Environmental Science and Engineering

ESE 1. Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisites: Ph 1 ab, Ch 1 ab, and Ma 1 ab. An introduction to the array of major scientific and engineering issues related to environmental quality on a local, regional, and global scale. Fundamental aspects of major environmental problems will be addressed with an overall focus on the dynamic interplay among the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere. Underlying scientific principles based on biology, chemistry, and physics will be presented. Engineering solutions to major environmental problems will be explored. Not offered on a pass/fail basis. Instructor: Staff. Satisfies the menu requirement of the Caltech core curriculum. Instructor: Leadbetter.

ESE 90. Undergraduate Laboratory Research in Environmental Science and Engineering. Units by arrangement; any term. Approval of research supervisor required prior to registration. Independent research on current environmental problems; laboratory or field work is required. A written report is required for each term of registration. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 100. Special Topics in Environmental Science and Engineering. 6 or more units as arranged. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission. Special courses of reading, problems, or research for first-year graduate students or qualified undergraduates. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Staff.

ESE 101. Current Problems in Environmental Science and Engineering. 3 units; first term. A discussion course that focuses on current research by ESE faculty, and open research questions in the field. Required for first-year ESE graduate students. Instructor: Wennberg.

ACM/ESE 118. Methods in Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Applied and Computational Mathematics.

ESE 142. Aquatic Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Prerequisite: Ch 1 or instructor’s permission. Principles of inorganic and physical chemistry applied to natural and engineered aquatic systems. Biogeochemical processes controlling the major ion composition of aquatic systems and the behavior of the trace inorganic constituents of such systems are examined. Fundamental aspects of thermodynamics and quantitative description of the composition of natural waters are stressed. Instructor: Adkins.

Ge/ESE 143. Organic Geochemistry. 9 units (3-2-4). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE 144. Applications of Aquatic Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisite: ESE 142. Case studies are used to illustrate the effects of biogeochemical processes on the composition of ground and surface waters. Systems to be examined include natural waters subject to varying levels of perturbations as a result of human activities, and engineered systems, such as constructed wetlands or water treatment systems. Quantitative equilibrium and kinetic modeling are emphasized. Given in alternate years; not offered 2007–08.

Ge/ESE 145. Isotopic Biogeochemistry Seminar. 6 units (3-0-3). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE/Ge 148 abc. Global Environmental Science. 9 units each term. Prerequisites: Ch 1, Ma 2, Ph 2, or equivalents. Global change on time-scales of years to centuries.

a. Climate Change. (3-0-6); first term. Radiative transfer and the greenhouse effect. Scattering and absorption by gases, clouds, and aerosols. Feedbacks due to water vapor, clouds, ice, and vegetation. Chemistry of greenhouse gases. Climates of the past. Ice ages. The global-warming debate. Economic and political aspects of climate change. Instructor: Wennberg.

b. Atmosphere-Ocean Circulations. (3-0-6); second term. Large-scale motions in Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Effects of planetary rotation and density stratification. Observing systems and data assimilation. Numerical weather prediction. Climate modeling. Parameterizations. Dynamical aspects of El Niño, global warming, and the ozone hole. Instructor: Ingersoll.

c. Biogeochemical Cycles. (3-0-6); third term. Global biogeochemical cycles, fluxes, and reservoirs in the solid earth, oceans, biosphere, and atmosphere. The hydrologic cycle, weathering and erosion, soil formation, nutrient cycling and limitation, ecosystem function and metrics, photosynthesis and primary production, heterotropic recycling, carbon cycle dynamics, atmospheric trace gases, and stable- isotope tracers. Variability in biogeochemical cycles over Earth history, and recent modification by human activities. Instructor: Sessions.

Ge/ESE 149. Marine Geochemistry. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE 150 abc. Seminar in Environmental Science and Engineering. 1 unit; each term. Seminar on current developments and research within the field of environmental engineering science, with special consideration given to work at the Institute. Graded pass/fail. Instructor: Leadbetter.

ESE/Ge 152. Atmospheric Radiation. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE/Ge 148 a or instructor’s permission. The basic physics of absorption and scattering by molecules, aerosols, and clouds. Theory of radiative transfer. Band models and correlated-k distributions and scattering by cloud and aerosol particles. Solar insolation, thermal emission, heating rates, and applications to climate and remote sensing. Instructor: Yung.

ESE/Ge 153. Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: ESE 148 b or an introductory fluid dynamics course. Fluid dynamics of the atmosphere and oceans, beginning with linear wave dynamics and wave–mean flow interaction theory and leading to theories of the maintenance of large-scale circulations. Topics include barotropic Rossby waves, flow-over topography; shallow-water dynamics and potential vorticity; quasi-geostrophic theory; barotropic and baroclinic instability; wave–mean flow interaction; maintenance of the global-scale circulation of the atmosphere; structure of wind-driven ocean circulation. Instructor: Ingersoll.

