Twin Cities campus

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Twin Cities Campus

Quaternary Paleoecology Minor

Department of Earth Sciences
College of Science and Engineering
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Quaternary Paleoecology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, John T. Tate Hall-Suite 150, 116 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-7881; fax: 612-625-3819)
Email: qpminor@umn.edu
Website: https://cse.umn.edu/esci/graduate-minors#QPMinor
  • Program Type: Graduate free-standing minor
  • Requirements for this program are current for Fall 2022
  • Length of program in credits (master's): 6
  • Length of program in credits (doctoral): 12
  • This program does not require summer semesters for timely completion.
The faculty of the graduate minor in quaternary paleoecology (QP) hold appointments in several departments. Students in this unique program benefit from the broad range of expertise and experience available at a large research university. From their coursework in the minor, graduate students learn techniques and approaches from other areas that can be applied to their own research.
Program Delivery
  • via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Prerequisites for Admission
Special Application Requirements:
Students interested in the minor are strongly encouraged to confer with their major field advisor and director of graduate studies, and the Quaternary Paleoecology director of graduate studies regarding feasibility and requirements. Apply by sending a letter of application to the director of graduate studies (qpminor@umn.edu) with a letter of endorsement from the advisor.
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the General Information section of this website.
Program Requirements
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
The Quaternary Paleoecology minor curriculum is developed in consultation with the major advisor and the Quaternary Paleoecology director of graduate studies. Courses must be from relevant disciplines outside the major field. Courses offered on both the A-F and S/N grade basis must be taken A-F, with a minimum grade of C earned for each course. The minimum cumulative GPA for the minor is 3.00.
Minor Coursework (6 to 12 credits)
Master’s students select 6 credits, and doctoral students select 12 credits from the following list. Alternative coursework can be selected with approval from the major advisor and Quaternary Paleoecology director of graduate studies.
ANTH 4077 - Neanderthals: Biology and Culture of Humanity's Nearest Relative (3.0 cr)
ANTH 4329 - Primate Ecology and Social Behavior (3.0 cr)
ANTH 5009 - Human Behavioral Biology (3.0 cr)
ANTH 5015W - Biology, Evolution, and Cultural Development of Language & Music [SOCS, WI] (3.0 cr)
ANTH 5269 - Analysis of Stone Tool Technology (4.0 cr)
ANTH 5401 - The Human Fossil Record (3.0 cr)
ANTH 5402 - Zooarchaeology Laboratory (3.0 cr)
ANTH 5403 - Quantitative Methods in Biological Anthropology (4.0 cr)
ANTH 5405 - Human Skeletal Analysis (4.0 cr)
ANTH 5442 - Archaeology of the British Isles (3.0 cr)
CEGE 5541 - Environmental Water Chemistry (3.0 cr)
CEGE 5551 - Environmental Microbiology (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8508 - Ecological Fluid Mechanics (4.0 cr)
CEGE 8511 - Mechanics of Sediment Transport (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8551 - Environmental Microbiology: Molecular Theory and Methods (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8561 - Analysis and Modeling of Aquatic Environments I (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8562 - Analysis and Modeling of Aquatic Environments II (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8581 - Research and Professional Ethics in Water Resources and Environmental Science (0.5 cr)
CEGE 8601 - Introduction to Stream Restoration (3.0 cr)
CEGE 8602 - Stream Restoration Practice (2.0 cr)
EEB 4329 - Primate Ecology and Social Behavior (3.0 cr)
EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes (3.0 cr)
EEB 5371 - Principles of Systematics (3.0 cr)
EEB 5609 - Ecosystem Ecology (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4102W - Vertebrate Paleontology: Evolutionary History and Fossil Records of Vertebrates [WI] (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4103W - Fossil Record of Mammals [WI] (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4401 - Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4402 - Biogeochemical Cycles in the Ocean (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4602 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (3.0 cr)
ESCI 4703 - Glacial Geology (4.0 cr)
ESCI 5102 - Climate Change and Human History (3.0 cr)
ESCI 5201 - Time-Series Analysis of Geological Phenomena (3.0 cr)
ESCI 5204 - Geostatistics and Inverse Theory (3.0 cr)
ESCI 5302 - Isotope Geology (3.0 cr)
ESCI 5705 - Limnogeology and Paleoenvironment (3.0 cr)
ESCI 8243 - Principles of Rock Magnetism (1.0-3.0 cr)
ESCI 8511 - Mechanics of Sediment Transport (3.0 cr)
ESPM 5402 - Biometeorology (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources (4.0 cr)
FNRM 5153 - Forest Hydrology & Watershed Biogeochemistry (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5203 - Forest Fire and Disturbance Ecology (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5204 - Landscape Ecology and Management (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5218 - Measuring and Modeling Forests (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5262 - Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis of Natural Resources and Environment (3.0 cr)
FNRM 5462 - Advanced Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis (3.0 cr)
GEOG 5401W - Geography of Environmental Systems and Global Change [ENV, WI] (3.0 cr)
GEOG 5426 - Climatic Variations (3.0 cr)
GEOG 5531 - Numerical Spatial Analysis (4.0 cr)
GEOG 5561 - Principles of Geographic Information Science (4.0 cr)
GEOG 5839 - Introduction to Dendrochronology (4.0 cr)
LAAS 5050 - Integrated Topics in Land & Atmospheric Science (3.0 cr)
LAAS 5425 - Atmospheric Processes I: Thermodynamics and Dynamics of the Atmosphere (3.0 cr)
LAAS 5426 - Atmospheric Processes II: Radiation, Composition, and Climate (3.0 cr)
SOIL 4511 - Field Study of Soils (2.0 cr)
SOIL 5555 - Wetland Soils (3.0 cr)
SOIL 8510 - Advanced Topics in Pedology (2.0-4.0 cr)
Program Sub-plans
Students are required to complete one of the following sub-plans.
Students may not complete the program with more than one sub-plan.
Masters
Doctoral
 
