Introduction to Earth System Science (GP 202)

Course NameIntroduction to Earth System Science
Course IDGP 202
Descriptioncore theory
SyllabusOrigin of the Solar system and the Earth; Earth’s internal structure; Seismic waves; Plate tectonics and its manifestations on the Earth’s topography; Earth as a system and its components; Characteristics of solar radiation, patterns of insolation and energy distribution; Atmosphere and surface energy balances. Thermal and compositional layering of atmosphere; Mechanism of heat and mass transfer in atmosphere; Coriolis effect and general circulation of the atmosphere; Ionosphere and the Earth’s magnetic field; Coupled Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere-Magnetosphere system; Layered structure of Ocean; Ekman transport; Ocean surface currents and thermohaline circulation; Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction; Indian Monsoon; ENSO; Glaciers and icesheets; Cryosphere-atmosphere interaction; ice- albedo feedback; Long-term and short-term carbon cycle; Volcanic outgassing and silicate weathering as natural thermostats; Greenhouse effect and global warming; Biogeochemical cycling of Phosphorous and Nitrogen; Redfield ratio; Joint Global Ocean Flux Study JGOFS; Concept of geologic time; Origin and evolution of atmosphere ocean and life; Oxygenation events; global glaciations; hyperthermal events; Mass extinctions; Milankovitch cycles and past climates
References

  • Kump, L.R., Kasting, J.F., and Crane, R.G. The Earth System, 3rd Edition, Pearson, 2014.

  • Marshak, S. Earth: Portrait of a Planet, 6th Edition, W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.

  • Mathez, E.A., and Smerdon, J.E. Climate Change, 2nd Edition, Columbia University Press, 2018.

  • Skinner, B.J., and Murck, B.W. The Blue Planet: An Introduction to Earth System Science, 3rd Edition, Wiley, 2011. 

  • Thompson, G.R., and Turk, J. Earth Science and the Environment, 5th Edition, Cengage Learning, 2017.