ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOREST BIOLOGY (ESF)

EFB 415/610 Ecological Biogeochemistry & CIE 457/657 Biogeochemistry (3)

Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Investigation of the principles of biogeochemistry in ecosystems. The transformations and fluxes of elements in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems including global cycles are emphasized. Fall.

Prerequisites: Courses in general ecology and introductory chemistry.

M. Mitchell (ESF) &  C. Driscoll (SU)

 Fall annually

Required  for:

B.S in Env Sci,

Options: Watershed Science, Earth and Atmos Systems Sci

Elective  for:

EFB 487/687. Fisheries Science and Management (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to biology, ecology, quantitative assessments, conservation, and management of fish species targeted in fisheries. Includes models and empirical studies of population dynamics, life history theory, bioenergetics, population sampling, growth, mortality, production, exploitation, ecological effects, and approaches to fisheries management. A practicum (EFB 488) is optional. Fall.

Prerequisite: Calculus and either Limnology or Ichthyology or permission of instructor.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both EFB 487 and EFB 687. 

Limburg

Required  for:

Elective  for:

EFB 488. Fisheries Science Practicum (1)

Three hours of laboratory per week with 2 weekend field trips. Practical experience in fisheries science, including introduction to collecting techniques, data collection, analysis, and use of models. A nominal fee is charged to defray costs on weekend trips. Designed as a complement to EFB 487. Fall.

Prerequisite: EFB 487 or permission of instructor.

Limburg

EFB 524. Limnology (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. An introduction to the physics, chemistry and biology of inland waters, with particular emphasis on lakes. The course focuses on lakes as integrated ecosystems, and analyzes perturbations in this environment on the structure and function of the biological communities contained therein. Fall.

Prerequisites: Introductory courses in physics and chemistry, and EFB 320.

Schultz

Required  for:

Elective  for:

EFB 525. Limnology Laboratory (1)

One laboratory or field trip per week. An introduction to limnological techniques and the procedures for empirically analyzing ecological relations in aquatic ecosystems. Field trips to local aquatic habitats. Fall.

Pre- or co-requisite: EFB 524.

Schultz

Required  for:

Elective  for:

EFB 423/623 Marine Biology

Three hours of lecture per week, two hours of laboratory per week and one weekend field trip. Introduction to marine organisms and systems using the principles of population, community and ecosystem ecology. Hands-on demonstrations, discussions, presentations, lectures, and field trip allow study of major marine habitats (e.g., intertidal, pelagic, coral reefs, deep sea), and the increasing human impact on marine environments. Small fee charged for mandatory weekend field trip. Spring, even years.

Prerequisites: One year general biology and general ecology or equivalents.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both EFB 423 and EFB 623.

Schultz 

Spring, even years

EFB 542. Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. An examination of the structure and function of various freshwater wetlands. Ecologic principles that broadly apply to all wetland ecosystems are examined and contrasted with terrestrial systems. The effect of management activities on, and the management potential of, wetlands are also examined. Spring.

Prerequisite: EFB 320.

NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED

Leopold

Required  for:

Elective  for:

EFB 681. Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration and Enhancement (2)

One and three quarter hours of lecture and discussion per week and three field experiences. Guiding principles for ecological restoration of freshwater aquatic ecosystems focusing on effects of nutrient loading, sedimentation, flow alteration, and habitat loss. Factors leading to loss of aquatic resources and effectiveness of techniques to restore habitat and fauna are analyzed. Student presentation of a relevant topic and field excursions to perturbed areas and recent restoration projects are required. Fall, odd years.

Prerequisites: none. Directed towards graduate students in areas involving aquatic sciences and management.

