Unit 1: Introduction to Modeling Dynamic Systems part of Modeling Earth Systems
× This course teaches students how to use numerical modeling to understand the complex Earth system. Provenance: This photo of Earth was taken by NASA astronauts: ...

Unit 2: Modeling Population part of Modeling Earth Systems
× Exponential growth of the human population has led to a variety of environmental problems, such as this Beijing traffic jam. Provenance: Image apparently free to be used: ...

Unit 1: Use of Lead in the Environment and Health Impacts on Human Populations part of Lead in the Environment
In Unit 1, students engage in discussion of the historical use and resulting distribution of lead throughout the human environment. Activity 1.1 introduces the systems dynamics linking geology, human use, and human ...

Unit 1: Foundational Concepts part of Major Storms and Community Resilience
Unit 1 introduces foundational concepts in geoscience, emergency management, and political science that are critical for developing a systems thinking approach and for achieving the learning objectives in the storm ...

Unit 2: Application of Concepts to Case Studies part of Major Storms and Community Resilience
In Unit 2, students apply and evaluate foundational concepts about storm hazards and risk in the context of two cases studies: Superstorm Sandy (2012) and the Storm of the Century (1993). Through different ...

Unit 3: Culmination of Module in Town Hall Meeting part of Major Storms and Community Resilience
Over the course of one week, students will apply and evaluate concepts in the context of their local community, culminating in the formulation and evaluation of Hazard Mitigation Plan recommendations presented in ...

Unit 3: Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy (DICE) Modeling part of Regulating Carbon Emissions
After an opening discussion of systems thinking and models, student use webDICE, an online Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy model developed by Center for Robust Decision Making on Climate and Energy Policy at the ...

Unit 5: Abating Carbon Emissions part of Regulating Carbon Emissions
Students evaluate the EPA's Clean Power Plan in the context of Common but Differentiated Responsibility. This unit also introduces students to the idea that there are costs and benefits associated with the ...

Unit 6: Carbon Emissions Game part of Regulating Carbon Emissions
In this unit, students play a game, a variation on the "Pollution Game" (Corrigan 2011), to develop an appreciation of the pros and cons of the commonly discussed policy options for carbon abatement ...

Unit 7: Climate Change from the Socio-Environmental Systems Perspective part of Regulating Carbon Emissions
This unit summarizes and synthesizes the previous six units by inviting students to reflect on their experiences throughout the module, identify key learning moments and consider how these events influenced their ...

Unit 2: Climate Forcings part of Regulating Carbon Emissions
This unit uses systems thinking to explore how carbon emissions affect the global climate system. It includes an introduction to the greenhouse effect and climate modeling. Students engage in a small group activity ...

Unit 1.2 - Role of Soil part of Critical Zone Science
The focus on soil in this unit is accomplished by browsing and reading or browsing (in some detail) information from nine websites as well as a book chapter. This effort will help students to understand issues ...

Unit 4.2 - Carbon Budgets part of Critical Zone Science
The purpose of this unit is to explore, compare, contrast, and interpret carbon fluxes from the Ameriflux network to better appreciate the critical factors that account for the different timing and magnitudes of ...

Unit 5.1 - Water Balance of a Tree part of Critical Zone Science
The assignment is to calculate an annual water balance for a tree using data gathered at the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. In the framework of experimental design, students will organize around a ...

Unit 5.2 - Water Balance Impacts part of Critical Zone Science
This is the second module of a two week-long unit on hydrology in an upper-level undergraduate course on the Critical Zone. After Unit 5.1, students should have a basic understanding of the fluxes and reservoirs in ...

Unit 3.2 - Landforms and Remote Sensing part of Critical Zone Science
In this unit, geomorphic environments and the processes that can move and shape them are explored to learn about the links between landforms, soils, and the Critical Zone. The fundamentals of geomorphology are ...

Unit 2.1 - Basic Tools & Analysis part of Critical Zone Science
This unit will introduce methods and data from Critical Zone observatories as well as methods that scientists use in their research. These activities will provide an introduction to methods used in later units and ...

Unit 4.1 - Energy Budgets part of Critical Zone Science
The purpose of this unit is to explore, compare, contrast, and calculate energy fluxes from different CZO field sites to better appreciate the critical differences in the driving radiative forces affecting each ...

Unit 6.2 - Biogeochemical Examples part of Critical Zone Science
In this week-long unit students will explore Critical Zone function and dynamics as they relate to nutrient cycling in agricultural systems and nutrient pollution into aquatic systems. This unit is generally ...

Unit 6.1 - Biogeochemical Modeling Framework part of Critical Zone Science
In this unit, students will learn about the dynamic movement of nutrients among and within ecosystems primarily through the reading and discussion of scientific literature. This unit is generally subdivided into ...