SEA 101, Introduction to Weather and Climate
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Everyone is affected by the weather and climate. Dramatic uncontrolled events like hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and heat waves often focus our attention. Other less dramatic, but mportant events like droughts, air pollution, and climate change also cause great concern. This course is designed to investigate many of these weather phenomena on a rational physical basis. This course satisfies the university general education core requirement in physical science.
SEA/PHY 205 (SEA 105 starting Fall 2005), Astronomy of the Planets
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
An introduction to astronomy suitable for all students. The earth in space. Seasons, orbits, the sun and planets. The history of the earth and planets. NASA's exploration of the solar system with telescopes and spacecraft. Course includes evening observing with telescopes at Turner Observatory. This course satisfies the university general education core requirement in physical science.
SEA 206 (SEA 106 starting Fall 2005), Astronomy of the Stars and Galaxies
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Second semester to Physics 205. The Sun and stars. Supernovas and black holes. The Universe and its origin and evolution. The Big Bang theory and cosmic inflation. NASA's space telescopes. Course includes evening observing with telescopes at Turner Observatory.
SEA/PHY 303 (SEA 303 starting Fall 2005), Meteorology
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Topics include the weather and the properties of the Earth's troposphere. Some fundamental aspects of atmospheric science such as scale heights, lapse rates, and hydrostatics are covered in this course. Corequisite: PHY 203 or permission of the instructor.
SEA 304, Earth and Planetary Science
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Geology and history of the planets of the solar system. The atmospheres of the Earth and planets, emphasizing Venus, Mars and Jupiter. The greenhouse effect and the ice ages. Recent discoveries involving planets orbiting other stars. Includes a student project involving atmospheric physics and computers. Prerequisite: MAT 130 or 151, PHY 201 or 203, Corequisite: PHY 202 or 204, or permission of the instructor.
SEA/PHY 307 (SEA 307 starting Fall 2005), Introduction to Space Sciences
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Topics include thermospheres, ionospheres, magnetospheres, the Sun, stellar atmospheres, solar wind, the influence of the Sun on planetary atmospheres, Sun-Earth connections. Prerequisite: PHY 202 or 204, SEA 206, MAT 130 or 151, or permission of the instructor.
SEA 333, Astrobiology
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Topics include the definition of life, the evolution of life on Earth, life in extreme environments, potential locations for life elsewhere in the solar system, and in depth discussions concerning how one searches for life throughout the solar system.
SEA 345, Atmospheric Physics
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Fundamental laws and concepts of thermodynamics and electromagnetic radioactive transfer considered in an atmospheric context. Application of these principles to a number of meteorological problems, including climate models, the global energy balance, atmospheric aerosols, lidar/radar backscatter and remotely sensed temperature fields. Prerequisite: SEA 303, MAT 130 or 151, PHY 202 or 204 or permission of the instructor.
SEA 350, Modeling the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
A geoscience course discussing the interaction among soil, plant, and atmosphere and focusing on modeling water and heat fluxes. Topics include soil water dynamics, soil and plant evaporation, groundwater pollution, plant growth and development, sensible heat flux, spatial variability, scaling, geo- statistics, remote sensing, GIS, and climate change. Prerequisite: MAT 130 or 151, PHY 202 or 204 or permission of the instructor.
SEA 351, Remote Sensing
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
The course describes the science of passive and active remote sensing and their application to the geosciences. Remote sensing applications to be discussed include climate change, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, air and water pollution, land use, and seismic studies. Topics will include conception of an ill-posed problem, retrieval algorithms, error analysis, and data validation. Prerequisite: SEA 345 or permission of the instructor.
SEA 399, Space, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Seminar
Lec. 1. Credits 1.
A seminar course on a topic related to space, earth, and atmospheric sciences. Faculty, students, and invited speakers will prepare and present material related to the topic. May be repeated for a total of up to 3 credits.
SEA/PHY 401, Space, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Research
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Students will perform geoscience research with a mentor. The student will be responsible for writing a short proposal on an atmospheric research project, gathering the necessary data, writing a short research paper, and presenting the research to their peers and interested faculty and staff at a departmental colloquia. Corequisite: SEA 307, 350, 351 or CHE 509 or permission of the instructor.
SEA/PHY 410, Space, Earth, and Atmospheric Science Data Analysis Techniques
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
Probability and statistics applied to climatology and meteorology. Discrete and continuous probability distributions of meteorological variables examined. Regression analysis applied to satellite data. Smoothing and filtering processes. Introduction to time series analysis. Co-requisite: SEA 307, 350, 351 or CHE 509, or permission of the instructor.
SEA 411, Topics in Space, Earth, and Atmospheric Science
Lec. 3. Credits 3.
This course will examine selected topics that are the focus of current research and/or recent publications in space, earth, and atmospheric sciences. A lecture or seminar format may be used. Topics to be discussed will vary from year to year.
CHE 509, Environmental Chemistry
Lec.3. Credits 3.
An intensive lecture course dealing with a study of the air, land, and sea environments; and the factors contributing to environmental pollution problems. Undergraduates need approval of advisor.
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