Farrell

Required  for:

Elective  for:

FOREST & NATURAL RESOURCES MGT. (ESF)

FOR 496/696 (3) Watershed Ecology & Management

Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. This introduction to watershed ecology and stream ecosystems covers physical drivers of water and sediment fluxes, instream and riparian habitat patterns, population and community dynamics and food webs.  Management and restoration issues include the impact of the multiple use of forest and range lands on water yield, soil stability, and water quality.  Additional topics explore influences on ecological processes of spatial and temporal scale, watershed and network position, disturbance regimes, and impacts of global change.  Fall

Co-requisites: FOR 340

·     Watershed context & drivers

·     Major concepts in watershed and stream ecology

·     Instream processes

·     Floodplain processes

·     Upslope processes

·     Implications for management

·     --timber, grazing, ag, urbaniz.

·     --dams & flow regulation

·     --soil erosion & sediment transport

·     --nutrient pollution & buffers

·     --stream corridor restoration

PROPOSED NEW

Stella

Fall, annually

Required  for:

Elective  for:

FOR 542. Watershed Management (2)

Two hours of lecture or equivalent. Regional and local problems and potential solutions. Fall.

Prerequisite: FOR 340, FOR 443, or permission of instructor.

·     WS & hydrological drivers (P, ET, RO)

·     Vegetation management effects

·     Soil erosion & sediment transport

·     Stream processes & classification

·     Riparian ecology & management

·     Nutrient pollution & buffers

PROPOSED TO DISCONTINUE

Stella

Fall currently

Required  for:

None

Elective  for:

None

FOR 338538. Meteorology (3)

Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. This is a shared resource course with FOR 538. An introduction to the atmospheric physical processes important to understanding weather and weather forecasting at the surface of the earth and macro-, synoptic-, meso-, and micro-climates. The emphasis is on synoptic and micro scale phenomena. Students will learn how to access weather data on the Internet and use the data to forecast weather. At the microscale, emphasis is on describing conditions and projecting change. Fall.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both FOR 338 and FOR 538.

PROPOSED TO DISCONTINUE

Stella

Spring currently

Required  for:

Env Sci majors, Earth & Atmos Systems Sci option

Elective  for:

Env. Sci Core, “The Physical Environmental”  &  Envir Analysis option

FOR 340/540. Watershed Hydrology (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. Basic principles of physical hydrology, including the movement of water through hydrologic reservoirs on global and watershed scales, measurement and quantification of hydrological data, runoff generation processes and water quality in the natural environment. Course content includes precipitation, evapotranspiration, streamflow generation, and fundamentals of groundwater flow. Fall.

Prerequisites or Co-requisites: Soils and/or Introductory Geology.

Note: Credit will not be granted for FOR 340 and FOR 540.

1.  To be able to delineate and define watersheds and their boundaries

2.  To understand the distribution and movement of water through hydrologic reservoirs on the global and watershed scale.

3.  To measure/acquire and analyze hydrological and metrological watershed data

4.  To quantify components of the hydrological cycle within a watershed, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, surface runoff and groundwater flow.

5.  To understand the physical processes governing fluid motion

6.  To identify and quantify the pathways by which water moves through catchments, producing runoff.

7.  To understand the application of watershed hydrology to watershed management strategies and biogeochemical cycling

Lautz

Fall, annually

Required for:

FNRM Natl Resource Mgt majors in the Water Res option;

Env Sci majors in Earth & Atmos Systems Sci option or Watershed Sci option

 Elective for:

Environmental Science Core, “The Physical Environmental” (all majors in Env Sci)

EFB, “Physical and Chemical Environment” Directed Elective (Aquatic and Fisheries Science major only)

FNRM Forest Res. Mgt

FNRM Natural Res. Mgt, Mgt. Option

FNRM Forest Ecosystem Science 

FOR 443/643. Forest Hydrology (3)

Three hours of lecture per week and occasional field trips. Fundamental hydrological processes relevant to forested watersheds, including the occurrence, distribution and movement of water through the hydrologic cycle as precipitation, evapotranspiration and runoff. The focus will be on scientific hydrology, with critical examination of research techniques as applied to the study of forested catchments. Students will conceptualize, execute and interpret hydrologic investigations. Linkages to biogeochemistry will also be explored. Fall.

