Spring 2024 - GEOG 316 D100
Global Biogeochemical and Water Cycles (4)
Class Number: 2060
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Wed, Fri, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 23, 2024
Tue, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Lance Lesack
llesack@sfu.ca
1 778 782-5633
Office: RCB 7225
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Prerequisites:
GEOG 215 or BISC 204 or permission of the instructor.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to the cycling of essential chemical elements through ecosystems. Interactions among biological, hydrological, and geological controls on the structure and function of ecosystems and the spatial-temporal scales of elemental cycling are emphasized. Environmental problems resulting from disturbance to natural equilibria in the elemental cycles are examined. Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
Introduction to the cycling of essential chemical elements through ecosystems and to the global biogeochemical and water cycles. Interactions among biological, hydrological, and geological controls on the structure and function of the planetary ecosystem and the spatial-temporal scales of elemental cycling, particularly the global carbon cycle, are emphasized. Environmental problems resulting from human disturbances to the elemental cycles, such as planetary warming, and the biogeochemical underpinnings of global change are examined.
Organization: Two one-hour lectures and one two-hour laboratory session per week. The final exam will be scheduled during the regular examination period. There will be no laboratory session in the first week of classes.
| Course Topics: | Introduction to the biogeochemical cycles & nutrient cycling |
| Planetary origins & geology | |
| Global water and energy cycles | |
| Atmosphere and ocean circulation | |
| Weathering of the lithosphere | |
| Primary production in the biosphere | |
| Processes in terrestrial ecosystems | |
| Rivers: linkage between terrestrial & aquatic ecosystems | |
| Processes in lacustrine ecosystems | |
| Processes in oceanic ecosystems |
| Cross-Cutting Themes: | The carbon cycle & global warming |
| The N, P, and S cycles | |
| Acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems |
Grading
- Laboratory Exercises 25%
- Short Paper 10%
- Term Paper 25%
- Term Paper Presentation 10%
- Final Examination 30%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Schlesinger, W.H., and E.S. Bernhardt. 2020. Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change, 4th Ed. Academic Press. Paperback ISBN: 9780128146088; eBook ISBN: 9780128146095
Custom Courseware Package. 2024. Readings in Biogeochemistry. SFU Bookstore.
Additional readings drawn from the research literature will be assigned through the term.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html