ENV 170 The Fluid Earth
Tara Curtin
Hobart & William Smith Colleges (Private four-year institution, primarily undergraduate)
Summary
This is an introductory course with no pre-requisites that uses the global water cycle to teach important geological concepts.
Course Type: Intro Level:Earth Science
Course Size:
31-70
Course Context:
This is an introductory course with no pre-requisites and serves as a pre-requisite for many upper-level geoscience courses including Limnology, Meteorology, Geochemistry, Hydrogeology, Paleoclimatology, and Systems Modeling.
Course Goals:
By the end of this course, you will use information about the global water cycle to evaluate the human impact on the water quality and quantity with a focus on local hydrogeological concerns in the Finger Lakes region of NY. You will use data available on-line as well as data collected in the field and analyzed in the laboratory to:
1) calculate water budgets of some of major tributary streams and the Finger Lakes;
2) assess the impact of human consumption and climate change on seasonal, annual, and decadal water availability (e.g., hurricanes, nor'easters, lake effect snow) in the Finger Lakes region;
3) evaluate the potential for flooding in the region using case studies (e.g., 1972 Hurricane Agnes);
4) analyze the effect of lake morphometry, geology, and biology on the evolution of the hydrogeochemistry of the Finger Lakes;
5) assess the similarities and differences between the Finger Lakes and oceans;
6) examine the interactions between surface water and groundwater by examining the hydrogeochemical properties of Zurich Bog, a 10-acre nature preserve near Lyons, NY; and
7) determine the controls on local and regional groundwater flow direction and quality in unconfined and confined aquifer systems.
1) calculate water budgets of some of major tributary streams and the Finger Lakes;
2) assess the impact of human consumption and climate change on seasonal, annual, and decadal water availability (e.g., hurricanes, nor'easters, lake effect snow) in the Finger Lakes region;
3) evaluate the potential for flooding in the region using case studies (e.g., 1972 Hurricane Agnes);
4) analyze the effect of lake morphometry, geology, and biology on the evolution of the hydrogeochemistry of the Finger Lakes;
5) assess the similarities and differences between the Finger Lakes and oceans;
6) examine the interactions between surface water and groundwater by examining the hydrogeochemical properties of Zurich Bog, a 10-acre nature preserve near Lyons, NY; and
7) determine the controls on local and regional groundwater flow direction and quality in unconfined and confined aquifer systems.
Assessment:
In-class exercises (informal); weekly homework exercises; weekly quizzes;weekly laboratory exercises; 3-4 exams