Prerequisites: FOR 340 or equivalent, with permission of instructor.

Note: Credit will not be granted for FOR 443 and FOR 643.

1.  Understanding the occurrence, distribution and movement of water in forested watersheds.

2.  Examining the theoretical basis for our understanding of precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, the generation of stream flow and water quality in forested systems.

3.  Relating principles of hydrology to implications for forest management.

4.  Reading, understanding and critically reviewing research papers in forest hydrology.

5.  Conceptualizing, executing and interpreting hydrologic investigations using field data and publicly available data sets.

6.  Effectively communicating hydrologic findings in both written and oral formats.

PROPOSED TO DISCONTINUE

Lautz

Spring, annually

Required for:

Env Sci majors in Watershed Sci option

Elective for:

FOR 796: Groundwater Modeling (3)

This course will cover the fundamentals of water movement in the subsurface, including properties of aquifers and governing equations of groundwater flow.  We will then examine how MODFLOW, a widely used USGS groundwater flow model, applies these concepts to simulate the movement of water and solutes in the subsurface.  Our discussion of modeling will include conceptual model development, selection of boundary conditions, model calibration and sensitivity analysis.  Case studies will be used to illustrate the various applications of groundwater modeling.  The course will include instruction on how to build a groundwater flow model using the Visual MODFLOW software package.

·  Introduction to basic groundwater hydrology

·  Introduction to finite difference and the governing equations of groundwater flow

·  Conceptual model design

·  Model boundary conditions

·  Transient versus steady-state models

·  Model Calibration

·  Particle Tracking

·  Introductory solute transport modeling

·  Construction and execution of groundwater models using the Visual MODFLOW package.

Lautz

Spring, every other year

Not required of any major.

ENVIRONMENTAL & RESOURCE ENGINEERING (ESF)

FEG 448/ERE 548. Open Channel Hydraulics (3)

Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Classroom instruction and exercises introduce advanced concepts in open channel hydraulics, including the energy and momentum principles, critical flow, uniform flow, flow profiles, and unsteady flow, as appropriate. Students will prepare a research paper describing their work on an independent project. Fall.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both FEG 448 and ERE 548.

Pre- or co-requisites: Fluid mechanics or permission of instructor.

Energy and momentum principles applied to engineered and natural open channels. Emphasis is on basic principles and applications to design issues, e.g., bridge scour, stable channel design, tractive force methodology applied to sewer design,  fish ladders, etc.

Hassett

Spring, annually

Required  for:

Elective  for:  Engineering design elective for undergraduates in environmental resources and forest engineering.  satisfies hydraulics competency for grate students in water resources engineering.

ERE 445/645. Hydrologic Modeling (3)

Three hours of lecture per week.  Deterministic and stochastic models of hydrologic phenomenon. Model development and the use of computer programming to construct, manipulate, and interpret hydrologic models. Theoretical and analytical approaches to describing hydrologic processes, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, surface runoff, percolation, groundwater movement and discharge, and streamflow. Distributed, semi-distributed, and lumped parameter models and techniques for model calibration and validation. Fall.

Pre- or co-requisite(s): Introductory computer programming.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both ERE 445 and ERE 645.

Required  for:

Elective  for:

FEG 340/ERE 540. Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. Introduction to water resources engineering. Hydraulics processes explored include pipe flow, openchannel flow, flows within control structures, and flow through porous media. Hydrologic processes explored include scaling rainfall across time and space, computing the timing and magnitude of watershed run-off, and routing flood waves through detention basins and streams. Engineering analysis to link hydrologic and hydraulic systems and use probability distributions to access the system failure. Spring.

Note: Credit will not be granted for both FEG 340 and ERE 540.

