Details of ES1201 (Spring 2013)
| Level: 1 | Type: Theory | Credits: 3.0 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ES1201 | Earth System Processes | Prasanta Sanyal, Supriyo Mitra |
| Syllabus |
|---|
| Scope: This course deals with various physical and chemical processes operating on the Earth.
Course content Introduction to the Earth System and its components Solid earth system. Plate Tectonics the unifying theory. Geometry of plate motions (tectonics on a sphere), relative and absolute plate motions, plate driving forces. The Earths magnetic field, paleomagnetism, magnetic anomalies and past plate motions. The Earths gravitational field. Isostasy and the shape of the Earth. Observed gravity and gravity anomalies. Flexure of the lithosphere and Creep. Thermal Structure of plates. Seismology and the internal structure of the Earth. Earthquake Source. Understanding of internal earth processes Behaviour of minerals and rocks at pressure and temperatures encountered in the Earths interior. The stability of major rock-forming minerals and the connection between their crystal structure and their physical properties. Heat flow and geotherms, Mantle melting and partitioning of elements between the melt and the residual mantle. Melting and crystallization models. Biosphere-Hydrosphere-Atmosphere coupling Global environmental issues, past global change and response of Earths systems. The Systems approach to understand Earth processes: systems, couplings and feedback loops, perturbations and forcing. Example of a Daisyworld Climate System. Global Energy Balance, magnitude and causes of greenhouse effect. Climate feedbacks. Atmospheric circulation and global energy distribution, global distribution of temperature and rainfall. Ocean circulation and link to climate change. Life on Earth: ecosystems and biodiversity. Formation of atmosphere and the origin of life. Effect of life on the atmosphere: the rise of Oxygen and Ozone. Long term climate regulation. Pleistocene glaciations: Milankovitch Cycles. Global warming: recent and future climate. Impacts of global warming. Ozone depletion. |
| References |
|---|
| Text book:
1) The Earth system by L.R. Kump, J.F. Kasting, R.G. Crane. 2) The Solid Earth: An Introduction to Global Geophysics: 2nd Ed, CMR Fowler, Cambridge University Press, 2005. |
Course Credit Options
| Sl. No. | Programme | Semester No | Course Choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IP | 2 | Not Allowed |
| 2 | IP | 4 | Not Allowed |
| 3 | MS | 2 | Core |
| 4 | RS | 1 | Not Allowed |