff and erosion; river systems; past and present climates; water quality; political and economic aspects of water.
Geologic events since the last ice age. Sea-level changes, volcanism, earthquakes, climatic change, erosional and depositional effects. Ancient record of events, myths
Relationships between the development of Earth and its continents and oceans, atmosphere and climate, and the evolution of life through time. Designed for non-majors.
Pre- or corequisites: 01:460:301,307,340, and 341
Computer techniques for collection, processing, interpretation, and presentation of geological and geophysical data. Computer-based modeling exercises in geologic and geophysical exploration and environment assessment.
Glaciology and glacial geology; study of erosion and deposition by glaciers; creation of landforms; effect of the glacial period on flora and fauna.
Integration of atmospheric, oceanographic, geological and biological concepts with an historical perspective to introduce the major processes that have shaped Earth's environment; climatic processes on geological time scales; the evolution of organisms; the cycling of elements; the feedbacks between these processes.+ Read more.
Systematic introduction to physical processes on earth; including earth-sun relations, weather and climate, the hydrologic cycle, earth materials, and landforms. Emphasis on interrelationships among these phenomena.
This course will help you understand and apply basic principles and concepts in the physical or biological sciences as well as identify and critically assess ethical and societal issues in science.
Introduction to the role of humans as modifiers and transformers of the physical environment. Emphasis on current changes and contemporary public issues.
Exploring the climate system from a geographic perspective. The Earth's energy budget, hydrologic cycle, and atmospheric circulation examined at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Natural and human-associated aspects of climate variability and change investigated.
This course is about the interaction of humans with extreme natural events like storms, floods, earthquakes and droughts. We will examine how people become vulnerable to such events, how they are affected by them, how they contribute to causing them, how they cope-or fail to cope- and what they do when existing adjustments are unsuccessful.
Climate variability and change of the past, present and future are explored. Natural and anthropogenic dimensions of change across continents, ice sheets and oceans are studied using a systems approach.
Physical aspects and societal implications of climate change. Means of predicting and detecting change. Impacts on physical and human systems. Climate in the political arena; planning for the future.
Problems in the geography of landforms, climate, soils, and vegetation analyzed from the viewpoints of both pure and applied sciences.
Exploring the climate system and climate change from a geographic perspective. The earth's energy budget, hydrologic cycle, and atmospheric circulation will be examined at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Present climate events and aspects of climate change will also be covered, including anthropogenic impacts resulting from deforestation, atmospheric pollution, urbanization, etc.+ Read more.
Physical and chemical bases of the "greenhouse effect" and its global impact: biological, climatic, economic, and political. Reducing the emission of "greenhouse" gases; nuclear energy, and other alternative energy sources. For nonscience majors; may not be taken for major credit in science and engineering.+ Read more.
Explores how the climate has shaped human history, and how humans have shaped the climate over time.
This course gets us to think about our current crisis by exploring in detail an earlier climate crisis, exploring the environmental, social, political, and cultural impact of a centuries-long phase of fluctuating climatic cooling usually known as the “Little Ice Age” (LIA), c.1300-1850.+ Read more.
Physical and chemical bases of the "greenhouse effect" and its global impact: biological, climatic, economic, and political. Reducing the emission of "greenhouse" gases; nuclear energy, and other alternative energy sources. For nonscience majors; may not be taken for major credit in science and engineering.
An opportunity to foster ideas and discussion about environmental and scientific literacy while developing plans to target and assess learning goals for all audiences.+ Read more.