Themes – By Week:

1.       Water Resource Systems & Hydrologic Cycle;

2.       Watershed Precipitation & Evaporation Processes;

3.       Hydrologic Flow Components & Water Quality;

4.       Rainfall-Runoff Models – Unit & Synthetic Hydrograph;

5.       Fluid Mechanics & Fundamental Conservation Laws;

6.       Hydraulics of Pressurized Pipelines;

7.       Hydraulics of Pipe Networks;:

8.       Open Channel Hydraulics – Flow Classification;

9.       Open Channel Hydraulics – Water Surface Profiles;

10.     Flood Routing & Hydrologic Frequency Analysis;

11.     Groundwater Engineering – Subsurface Water & Infiltration;:

12.     Groundwater Engineering – Wells & Flow Nets;

13.     Stormwater Management – Collection & Treatment Innovations;

14.     River Basin Management – Allocation & Ecosystem Management;  

Endreny

Spring, annually

Required – FEG

Elective - ESC

ERE 571. Fluid Mechanics (3)

Three hours of lecture per week. Fluid statics. Principles of mass, energy and momentum balance. Bernoulli’s equation. Application to pipe flows, flow measurement and porous media. Movement of particles in fluid media. Rheology of fluids and suspensions typical in the pulp and paper industry (pulps, black liquor, etc.) Filtration and sedimentation of fibrous and particulate suspensions. Characteristics of pumps. Flow systems with economic considerations. Analysis of some papermaking operations such as drainage, dewatering, vacuum dewatering and wet pressing. Fall.

Prerequisites: Physics, Chemistry, Calculus.

Note: Credit will not be granted for PSE 371 and ERE 571 (both undergraduate and graduate versions of the same course). 

CHEMISTRY (ESF)

FCH 515 Methods of Environmental Chemical Analysis (3)

Two hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory per week.  An introduction to sampling, analytical and quality control procedures necessary to obtain reliable water quality data.  All analyses will be performed on a single aquatic system with the purpose of developing a final report characterizing the water quality of that system.  Fall.

Prerequisite: FCH 380 or equivalent.

QA/QC: precision, accuracy, detection limit, data rejection, charts

sampling: where, when, how

conservative parameters: average river water, tracers, Na⁺, Cl^-, Cl titration, Cl electrode

carbonate system: CO₂, H₂CO₃, HCO₃^-,CO₃^-2, CaCO₃, alkalinity, ANC, pH, photosynthesis, respiration

hardness: Ca⁺², Mg⁺², Sr⁺², carbonate rocks, gypsum, CaCO₃ soly, hardness titration, AA, ICP

sulfate and sulfide: S cycling, Fe cycling, SO₄^-2, H₂S dissoc., IC

solids: suspended, dissolved, conductivity, calc. vs measured, ion balance

Oxygen: DO, BOD, COD, TOC, O2 soly, stratification, DO electrode, Winkler

Phosphorus: eutrophication, suurces, soly., adsorption, complexation, detergents, digestion/colorimetry, ortho, condensed, organic

Nitrogen: forms, cycling, toxicity, sources, NO₂^-&NO₃^-, NH₃, TKN.

class data evaluation: quality, completeness, trends, interactions

John Hassett

Fall semester, annual

Required - BS, MS, PhD options in Environmental Chemistry

FCH 510. Environmental Chemistry I (3)

Three hours of lecture per week.  This course is focused on an introductory study of the aquatic chemistry of natural waters.  The course is quantitatively based and the main topics covered include composition and residence time, basic thermodynamics and kinetics applied to environmental chemistry, main chemistry in oxic-anoxic systems, acid-base chemistry and the carbonate system, alkalinity, buffer capacity,  inorganic and organic metal complexes of (e.g., of iron, aluminum, copper), lewis acids and bases, siderophorers, solubility product and solubility chemistry of environmentally important solid phases (e.g., clays, iron oxides), biological and abiotic oxidation reduction reactions and chemistry, Nernst equation, balancing redox reactions.

 Prerequisites: Physics, Chemistry, Calculus. 

