Earth and Ocean Sciences (EOS)

Professor Lozier, Chair (333G Old Chemistry); Professor Boudreau, Director of Graduate Studies (305 Old Chemistry); Professors Baker, Boudreau, Clark, Corliss, Haff, Jackson, Kay, Klein, Livingstone; Associate Professors Murray, Newell, Pratson, Vengosh; Adjunct Faculty Feingloss, Gillette, Molnia; Professors Emeriti Barber, Heron, Perkins, and Pilkey

The Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences of the Nicholas School of the Environment (formerly the Department of Geology, School of Arts and Sciences) offers graduate work leading to the MS and PhD degrees in earth and ocean sciences. Active research areas of the staff include: aquatic geochemistry, biogeochemistry, carbonate diagenesis, clastic and carbonate facies analysis, continental margin and deep-sea sedimentation, coastal and near-shore processes, desert studies, economic geology, hydrogeology, igneous petrology and geochemistry, isotope geochemistry, limnology, marine micropaleontology, paleoecology, paleoceanography, paleoclimatology, sediment dynamics, seismology, structure and development of transform faults, rift basins, spreading centers and passive margins, and tectonics.

Research projects have involved fieldwork throughout North and South America, across Africa, as well as the world's oceans. In addition, the division is home of the Duke University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, which focuses on man's impact on the world's coastal areas; the Center for Hydrologic Science, which provides a cohesive program in research and graduate education in hydrology; and the journal Southeastern Geology.

Laboratory facilities available in the department are described in this bulletin under the chapter "Resources for Study."

Students entering the graduate program normally have an undergraduate degree in geology or one of the other natural sciences. It is expected that the incoming student will have taken one year of college chemistry, one year of college physics, and mathematics through calculus. Both MS and PhD graduate students take 30 credit hours of courses and research. Typically, the total time for a PhD degree is five years past the BS or three years past the MS Because the division encourages participation in fieldwork and other research opportunities outside the university, there are no firm time limits for degrees, except as required by the university.

Up-to-date information about the division and the faculty can be found on our Web site, at: http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/eos/. For further information on the graduate program, send e-mail inquiries to dgs@eos.duke.edu.

202. Beach and Island Geological Processes. Field seminar on the evolution of beaches and barrier islands with emphasis on the interactions between nearshore processes and human development. Prerequisite: Earth and Ocean Sciences 115/215 or consent of instructor. Instructor: Murray. 2 units. C-L: Marine Sciences

209S. Paleoclimate. Nature and mechanisms of climate variability throughout Earth history. Topics include general theory of climate, paleoclimate modeling and comparisons with observations, methodologies of reconstructing past climate variations, the observational record of paleoclimate extending from the Precambrian through the Ice Ages and Holocene to present, and the impact paleoclimate on biotic evolution/paleogeography and human cultural history. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Baker. 3 units.

210S. Paleoenvironmental Analysis. Methods of paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic analysis. Includes radiometric and other methods of dating, stable isotopes, trace elements, paleobiotic and other methods of reconstructing climate, hydrology and environment of the past. Also includes approaches to modeling paleoenvironmental data. Instructor: Baker. 3 units.

211. The Climate System. Components of the climate system: observed climate change, concept of energy balance, basic circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, introduction to climate models, sample applications of climate models, interactions between the atmosphere/ocean/ and biosphere, land surface, cryosphere (snow and ice), and chemistry of the atmosphere. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Instructor: Staff. 3 units.

212. Climate Change. The Climate system, introduction to climate dynamics, patterns of climate variability, climate models. Greenhouse effect, carbon cycle, other external influences on climate, climate change and uncertainty, twentieth- century climate change, projections of future climate change due to greenhouse warming, potential for sudden changes. Aspects of changes include temperature, rainfall, patterns of variability, climate extremes, ocean changes, and sea level changes. Instructor: Staff. 3 units.

214. Advanced Issues in Paleoclimatology. Major issues in paleoclimatology including: decadal-millennial climate variability, ice age climates, the deglaciation, nonglacial climates, Paleozoic climates, ice core studies, Snowball Earth, carbon dioxide, volcanism, abrupt climate change, modeling studies, climate and extinctions. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Staff. 3 units.

215. Introduction to Physical Coastal Processes. Nearshore physical processes responsible for the evolution of beaches and barrier islands. Various problems and possible solutions arising from human development of retreating shorelines. Involves a field trip and research paper. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Murray. 3 units.

