EEPS 323: Biogeochemistry

Basic concepts of how elements cycle among Earth’s crust, oceans, and atmosphere, including perturbations due to human activities. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and water cycles. Isotopic tracers. Feedbacks, forcings, and residence times. Redox cycling and thermodynamics. Biogeochemical box models, and changes in biogeochemical cycles over Earth history. Biogeochemistry of greenhouse gases, biogeochemical feedbacks in the climate system. This course is appropriate for EEPS students, engineering students, environmental science majors, and other students with interest in the environmental or geological sciences.