The course "Global Change" is primarily concerned with emerging Earth environmental changes. This course explicitly covers the biogeochemical cycles of pollutants: the complete path that a pollutant takes through biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. Topics also include the factors that control the composition of seawater, the processes by which the sea affects the atmosphere and the solid earth below, the interactions the organisms that live in the sea, and carbon and nitrogen cycles during the Anthropocene.

College Chemistry
College Biology

(1) one examination (40%)
(2) Reports (25%)
(3) Paper presentation (15%)
(4) Group Discussion (20%)

(1) M.E. Pilson, An Introduction to the Chemistry of the Sea, Prentice Hall, 1998.
(1) J.P. Riley & R. Chester, "Introduction to Marine Chemistry", Academic Press, 1981.(2) W.S. Broecker & T.-S. Peng, "Tracers in the Sea", Columbia University, 1982.

Topic 1: Origin of the Earth and ingredients for life
Topic 2: Habitable Earth
Topic 3: Venus versus Earth
Topic 4: Complex Earth systems
Topic 5: Atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide-Measure of Earth biosphere
Topic 6: Gas exchange processes at the air-water interface
Topic 7: Seawater compositions (Major and minor components)
Topic 8: Gases other than carbon dioxide
Topic 9: Marine carbonate system
Topic 10: Fossil fuel carbon dioxide
Topic 11: Nutrients for life
Topic 12: Fate of organic matter in the ocean
Topic 13: Environmental applications of radioisotopes
Topic 14: Environmental applications of stable isotopes
Topic 15: Large-scale earth processes