Elemental Cycling in Global Systems

Humans have an enormous impact on the global movement of chemical materials. Biogeochemistry has grown to be the principal scientific discipline to examine the flow of elements through the global earth systems and to examine human impacts on the global environment.  This course will introduce and investigate processes and factors controlling the biogeochemical cycles of elements with and between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.  Students will apply principles learned in lectures by building simple computer-based biogeochemical models.