The online version of the Caltech Catalog is provided as a convenience; however, the printed version is the only authoritative source of information about course offerings, option requirements, graduation requirements, and other important topics.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ESE 1. Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisites: Ph 1 ab, Ch 1 ab, and Ma 1 ab. An introduction to the array of major scientific and engineering issues related to environmental quality on a local, regional, and global scale. Fundamental aspects of major environmental problems will be addressed with an overall focus on the dynamic interplay among the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere. Underlying scientific principles based on biology, chemistry, and physics will be presented. Engineering solutions to major environmental problems will be explored. Not offered on a pass/fail basis. Satisfies the menu requirement of the Caltech core curriculum. Instructor: Leadbetter.

ESE 90. Undergraduate Laboratory Research in Environmental Science and Engineering. Units by arrangement; any term. Approval of research supervisor required prior to registration. Independent research on current environmental problems; laboratory or field work is required. A written report is required for each term of registration. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 100. Special Topics in Environmental Science and Engineering. Units by arrangement; any term. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission. Special courses of readings or laboratory instruction. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 101. Earth’s Atmosphere. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Composition of the atmosphere. Radiative transfer and the greenhouse effect. Scattering and absorption by gases, clouds, and aerosols. Feedbacks due to water vapor, clouds, ice, and vegetation. Transports of energy and momentum and their effects on the surface climate. Chemical reactions in the atmosphere affecting atmospheric ozone and air quality. Instructor: Schneider.

ESE 102. Earth’s Oceans. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Fundamentals of ocean dynamics: Ekman layers, wind-driven gyres, boundary currents, and overturning circulations. Oceanographic observational methods and phenomenology of the distribution of temperature, salinity, and tracers. Ocean biology and chemistry: simple plankton population models, Redfield ratios, air-sea gas exchange, productivity and respiration, weathering inputs, and carbon cycle basics. Fundamentals of past climate changes. Geochemical methods of inferring past ocean behavior, and changes of ocean circulations over Earth’s history. Instructor: Adkins.

ESE 103. Earth’s Biogeochemical Cycles. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Global cycles of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Photosynthesis, respiration and net primary production. Soil formation, erosion, and carbon storage. Ecosystem processes, metrics, and function. Nutrient supply and limitation. Microbial processes underlying weathering, decomposition, and carbon remineralization. Stable isotope tracers in the carbon and hydrologic cycles. The human footprint on the Earth. Instructor: Sessions.

ESE 104. Current Problems in Environmental Science and Engineering. 1 unit; first term. Discussion of current research by ESE graduate students, faculty, and staff. Instructor: Schneider.

ESE 105. Research in Environmental Science and Engineering. 6 or more units as arranged; any term. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission. Exploratory research for first-year graduate students and qualified undergraduates. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 110 abc. Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering. 1 unit; first, second, third terms. Seminar on current developments and research in environmental science and engineering. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Adkins.

ACM/ESE 118. Methods in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Applied and Computational Mathematics.

ESE 130. Atmosphere Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisites: ESE 101 or instructor's permission. Introduction to the physical balances and dynamical mechanisms governing atmospheric circulations: angular momentum balance and its role in controlling winds; energy balance and its role in controlling temperatures; the hydrologic cycle and its role in controlling humidity and aridity; tracer transport and connections to the surface. The relative importance of mean circulations, transient eddies, and stationary eddies in these balances will be discussed, as will be the dynamics of their generation and maintenance. The course gives an overview of the dominant processes that govern the surface climate, with a focus on phenomenology and order-of-magnitude physics that is applicable to climates generally, including those of Earth's distant past and of other planets. Instructor: Bordoni.

ESE 131. Physical Oceanography. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisite: ESE 102 or instructor’s permission. Introduction to the physical balances and dynamical mechanisms governing ocean circulations. Topics include: Overview of observation systems; wind-driven planetary gyres and western boundary currents; buoyancy-driven circulations and abyssal flow; energetics of ocean circulations and combined effects of wind and buoyancy driving; meridional overturning circulations; thermocline models; mesoscale eddies; equatorial waves and response to wind driving at the equator; El Niño and the Southern Oscillation. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 132. Tropical Atmosphere Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 130 or instructor’s permission. Phenomenological description of tropical atmospheric circulations at different scales, and theories or models that capture the underlying fundamental dynamics, starting from the large-scale energy balance and moving down to cumulus convection and hurricanes. Topics to be addressed include: large-scale circulations such as the Hadley, Walker, and monsoonal circulations, the intertropical convergence zone, equatorial waves, convectively coupled waves, and hurricanes. Instructor: Bordoni.

ESE 133. Large-scale Atmosphere Dymanics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 130 or instructor’s permission. Introduction to the global-scale fluid dynamics of the atmosphere, beginning with an analysis of classical models of instabilities in atmospheric flows and leading to currently unsolved problems. Topics include barotropic Rossby waves and barotropic instability; the quasigeostrophic two-layer model and baroclinic instability; conservation laws for wave quantities and wave-mean flow interaction theory; turbulent fluxes of heat and momentum; geostrophic turbulence; genesis of zonal jets; Hadley cell dynamics. The course focuses on Earth’s atmosphere but treats the circulation of Earth’s atmosphere as part of a continuum of possible planetary circulations. Given in alternate years; offered in 2011-12. Instructor: Schneider.

ESE 134. Cloud and Boundary Layer Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 130 or instructor’s permission. Introduction to the dynamics of clouds and atmospheric boundary layers, from a phenomenological overview of cloud and boundary layer morphologies to closure theories for turbulence and convection. Topics include similarity theories for neutral and thermally stratified boundary layers; dry convective boundary layers; mixed-layer models; stably stratified boundary layers; moist thermodynamics and stability; stratocumulus and trade-cumulus boundary layers; shallow cumulus convection and deep convection. Given in alternate years; not offered 2011-12.

