ESS 314 Syllabus and time line, Fall, 2013.

Week 1 (ending 30th Sept.)

1. •Introduction
   

2. •Review of states of matter, conservation laws
   

Physical principles emphasized: States of matter, Conservation laws, Rotation,forces, motion of charged particles in electrical fields

Homework: Math review questions

Lab: Math Camp

Week 2 (ending 4th Oct.)

1. •Space physics
   

2. •Radiation
   

Physical principles emphasized: Motion of charged particles in electrical fields, blackbody radiation, energy balance, remote sensing by absorption spectroscopy

Homework: Space physics and radiation problems

Lab: Radiation and cooling

Week 3 (ending 11th Oct.)

1. •Erosion on Earth
   

2. •River profiles
   

Physical principles emphasized: Potential energy, stream power in rivers, diffusion, erosion

Homework: More radiation problems

Lab: Erosion in the Olympic mountains of Washington State (GIS)

Week 4 (ending 18th Oct.)

1. •heat conduction
   

2. •scale analysis
   

3. •diffusion
   

Physical principles emphasized: Diffusion, diffusion, diffusion, and scale analysis

Homework: Diffusion/scale analysis problems

Lab: Diffusion

Week 5 (ending 25th Oct.)

1. •Patterns of radiation in climate
   

2. •Fluid dynamics
   

1. •Properties of a fluid
   

2. •Equations of state for gas, liquid, and ice
   

3. •Conservation laws applied to a fluid
   

4. •Forces acting on a fluid, including friction
   

5. •Glacier flow
   

3.    
   

Physical principles emphasized: Fluid motion, surface and body forces, moving observers, pressure gradient force

Homework: Fluids 1

Lab: Energy balance climate model

Week 6 (ending 1st Nov)

1. •Fluid dynamics contd.
   

1. •Vertical structure of the atmosphere
   

2. •Coriolis force
   

2. 
   

Physical principles emphasized: Thermodynamics of a fluid, Coriolis force

Homework: Fluids 2

Lab: Tour of fluids lab in OCN

Week 7 (ending 8th Nov)

1. 1. •Atmospheric circulation
      

   2. •Ocean circulation
      

2. 
   

Physical principles emphasized: Geostrophic balance, thermal wind, Ocean Ekman layers.

Homework: Midterm sample questions

Lab: Abstract writing/ term-paper discussion.

Week 8 (ending 15th Nov)

1. •principles of wave motion
   

2. •Laws of refraction, total internal reflection
   

Physical principles emphasized: Waves, restoring forces, wave equations, phase velocity, group velocity, refraction.

Homework: Waves I

Lab:  EXAM!!!

Week 9 (ending 22nd Nov)

1. •Tomography
   

2. •Seismology,
   

3. •measuring earthquake strength
   

Physical principles emphasized: Waves, restoring forces, wave equations, phase velocity, group velocity, refraction.

Homework: Waves II (including earthquake location)

Lab: Term paper reading and review (group feedback)

Week 10 (ending 29th November)

1. •Geomagnetism
   

2. •Plate forces
   

3. •Plate tectonics
   

Physical principles emphasized: Dynamo, Earth’s dipole, Sea-floor spreading,

Homework: None,

Lab: Tryptophan recovery

Week 11 (ending 6th December)

1. •Carry-over
   

2. •Earth system feedbacks
   

3. •Climate History
   

4. •Review of what’s been covered
   

Lab: TBA