220. Introduction to Fluid Dynamics. Conservation equations for mass, momentum and heat, with an emphasis on large temporal and spatial scales; application to the earth, ocean, and environmental sciences. Some background in differential equations highly recommended. Instructor: Lozier. 3 units.

225. Water Contamination. Geochemistry of water contamination, focusing on behavior of inorganic constituents dissolved in rainwater. Contaminants produced by human interactions with the environment, such as industry and construction. Salinization and desalinization. Prerequisites: Chemistry 22L. Instructor: Vengosh. 3 units.

226S. Water Forum Speaker Series. Seminar including visiting scholars covering a broad array of issues on water including water quality, hydrogeology, biogeochemistry, water management, water treatment, ecology, water economy, and water policy and law at both the national and international levels. Instructor: Vengosh. 3 units.

236S. Lithosphere Plate Boundaries. Plate tectonics and the geological and geophysical expression of orogenic belts, spreading centers, transform faults, subduction zones. Prerequisite: Earth and Ocean Sciences 101L or consent of instructor. Instructor: Staff. 3 units.

240. Introduction to Modeling in the Earth Sciences. Elementary methods for quantitatively modeling problems in the earth sciences. Formulation and solution of classical equations that express fundamental behaviors of fluids, sediments, and rocks. Examples from different fields of geology. Simple modeling exercises, including a final project. Instructors: Haff, Murray, and Pratson. 3 units.

242S. New Perspectives and Methods in Surface Process Studies. Nonlinear dynamics and related approaches to understanding, modeling, and analyzing physical systems, with emphasis on applications in geomorphology. Consent of instructor required. Instructor: Murray. 3 units.

243S. Landscape Dynamics. How landscape changes with time. The dynamics and mechanisms of earth surface processes underlying landscape change. Hillslope, fluvial, marine, glacial, volcanic, tectonic and aeolian processes. Reading and discussion of primary literature; several field trips to Duke Forest. Prerequisite: Earth and Ocean Sciences 11 or consent of instructor. Instructor: Haff and Pratson. 3 units.

251S. Global Environmental Change. Topics in the seminar will include climate change, earth surface alteration, prediction, water and carbon cycling, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, biodiversity, fossil fuels and energy resources, water resources, soil fertility, human impact on coastal zone ecosystems. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Instructor: Baker. 3 units.

269. Thermodynamics of Geological Systems. Introductory thermodynamics applied to geologic problems through understanding of phase equilibrium. Prerequisites: Earth and Ocean Sciences 101L; and Mathematics 32 or consent of instructor. Instructor: Boudreau. 3 units.

271. Stable and Radioactive Isotopes in Environmental Sciences. Theory and applications of stable and radioactive isotope distributions in nature (including oceanographic, geologic, hydrologic, and biological processes). Prerequisites: Chemistry 22L and Mathematics 32. Instructor: Baker or Vengosh. 3 units.

273S. Analytic Techniques. An introduction to advanced analytic procedures used in the earth sciences: such as electron microbeam techniques (scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis) and plasma emission/absorption spectroscopy. Consent of instructor required. Instructors: Boudreau and Klein. 3 units.

275S. Mineral Resources. Introduction to the mineralogy, geological setting, and genesis of metallic and non-metallic deposits (gold, copper, iron, aluminum, gypsum, phosphates, diamonds, e.g.). Includes methods of mineral exploration and exploitation, and the environmental consequences of utilizing mineral resources. An introductory geology course background useful but not required. Instructor: Boudreau. 3 units.

278. Tropical Climate and Paleoclimate. Thermodynamics of tropical climate. Nature and mechanisms of climate variability in the tropics on time scales from daily to multi-millennial. Impact of climatic variability on the tropical biota. Effects of anthropogenic changes of the environment on future climatic change in the tropics and potential extratropical teleconnections. Prerequisite: Earth and Ocean Sciences 11 or 12. Instructor: Baker. 3 units.

293S. Frontiers of Geology I. Survey of the history, status, and trajectory of ''hard-rock'' petrology, structural geology, tectonics, and geophysics. Instructors: Karson and staff. 3 units.

294S. Frontiers of Geology II. Survey of the history, status, and trajectory of ''soft-rock'' petrology, stratigraphy, sedimentation, geochemistry, hydrology, and paleontology. Instructors: Karson and staff. 3 units.

2008-09 Bulletin of the Duke University Graduate School

2008-09 Bulletin of the
Duke University Graduate School