Earth & Space Systems - Integrating Science

Earth & Space Systems is housed in the Department of Chemistry & Geology, but also incorporates elements normally found in courses from the Geography and Astronomy Departments. The challenge to the instructor is to reintegrate the sciences to serve as a tool for viewing the natural world. This is achieved primarily by subordinating the specific content strands to the earth system science theme. For example, instead of studying Le Chatelier's Principle purely for its role in understanding chemical equilibrium and reactions, it is applied to the earth system process or precipitation of evaporite deposits in a lake such as might be found in a rift valley under an arid climate. The same principle is seen again when the chemistry of ozone depletion at high latitudes is examined. All topics are brought into the Earth and Space system for explanation of specific phenomenon.