Course description
This Earth Environments course explores Earth's atmosphere and biosphere by examining topics ranging from day-to-day weather variations to global climate change and the distribution of plants and animals on Earth. Using an Earth-systems approach and the concepts of energy balances and radiation laws, this course seeks to answer questions such as why do certain places have particular kinds of weather? How do forecasters predict the weather? What are the causes of global climate change? Human impacts on the atmosphere and biosphere are also examined.
Course content
1. Introduction
- Scientific method
- Systems theory and its application to planet Earth
- Sun / Earth geometry
2. Solar Energy and Radiation Laws
- First Law of Thermodynamics
- Electromagnetic radiation
- Wien’s Displacement Law, Stephan-Boltzmann Law and the Inverse Square Law
- Variation in the receipt of solar radiation
3. The Earth's Atmosphere
- Evolution of the modern atmosphere
- Classification of the atmosphere
- Anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants and their effects
4. Energy Concepts, Energy Balance
- Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Energy transfer, transmission and absorption
- Heat energy concepts
- Radiation and energy balances
- Urban heat island
5. Temperature Variation
- Influences on temperature
- Temperature patterns
- Measurement of temperature
6. Pressure and Atmospheric Circulation
- Pressure and its variation, distribution and measurement
- Gas Law
- Forces influencing the direction and speed of upper level and surface winds
- Patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation
- Macro- and meso-scale winds
7. Moisture in the Atmosphere
- Indices of water vapour content
- Methods and forms of condensation
- Mechanisms and forms of precipitation
8. Adiabatic Processes and Stability
- Diabatic and adiabatic processes
- Lapse rates
- Concept and types of stability
- Uplift
9. Air Masses, Fronts, Mid-latitude Cyclones
- Air mass formation, classification and modification
- Front types, formation and characteristics
- Development, evolution and movement of mid-latitude cyclones
- Anticyclones
10 Severe Weather
- Characteristics and life-cycles of air mass and severe thunderstorms
- Tornado formation, characteristics and dimensions
- Hurricane development, characteristics, structure, forecasts and damage
11. Biogeography
- Ecological biogeography and its relationship to climatic patterns
- Abiotic and biotic influences on primary productivity in various ecosystems
- Trophic relationships in ecosystems
- Stages of general ecological succession in ecosystems
- Fire ecology
12. Climate Change
- Evidence for past climate variation
- Atmospheric greenhouse effect and critical analyses of global warming predictions
- Global, regional and local actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Adaptation to a changing climate (example wildfire)
Learning activities
The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: lecture, labs, field work, analysis and interpretation of surface weather charts and satellite images, multimedia, individual and/or team projects and small group discussions.
Means of assessment
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria during the first week of classes.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
| Laboratory Assignments |
10% |
| Laboratory Exams |
30% |
| Midterm Exam |
25% |
| Final Exam |
25% |
| Term Project |
10% |
| Total |
100% |
Note: This course received a standing variance from Education Council in June 2016 to allow up to a 20% lab exam during the last 14 calendar days of the semester. This is not a final exam; it is an assessment of student learning of lab work performed in the second half of the semester.
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:
- Describe and use the frameworks of science applicable to 1st-year physical geography.
- Think critically and examine climatological, meteorological and biogeographical issues in a scientific context at local, regional and global scales.
- Describe and explain the processes that occur within earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere systems, and identify and describe interactions among these systems.
- Communicate effectively using the language, graphical presentation methods and quantitative methods employed in physical geography.
- Connect theoretical applications to “real-world” observations and measurements.
Textbook materials
Texts will be updated periodically. Typical examples are:
- Christopherson, R. W., Birkeland, G., Byrne, M.L. and P. Giles (2020). Geosystems: An Introduction to Physical Geography, Edited Fourth Canadian Edition. Pearson /Prentice Hall.
- Lutgens, F.K., Tarbuck, E.J., and D.G. Tasa (2016). Atmosphere: An Introduction to Meteorology, Thirteenth Edition. Pearson /Prentice Hall.
- Open textbook resources