Ge/ESE 154. Readings in Paleoclimate. 3 units (1-0-2). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

Ge/ESE 155. Paleoceanography. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ChE/ESE 158. Aerosol Physics and Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6). For course description, see Chemical Engineering.

ESE 159. Environmental Analysis Laboratory. 9 units (1-6-2); third term. Prerequisite: any 100-level ESE course or instructor’s permission. Introduction to modern laboratory techniques and basic sampling principles in environmental water, air, and biological analysis. Modular experiments will address sampling, measurement, and data analysis based around a region of local environmental interest. Regions may include the Arroyo Seco watershed, San Gabriel Mountains, or Caltech campus. Principles of basic experimental design, laboratory technique, elementary statistics, and scientific writing will be emphasized. Instructors: Adkins, Leadbetter, Flagan. Given in alternate years; not offered 2007–08.

ESE/Bi 166. Microbial Physiology. 9 units (3-1-5); first term. Recommended prerequisite: one year of general biology. A course on growth and functions in the prokaryotic cell. Topics covered: growth, transport of small molecules, protein excretion, membrane bioenergetics, energy metabolism, motility, chemotaxis, global regulators, and metabolic integration. Instructor: Leadbetter.

ESE/Bi 168. Microbial Metabolic Diversity. 9 units (3-0-6); second term. Prerequisites: ESE 142, ESE/Bi 166. A course on the metabolic diversity of microorganisms. Basic thermodynamic principles governing energy conservation will be discussed, with emphasis placed on photosynthesis and respiration. Students will be exposed to genetic, genomic, and biochemical techniques that can be used to elucidate the mechanisms of cellular electron transfer underlying these metabolisms. Instructor: Staff.

Ge/ESE 170. Microbial Ecology. 9 units (3-2-4). For course description, see Geological and Planetary Sciences.

ESE/Ge/Ch 171. Atmospheric Chemistry I. 9 units (3-0-6); third term. Prerequisite: Ch 1 or equivalent. A detailed course about chemical transformation in Earth’s atmosphere. Kinetics, spectroscopy, and thermodynamics of gas- and aerosol-phase chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere; sources, sinks, and lifetimes of trace atmospheric species; stratospheric ozone chemistry; oxidation mechanisms in the troposphere. Instructors: Seinfeld, Wennberg.

ESE/Ge/Ch 172. Atmospheric Chemistry II. 3 units (3-0-0); first term. Prerequisite: ESE/Ge/Ch 171 or equivalent. A lecture and discussion course about active research in atmospheric chemistry. Potential topics include halogen chemistry of the stratosphere and troposphere; aerosol formation in remote environments; coupling of dynamics and photochemistry; development and use of modern remote-sensing and in situ instrumentation. Graded pass/fail. Instructors: Seinfeld, Wennberg. Given in alternate years; offered 2007–08.

ESE/Ge 173. Topics in Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics. 9 units (3-0-6); first term. Prerequisite: ESE/Ge 153 or equivalent. A lecture and discussion course on current research in atmosphere and ocean dynamics. Topics covered vary from year to year and may include geostrophic turbulence, atmospheric convection and cloud dynamics, wave dynamics and large-scale circulations in the tropics, middle-atmosphere dynamics, dynamics of El Niño and the southern oscillation, maintenance of the ocean thermocline, and dynamics of the southern ocean. Instructor: Schneider.

ESE/Ch/Ge 175 ab. Environmental Organic Chemistry. 9 units (3-0-6); second, third terms. A detailed analysis of the important chem-ical reactions and physicochemical processes governing the behavior and fate of organic compounds in the surface and subsurface aquatic environments. The course is focused on physical organic chemistry relevant to natural waters. Fundamental aspects of thermodynamics, kinetics, mechanisms, and transport are stressed. Instructor: Hoffmann.

ESE 200. Advanced Topics in Environmental Science and Engineering. Units by arrangement, any term. Course to explore new approaches to environmental problems. The topics covered vary from year to year, depending on the interests of the students and staff.

ESE 250. Advanced Environmental Seminar. Units by arrangement, not to exceed 4 units (2-0-2); each term. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission. A seminar course for advanced graduate students and staff to discuss current research and technical literature on environmental problems. As the subject matter changes from term to term, it may be taken any number of times. Not offered 2007–08.

ESE 300. Thesis Research.

For other closely related courses see listings under Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Geology, Economics, and Social Science.