ESE 1
Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering
9 units (3-0-6)
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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
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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
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any term
Prerequisites: 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)
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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)
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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)
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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
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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
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any term
Prerequisites: 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
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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)
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second term
Prerequisites: Ma 2 or another introductory course in probability and statistics.
Introduction to fundamental ideas and techniques of statistical modeling, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding and on the analysis of real data sets. Simple and multiple regression: estimation, inference, model checking. Analysis of variance, comparison of models, model selection. Principal component analysis. Linear discriminant analysis. Generalized linear models and logistic regression. Resampling methods and the bootstrap.
Instructor:
Sherman
ESE 131
Physical Oceanography
9 units (3-0-6)
|
second term
Prerequisites: 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
Prerequisites: 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
Prerequisites: 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)
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third term
Prerequisites: 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)
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third term
Prerequisites: 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
Prerequisites: 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)
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third term
Prerequisites: 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
Prerequisites: 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)
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first term
Prerequisites: Ch 41 a or equivalent.
Main topics include the analysis, properties, sources, and cycling of natural organic materials in the environment, from their production in living organisms to burial and decomposition in sediments and preservation in the rock record. Specific topics include analytical methods for organic geochemistry, lipid structure and biochemistry, composition of organic matter, factors controlling organic preservation, organic climate and CO
2
proxies, diagenesis and catagenesis, and biomarkers for ancient life. A laboratory component (three evening labs) teaches the extraction and analysis of modern and ancient organic biomarkers by GC/MS. Class includes a mandatory one-day (weekend) field trip to observe the Monterey Fm. Given in alternate years; not offered 2011-12.
Instructor:
Sessions
Ge/ESE 145
Isotopic Biogeochemistry Seminar
6 units (3-0-3)
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first term
Prerequisites: Ge 140 or instructor's permission.
Advanced seminar to discuss research and papers in stable isotope biogeochemistry and geobiology. Topics will vary from year to year, and may be taken multiple times for credit. Given in alternate years; offered 2011-12.
Instructor:
Sessions
Ge/ESE 149
Marine Geochemistry
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Introduction to chemical oceanography and sediment geochemistry. We will address the question "Why is the ocean salty?" by examining the processes that determine the major, minor, and trace element distributions of seawater and ocean sediments. Topics include river and estuarine chemistry, air/sea exchange, nutrient uptake by the biota, radioactive tracers, redox processes in the water column and sediments, carbonate chemistry, and ventilation. Given in alternate years; not offered 2011-12.
Instructor:
Adkins
Ge/ESE 154
Readings in Paleoclimate
3 units (1-0-2)
|
second term
Prerequisites: instructor's permission.
Lectures and readings in areas of current interest in paleoceanography and paleoclimate.
Instructor:
Adkins
Ge/ESE 155
Paleoceanography
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Evaluation of the data and models that make up our current understanding of past climates. Emphasis will be placed on a historical introduction to the study of the past ten thousand to a few hundred thousand years, with some consideration of longer timescales. Evidence from marine and terrestrial sediments, ice cores, corals, and speleothems will be used to address the mechanisms behind natural climate variability. Models of this variability will be evaluated in light of the data. Topics will include sea level and ice volume, surface temperature evolution, atmospheric composition, deep ocean circulation, tropical climate, ENSO variability, and terrestrial/ocean linkages. Given in alternate years; offered 2011-12.
Instructor:
Adkins
ChE/ESE 158
Aerosol Physics and Chemistry
9 units (3-0-6); second term
|
Open to graduate students and seniors with instructor's permission
Fundamentals of aerosol physics and chemistry; aerodynamics and diffusion of aerosol particles; condensation and evaporation; thermodynamics of particulate systems; nucleation; coagulation; particle size distributions; optics of small particles. Not offered 2011-12.
ESE 159
Environmental Analysis Laboratory
9 units (1-6-2)
|
third term
Prerequisites: 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
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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)
|
third term
Prerequisites: ESE/Bi 166.
Structural, phylogenetic, and metabolic diversity of microorganisms in nature. The course explores microbial interactions, relationships between diversity and physiology in modern and ancient environments, and influence of microbial community structure on biogeochemical cycles. Introduction to ecological principles and molecular approaches used in microbial ecology and geobiological investigations.
Instructor:
Orphan
ESE/Ge/Ch 171
Atmospheric Chemistry I
9 units (3-0-6)
|
third term
Prerequisites: 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
Prerequisites: 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)
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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
ESE 200
Advanced 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)
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third term
Prerequisites: ACM 95/100 bc and ME 19 ab, or equivalents.
This course will consist of lectures and problem sets on the physics of sediment transport, erosion, and deposition. Topics will include turbulent boundary layers, open-channel hydraulics and resistance, sediment-size distributions, incipient sediment motion, bed load, suspended load, and bed forms. The content is relevant to a variety of dilute geophysical flows (e.g., turbidity currents, powder avalanches, ocean currents, wind), but an emphasis will be made on application to rivers. Given in alternate years; not offered 2011-12.
Instructor:
Lamb
ESE 300
Thesis Research
Published Date:
July 28, 2022