Introduction: Composition of natural waters and reactivity

Kinetics and equilibrium

Acid-base chemistry

Chemistry of complexes

Dissolution chemistry

Oxidation reduction chemistry

Kieber

Spring semester annual

Required - BS, MS, PhD options in Environmental Chemistry

FCH 496/796 Oceanography (3)

This three hour lecture course is designed for seniors and entry level graduate students.  The course covers the main areas of oceanography: physical, chemical, biological and geological.  Some topics covered include wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, ekman transport, langmuir circulation, coriolis force, carbonate system, major ions, salinity, methane hydrates, chemistry and biology of hydrothermal vents, major biomes, nutrient profiles, thermocline, pyncnocline, ocean optics, estuaries, plate tectonics, marine sediments, trace metal cycles, carbon and nitrogen cycles, ammonox pathway.

Prerequisites: Physics, General Chemistry, Calculus, Introductory Biology. Microbiology is strongly recommended. 

Syllabus is still under development

Kieber,

Spring semester (possibly annually depending on interest)

Elective for Environmental Science majors, and Environmental Chemistry and Biochemistry majors

FCH 496/796 Marine Biogeochemistry (3)

This three hour lecture course is designed for seniors and entry level graduate students.  The course focuses on the application of biogeochemistry to a range of issues from global to local scales and includes the biogeochemistry of coral reefs, mangroves, near shore, open-ocean, and deep ocean environments.  Topics covered will include sequestration of fossil fuel carbon dioxide in the oceans, the controlling factors of ocean productivity, analytical techniques in biogeochemistry, and the formation and fate of organic carbon in the marine environment. 

Prerequisites: General Chemistry, General Biology

Primary productivity in the ocean

Fate of organic matter

Diagenesis

Human influences on marine system

Teece

Spring (annual)

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

EST 628. Great lakes Policy and Management (3)

Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Provides a comprehensive understanding of environmental policy and management in the Great Lakes. Emphasizes how scientific knowledge of conditions in the Great Lakes is used by policy-makers in the Canadian and US federal governments and the states and provinces. Intended both for policy and science oriented students.

Manno

Spring, Even years

EST 797 Human Dimensions of Dirty Water

Graduate students investigate the significance of designating some water as “used” or “dirty.”  Particularly in urban areas, this conceptualization has important implications for how we sort through options for the future.  In what ways have societies understood dirty water, and how has this affected strategies for coping with it?  Using both historical and current case studies, we will explore the beliefs, ideologies, and conceptual frameworks that have provided the foundation for various managerial strategies.  The course addresses the material and discursive aspects of nature-society relationships; we draw primarily from the social sciences and humanities, although we will read some technical literature as well.

This course will enable students:

•    To expand your knowledge base about wastewater, drainage, and runoff

•    To appreciate several different ways of framing wastewater problems

•    To become familiar with the ways historians, geographers, anthropologists, political scientists, & other social science/humanities scholars approach problems

•    To gain insight into the social and political aspects of water problems, and to evaluate alternative scenarios for the future.

•    To develop skill in critical analysis of environmental problems

Moran

Spring, Alternates with related themes in the human dimensions of water.

Elective:

Grad students in GPES, ES, Engineering, and SU

EARTH SCIENCES (SU)

GOL541 Hydrogeology (3)

Two and a half hours twice per week. Hydrological flow systems analysis, fluid mechanics of groundwater flow, aquifer testing, basic geochemistry of ground water, groundwater contamination, groundwater-surface water interaction. Fall.

Prerequisites” Chemistry, basic geology

Siegel

Annually

GOL600/400 Contaminant Hydrogeology

A multidisciplinary course offered, in part with the Syracuse University  Law School. One evening a week. Fundamentals of groundwater contamination including  fate and transport of major classes of contamination; solvents, hydrocarbons, pesticides, landfills and septic, inorganic salts, and metals. Case study and small project-based. Major class project involves characterization of a simulated contamination problem in the context of a civil legal action. Class divides into technical groups working for clients, and the controversy is presented in an all-day mock trial at the Law School. The trial lawyers are law students, a real judge presides, and transcripts are taken. A jury of non-science citizens decides the outcome in this unique course offering.  Spring, alternate years