ESE 137. Southern Ocean Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 131 or instructor’s permission. This course focuses on the impact of Southern Ocean dynamics on the global climate. Topics include: water mass formation and modification processes, the Southern Ocean meridional overturning circulation, surface mixed-layer dynamics, wave-mean flow interactions and transport in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, topographic interactions and small-scale mixing, the Southern Ocean’s response to changing climate conditions, continental shelf/slope dynamics, interactions with the cryosphere. Instructor: Thompson.

ESE 138. Ocean Turbulence and Wave Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 131 or instructor’s permission. Introduction to the dynamics of ocean mixing and transport with a focus on how these processes feed back on large-scale ocean circulation and climate. Topics include: vorticity and potential vorticity dynamics, planetary and topographic Rossby waves, inertia-gravity waves, mesoscale eddies, turbulent transport of tracers, eddy diffusivity in turbulent flows, frontogenesis and submesoscale dynamics, diapycnal mixing. This course will also include a discussion of observational techniques for measuring mesoscale and small-scale processes in the ocean. Given in alternate years; not offered 2011-12.

ESE/Ge 139. Atmospheric Radiation. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 101 or instructor’s permission. The basic physics of absorption and scattering by molecules, aerosols, and clouds. Theory of radiative transfer. Band models and correlated-k distributions and scattering by cloud and aerosol particles. Solar insolation, thermal emission, heating rates, and applications to climate and remote sensing. Instructor: Yung.

ESE 142. Aquatic Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: Ch 1 or instructor’s permission. Principles of inorganic and physical chemistry applied to natural and engineered aquatic systems. Biogeochemical processes controlling the major ion composition of aquatic systems and the behavior of the trace inorganic constituents of such systems are examined. Fundamental aspects of thermodynamics and quantitative description of the composition of natural waters are stressed. Instructor: Hoffmann.

Ge/ESE 143. Organic Geochemistry. 9 units (3-2-4). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/ESE 145. Isotopic Biogeochemistry Seminar. 6 units (3-0-3). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/ESE 149. Marine Geochemistry. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/ESE 154. Readings in Paleoclimate. 3 units (1-0-2). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/ESE 155. Paleoceanography. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ChE/ESE 158. Aerosol Physics and Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Chemical Engineering.

ESE 159. Environmental Analysis Laboratory. 9 units (1-6-2); third term. Prerequisite: any 100-level ESE course or instructor’s permission. Introduction to modern laboratory techniques and basic sampling principles in environmental water, air, and biological analysis. Modular experiments will address sampling, measurement, and data analysis based around a region of local environmental interest. Regions may include the Arroyo Seco watershed, San Gabriel Mountains, or Caltech campus. Principles of basic experimental design, laboratory technique, elementary statistics, and scientific writing will be emphasized. Not offered 2011–12.

ESE/Bi 166. Microbial Physiology. 9 units (3-1-5); first term. Recommended prerequisite: one year of general biology. A course on growth and functions in the prokaryotic cell. Topics covered: growth, transport of small molecules, protein excretion, membrane bioenergetics, energy metabolism, motility, chemotaxis, global regulators, and metabolic integration. Instructor: Leadbetter.

ESE/Bi 168. Microbial Metabolic Diversity. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisites: ESE 142, ESE/Bi 166. A course on the metabolic diversity of microorganisms. Basic thermodynamic principles governing energy conservation will be discussed, with emphasis placed on photosynthesis and respiration. Students will be exposed to genetic, genomic, and biochemical techniques that can be used to elucidate the mechanisms of cellular electron transfer underlying these metabolisms. Not offered 2011–12.

Ge/ESE 170. Microbial Ecology. 9 units (3-2-4). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE/Ge/Ch 171. Atmospheric Chemistry I. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: Ch 1 or equivalent. A detailed course about chemical transformation in Earth’s atmosphere. Kinetics, spectroscopy, and thermodynamics of gas-phase chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere; sources, sinks, and lifetimes of trace atmospheric species; stratospheric ozone chemistry; oxidation mechanisms in the troposphere. Instructors: Seinfeld, Wennberg.

ESE/Ge/Ch 172. Atmospheric Chemistry II. 3 units (3-0-0); first term. Prerequisite: ESE/Ge/Ch 171 or equivalent. A lecture and discussion course about active research in atmospheric chemistry. Potential topics include halogen chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere; aerosol formation in remote environments; coupling of dynamics and photochemistry; development and use of modern remote-sensing and in situ instrumentation. Graded pass/fail. Not offered 2011–12.

ESE/Ch/Ge 175. Environmental Organic Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. A detailed analysis of the important chemical reactions and physicochemical processes governing the behavior and fate of organic compounds in the surface and subsurface aquatic environments. The course is focused on physical organic chemistry relevant to natural waters. Fundamental aspects of thermodynamics, kinetics, mechanisms, and transport are stressed. Instructor: Hoffmann.

ESE 180. Environmental Policy. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. An introduction to environmental policy and analysis, with an emphasis on global environmental issues and policies. Using environmental policy cases, the course includes examination of the historical context for contemporary environmental policy issues, the role of government, science and the public in policy making, and the ethical dimensions of policy choices. Topics also include policy process models, environmental policy approaches, and frameworks for evaluation. Instructor: Carmichael. Not offered 2011–12.

ESE 200. Advanced Topics in Environmental Science and Engineering. Units by arrangement; any term. Course on contemporary topics in environmental science and engineering. Topics covered vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the students and staff.

Ge/ESE/CE 226. Sediment Transport Mechanics and Morphodynamics. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE 300. Thesis Research.

For other closely related courses, see listings under Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Economics, and Social Science.