Eric Small: Using Measuring Water Resources with GPS, Gravity, and Traditional Methods in Geology 2001: Planet Earth at UNAVCO
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Provenance: Eric Small (University of Colorado Boulder)
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About This Course
The Earth System science course is intended for sophomore-level geology majors. University of Colorado is a large public research university.
48
students
Two 75–minute class sessions
weekly
One 2.5–hour lab
weekly
Large public research university
Syllabus (Acrobat (PDF) 171kB Nov1 16)
Geology 2001 explores the dynamics of planet Earth with particular emphasis on the factors that make the planet habitable. Includes examination of heat balance, hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry, and climate history through both lecture and lab-based activities. The course is required for the geology major and will introduce students to the major concepts in contemporary Earth system science.
The course is an Earth System science course taught at the sophomore level. Quantitative thinking and calculations are stressed both in class and lab. The primary topics include: climate and climate change; the water cycle; the carbon cycle; solid earth processes and the Earth System.
Introductory Statement
The module was used to provide students with real world examples of how geodetic data can be used to quantify water stored in different components of the terrestrial water cycle. They learn the challenges and methods of measuring different aspects of the water cycle and gain better understanding of the very real societal hurdles to providing sufficient water for agriculture and communities, especially during droughts. By working with both traditional and geodetic methods for measuring the water system, they gain experience with methods over a range of time and space scales.
The students appreciated using "real" data that shed light on current problems. They also noted the challenges and uncertainty that exists when one tries to calculate fluxes or storage in the Earth System.
My Experience Teaching with GETSI Materials
I did not use Unit 1 (background to water cycle), as that information was already embedded in the content used earlier in the semester. Units 2–4 were used in consecutive lab periods, with associated readings assigned prior to the lab period.
Relationship of GETSI Materials to My Course
The module was used in weeks 9–11 of the 15-week semester. An introduction to the water cycle preceded use of the module. The groundwater mining examples were central throughout the remainder of the semester, as we discussed resources and climate change.
Unit 1
- Not used, content already existed in the course
Unit 2
- This unit was used as the basis for a lab. The "How GRACE works" document was assigned as a reading and GRACE was discussed in class prior to the lab. It would have been useful to spend 5–10 minutes in class (or at the start of the lab) discussing the seasonal timing of irrigation in the region, which would have helped students on question #3.
Unit 3
- This unit was the basis for a lab. The Unit 3 Background Presentation was used as an introduction at the start of the lab period. The students already had experience analyzing GPS data (calculating plot motion vectors) in a prior lab. Even so, many needed a reminder how to calculate trends from the data.
Unit 4
- This unit was the basis for a lab that spanned two lab intervals. The extended time was provided so that the students could work on the final table in groups with the guidance of the TA and instructor. The analysis of snow time series at individual stations (Pilot Peak and P346) was not included in the lab. The students had difficulty with the concept of uncertainty and would have been helped by a more complete discussion in class.
Assessments
The labs based on Units 2 and 3 were graded by the TA according to the answers provided in the handouts. The short answer section of the Unit 4 lab was similarly graded. The "report writing" component of Unit 4 was a challenge, as many of the students had not encountered a similar assignment previously. The report was graded according to the sample rubric provided.
Outcomes
The students were able to complete the required calculations and analyses. This was their first use of authentic geodetic data to solve Earth System (and related societal) problems. The students appreciated the complexities of the problems, thus gaining a greater understanding of the challenges and uncertainty faced when studying the Earth System.
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