Siegel

Spring, alternate years

GOL400/600  Aqueous Geochemistry

Applications of aqueous geochemistry to groundwater and other geologic environments. Thermodynamics of equilibrium to simple ratio approaches to characterize reactions and evolution of waters. Introduction to computer simulation of reactions and geochemical mass balances. Stable and radiogenic isotope geochemistry to characterize groundwater age and mixing of waters. Spring, alternate years

Siegel

Spring, alternate years

CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (SU)

CIE 471/671. Environmental Chemistry and Analysis (3)

An introduction to chemical principles in natural and engineered environmental systems. Thermodynamics and kinetics of reactions; acid-base chemistry; environmental organic chemistry; treatment process design applications. Includes selected laboratory exercises. Additional work is required of graduate students.

Prereq: One year of college chemistry.

Chris Johnson

Fall, annually

Required Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering BS and MS programs

Elective Course for:

SU Civil Engineering BS, MS, PhD, SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Geology MS, PhD, SU Environmental Science BS

CIE 472/672. Applied Environmental Microbiology (3)

General principles and application of environmental microbiology and microbial processes. Role of microbes in water pollution control, environmental health, and element cycling in the environment. Additional work is required of graduate students.

Prereq: One year of college chemistry.

Andria Costello

Fall, annually

Required Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering BS and MS programs

Elective Course for:

SU Civil Engineering BS, MS, PhD, SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Science BS

CIE473/673. Transport Processes in Environmental Engineering (3) Fundamentals and applications of mass and heat transport in environmental engineering. Molecular and turbulent diffusion, advection, dispersion, settling, and surface transfer in air and water. Quantitative applications in treatment systems and the natural environment. Additional work is required of graduate students.

Prereq: CIE 327 or MAE 341 and CIE 341 or equivalents, or permission of instructor. 

Staff

Spring, annually

Required Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering MS program

Elective Course for:

SU Civil Engineering BS, MS, PhD, SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Engineering BS

CIE 653.Applied Aquatic Chemistry (3)

Principles of aquatic chemistry applied to the solution of environmental engineering problems. Includes acid-base, carbonate, precipitation/dissolution, coordination, and oxidation/reduction chemistry.

Prereq: CIE 471/671. 

Charles Driscoll

Spring, odd years

Required Course for:

 Elective Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Engineering MS, SU Civil Engineering PhD

CIE 662. Chemistry of Soils and Natural Surfaces (3)

General principles. Chemical properties of soils, nature of surfaces, soil formation, soil minerals, and mechanisms regulating solute chemistry in soil solutions.

Prereq: One year of introductory chemistry.

Chris Johnson

Spring, even years

Required Course for: 

Elective Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Engineering MS, SU Civil Engineering PhD

CIE 457/657. Biogeochemistry (3)

See EFB 415 Description.

Charles Driscoll,

Fall, annually

Required Course for: 

Elective Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Engineering MS, SU Civil Engineering PhD

CIE 600. Environmental Geostatistics (3)

Methods for analyzing spatial data, with applications in ecology, geochemistry, soil science, contaminant hydrology, and mining/petroleum geology.  Issues in the analysis of environmental and geological data using regression models. An applied course for students in the geosciences, ecology, environmental science, and environmental engineering. 

Prereq: One year of college calculus and some experience in data analysis. 

Chris Johnson,

Spring, odd years

Required Course for:

Elective Course for:

SU Environmental Engineering Science MS, SU Environmental Engineering MS, SU Civil Engineering PhD

GEOGRAPHY (SU)

GEO 316 River Environments (3)

Peng Gao

Spring

GEO 750 Physical Geography Seminar (1)

Often focused on water-related content (but not invariable so). For Fall 2008, Peng Gao will offer a seminar on sediment transport, and Jacob Bendix will offer one on riparian vegetation.

Staff, including Jacob Bendix and Peng Gao.

Semester varies.