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Geochemistry of Natural Waters (GEOL4405 - upper level, GEOL5405 - graduate level)
Why: Welcome to the Geochemistry of Natural Waters Course! We live on the blue planet which is ¾ covered by water and 100% of all living organisms require some form of water to survive. It’s simple, no water- No life. Yet freshwater demand already exceeds supply in certain areas of this planet and water is becoming the “new oil”.
How: Following the hydrological cycle and the architecture of the Earth surface we explore how the geochemistry of water is impacted by processes in the atmosphere, biosphere, pedosphere (soil) all the way down to groundwater, where water interacts with the lithosphere. This is an interdisciplinary course, and we will draw from concepts from various fields in Earth and environmental sciences including geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, soil sciences, ecology and hydrology. We will apply specific principles in chemistry (process) and explore how these might have implications at larger temporal and spatial scales (pattern).We will use data from the US Geological Survey and Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) where hands on conceptual and quantitative approaches help you to understand the geochemistry of natural waters in a comprehensive way. We will practice with real datasets and formulate and test hypotheses about the source of water constituents and processes that control water chemistry in the system now often termed the Critical Zone (CZ). By spanning so many disciplines and approaches across scales, everybody will likely be outside of their comfort zone for some of the time in this course. It is actually very important for scientists to develop healthy strategies to work within this discomfort and take responsibility for developing individual and team skills. You will encounter some of it in this course and will have a chance to reflect on experiences.
Course goals:
When:This course is typically offered in Spring semesters
Who: Catamount Core: N1, QD. Prerequisites: A Catamount Core N1 or N2 course; a 2000-level course in the natural sciences.
Why: Welcome to the Geochemistry of Natural Waters Course! We live on the blue planet which is ¾ covered by water and 100% of all living organisms require some form of water to survive. It’s simple, no water- No life. Yet freshwater demand already exceeds supply in certain areas of this planet and water is becoming the “new oil”.
How: Following the hydrological cycle and the architecture of the Earth surface we explore how the geochemistry of water is impacted by processes in the atmosphere, biosphere, pedosphere (soil) all the way down to groundwater, where water interacts with the lithosphere. This is an interdisciplinary course, and we will draw from concepts from various fields in Earth and environmental sciences including geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, soil sciences, ecology and hydrology. We will apply specific principles in chemistry (process) and explore how these might have implications at larger temporal and spatial scales (pattern).We will use data from the US Geological Survey and Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) where hands on conceptual and quantitative approaches help you to understand the geochemistry of natural waters in a comprehensive way. We will practice with real datasets and formulate and test hypotheses about the source of water constituents and processes that control water chemistry in the system now often termed the Critical Zone (CZ). By spanning so many disciplines and approaches across scales, everybody will likely be outside of their comfort zone for some of the time in this course. It is actually very important for scientists to develop healthy strategies to work within this discomfort and take responsibility for developing individual and team skills. You will encounter some of it in this course and will have a chance to reflect on experiences.
Course goals:
- Course Goal #1 - Knowledge: Apply the knowledge of solute sources and geochemical reactions (acid-base, redox) to interpret processes controlling the composition of natural waters.
- Course Goal #2 - Understanding: Apply your process understanding to interpret excel spreadsheet analysis of geochemical data (e.g. time-series and correlation plots).
- Course Goal #3 - Synthesis: Demonstrate the ability to synthesize processes that impact water geochemistry with concept sketches and/or descriptions.
- Course Goal 4# - Communication: Engage a peer audience to effectively communicate the importance of scientific findings as a group.
- Course Goal 5# - Responsibility: Demonstrate the ability to reflect on own role in a scientific group, take responsibility and contribute to a positive work environment for all.
When:This course is typically offered in Spring semesters
Who: Catamount Core: N1, QD. Prerequisites: A Catamount Core N1 or N2 course; a 2000-level course in the natural sciences.
