ENVS376

042984

Ecological climatology is the interdisciplinary study of terrestrial ecosystem functioning and its interactions with carbon, water and energy fluxes. As anthropogenic climate change disrupts ecosystem functioning (e.g., vegetation dynamics), understanding ecological processes, how they are changing, and how they are influencing climate and weather patterns is essential for environmental scientists to tackle modern environmental challenges. This course will present an overview of basic principles of the earth system including topics related to global physical climatology, hydrometeorology and biometeorology. In learning this material, students will gain skills for analyzing ecological functioning, and develop the foundational knowledge to understand land-atmosphere feedbacks. Conceptual fundamentals will be accompanied by case studies, discussion of current global issues, and review of some of the most influential peer-reviewed articles in the field of ecological climatology.

GRD - Regular Grades A, B, C, D, E

Undergraduate

Recommended: ENVS 200 Intro to Soil Science, and a college level statistics course (ENVS 275, MATH 263, etc.). Completion of first semester calculus is preferred but not required.