Details of ES2101 (Autumn 2018)

Level: 2 Type: Theory Credits: 4.0

Course CodeCourse NameInstructor(s)
ES2101 Biogeochemical Cycles and Surface Processes Sayantan Sarkar,
Sujata Ray

Preamble
This course introduces students to the biogeochemical cycles that transfer the elements between the great reservoirs of the Earth System and the surface environment in which every natural system has been impacted by humans. Here, students will exert their spirit of scientific enquiry to understand the causes, nature, behaviour and impact of anthropogenic pollution on our planet. Environmental problems in these systems will be solved using the concepts of materials and energy balance.

Syllabus
Overview of elemental and nutrient cycles in the major reservoirs in the Earth System, Biogeochemical cycling in the atmosphere, oceans, lithosphere and biosphere. Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Box models, Fluxes and residence times, Understanding the scale of fluctuations in geologic history, Long-term cycles of carbon through the reservoirs, Global Changes due to Human Activity: Global budgets of the major greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and the oxides of nitrogen), Interactions between the physical climate and biogeochemical cycles., Future projections for carbon and other biogeochemical cycles and their implications for the earths natural systems, , modeling the future emission of carbon with the help of socioeconomic factors, Human impacts on surface processes, Air Pollution, Biochemical and Chemical Oxygen Demand, Modeling the fate and transport of organic compounds in the environment, Streeter-Phelps Equation, Pollutants in lakes and stratification, pH calculation of rainwater, Alkalinity

References
Text Book:
1. Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change, William H. Schlesinger
2. Earth System Science From Biogeochemical Cycles to Global Changes, Michael Jacobson, Robert Charlson, Henning Rodhe , Gordon Orians
3. Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science, Gilbert M. Masters
4. Introduction to Environmental Chemistry, Julian E. Andrews

Course Credit Options

Sl. No.ProgrammeSemester NoCourse Choice
1 IP 1 Not Allowed
2 IP 3 Elective
3 IP 5 Not Allowed
4 MR 1 Not Allowed
5 MR 3 Not Allowed
6 MS 3 Core
7 RS 1 Not Allowed
8 RS 2 Not Allowed