Syllabus

ENVS 2010U: Introductory Environment Science

2:10 - 5:00pm Fridays in UA1220

Rupinder Brar
(UA2025, x2812, email in blackboard please)

Course Description and Goals

This course will introduce the scientific framework associated with the Earths environment system. Topics include Earths energy budget, structure and circulation of the atmosphere and oceans, hydrologic cycle, mass budget, cloud formation, precipitation, and surface run-off. Particular attention will be focused on the science of important environmental issues including climate change, ozone layer depletion, pollutant transport, impact of mercury, PCB and other contaminates, and land-use influence on precipitation run-off and flooding. Whenever possible, case studies of actual environmental problems will be used to highlight the importance of the scientific issues. Prerequisites: CHEM 1020U, PHY 1020U.

Lectures
There will be one 3 hour lecture weekly starting on January 10th. The majority of the lecture will be spent lecturing and introducing new material that will be testable. The remainder of the time will be used for discussions, experiment work and project presentations.

Office Hours
Office hours are available to obtain extra help and shore up your understanding of the concepts introduced in lecture and in the text. Office hours will take place in UA2025 and the time can be found on the front page of Blackboard.

Text
Introductory Environment Science is the textbook for this course. It is a custom amalgamation of four different textbooks: The Physical Universe, 15th ed. by Krauskopf, Beiser; Physical Science, 10th ed. by Tillery; Exploring Geology, 3rd ed. by Reynolds, Johnson, Morin, Carter; Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and Applications, 7th ed. by Cunningham, Cunningham. The text is an important part of this course. There are two options for purchase: a hardcopy text and an eBook-only edition. The bookstore has the hardcopy for sale and it can also be found on reserve at the library. The e-text is only available to be purchased online and details on how to do this will be provided on Blackboard.

Experiments
There will be one or two environmental science experiments that we will conduct throughout the term. We will collect or share the data as a class, but each student group must do their own analysis and write up.

Environmental Issues Project

There will be one project assigned to every group of 2 students which will be presented during class. The presentation will be about 15 minutes in length. A short Q&A will follow. The project includes a one-page summary which needs to be handed in before the presentation

Midterm and Final Exam

There will be one midterm test on March 7th. The final exam will test all material covered in the course. The final exam will be given during the University scheduled final exam period.

Essay
One 1000-words essay will be assigned and due a few days later. This will happen towards the end of the term. Details TBA.

Marking Scheme
Essay: Experiments: Env. Issues Project Midterm: Final exam: 5% 10% 25% 25% 35%

Course Outline
The Solar System Cosmic Radiation Magnetosphere Ionosphere Plate Tectonics Volcanoes Earths Interior Earthquakes Energy and Mineral Resources Atmosphere and Hydrosphere Glaciers; Sea Levels Air Pollution Climate Change Nuclear Reactions Population Dynamics Mathematics in Nature Scaling Laws of Cities Case Studies

Important Notes
If you miss a test, quiz, or assignment you will be given a mark of zero unless you provide the student advisor with an acceptable written explanation, with medical or other documentation as appropriate. In the last case you will be given a chance to do the assignment or you will be given a mark that is an average mark of the previous and/or following assignments. It is appropriate to discuss here the matter of individual work, getting help and plagiarism. Except for exams and tests, it is assumed that you can discuss problems and assignments among yourselves and with tutors and the professor, so long as what you turn in is your own work. In other words, the discussions are part of the learning process; once you learn how to approach a problem, you

are expected to solve it yourself, and that is what you turn in. It is dishonest to turn in as your own any work which has been copied from the work of someone else.