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ANTH 4077 - Neanderthals: Biology and Culture of Humanity's Nearest Relative
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Paleontological/archaeological record. Students reconstruct behavioral similarities/differences between Neanderthals and modern humans. Why humans alone survived end of Pleistocene. prereq: 1001 or 3001 or 3002 or instr consent
ANTH 4329 - Primate Ecology and Social Behavior
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Anth 4329/EEB 4329
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Primates as model system to explore animal/human behavior. Factors influencing sociality/group composition. Mating systems. Prevalence of altruistic, cooperative, and aggressive behavior. Strength of social bonds in different species. Evolution of intelligence/culture. prereq: BIOL 1009 or BIOL 1951 or BIOL 3411 or ANTH 1001 or instr consent
ANTH 5009 - Human Behavioral Biology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
In-depth introduction to, and critical review of, human behavioral biology, examining the approaches in anthropology and related fields. Classic texts/recent empirical studies of humans and other species. Theoretical underpinnings of this new discipline/how well theoretical predictions have been supported by subsequent research.
ANTH 5015W - Biology, Evolution, and Cultural Development of Language & Music (SOCS, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Anth 3015W/Anth 5015W
Typically offered: Every Spring
Language is the most human form of behavior, and the investigation of the ways language and culture interact is one of the most important aspects of the study of human beings. The most fascinating problem in this study is how language itself may have evolved as the result of the interaction between biological and cultural development of the human species. In this course we will consider the development of the brain, the relationship between early hominins, including Neanderthals and Modern Humans, and such questions as the role of gossip and music in the development of language.
ANTH 5269 - Analysis of Stone Tool Technology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
The course offers practical lab experience in analyzing archaeological collections of stone tools to learn about human behavior in the past. Students gain experience needed to get a job in the cultural resource management industry.
ANTH 5401 - The Human Fossil Record
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Anth 3401/Anth 5401
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Fossil evidence paleoanthropologists use to reconstruct human evolutionary history. Taxonomy, phylogeny, behavior, ecology, tool use, land use, and biogeography. Examination of fossil casts, readings from primary/secondary professional sources. prereq: 1001 or instr consent
ANTH 5402 - Zooarchaeology Laboratory
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
How archaeologists reconstruct the past through the study of animal bones associated with artifacts at archaeological sites. Skeletal element (e.g., humerus, femur, tibia), and taxon (e.g., horse, antelope, sheep, bison, hyena) when confronted with bone. Comparative collection of bones from known taxa.
ANTH 5403 - Quantitative Methods in Biological Anthropology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Quantitative methods used by biological anthropologists. Applying these methods to real anthropometric data. Lectures, complementary sessions in computer lab. prereq: Basic univariate statistics course or instr consent
ANTH 5405 - Human Skeletal Analysis
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Anth 3405/Anth 5405
Typically offered: Every Spring
Structure, design, and variability of modern human skeleton. Anatomy, functional morphology, development, evolutionary history. Bone histology/biology, excavation, preservation, taphonomy, pathology, forensic analyses. Differentiating between males/females, adults/sub-adults, and humans/non-humans. Quizzes, exams, research paper, project.
ANTH 5442 - Archaeology of the British Isles
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F only
Typically offered: Every Fall
Have you ever wondered how archaeologists interpret the vast amount of archaeological evidence from the British Isles, one of the most studied and best documented parts of the world? And how do archaeologists and governmental agencies protect the heritage of Britain, from major monuments such as Stonehenge, Roman forts, and Shakespeare?s theaters, to the minor products of craft industries such as personal ornaments and coins? This course teaches you about the archaeology of the British Isles, in all of its aspects. You learn how archaeologists study the changing societies of Britain and Ireland, from the first settlers about a million years ago to modern times. You learn about the strategies that public institutions employ to preserve and protect archaeological sites, and about the place of archaeology in tourism in the British Isles and in the formation of identities among the diverse peoples of modern Britain.
CEGE 5541 - Environmental Water Chemistry
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Introduction to water chemistry. Physical chemical principles, geochemical processes controlling chemical composition of waters, behavior of contaminants that affect the suitability of water for beneficial uses. prereq: CEGE 3501, Chem 1061, Chem 1062, upper division CSE or grad student or instructor consent
CEGE 5551 - Environmental Microbiology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Role of microorganisms in environmental bioremediation, pollution control, water/wastewater treatment, biogeochemistry, and human health. prereq: Upper div or grad student or instructor consent
CEGE 8508 - Ecological Fluid Mechanics
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Prerequisites: 3502 or equiv
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Fluid mechanics of microbiological processes in lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Small-scale fluid motion, nutrient uptake, growth kinetics, ecosystem metabolism, scaling, lab/field microstructure measurements. prereq: 3502 or equiv
CEGE 8511 - Mechanics of Sediment Transport
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CE 8511/ESci 8511
Prerequisites: 3502 and 4501 or #
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Particle motion in fluids. Criteria for incipient motion. Formulations for bedload and suspended load. Bedform mechanics and hydraulic resistance relations. Channel stability, aggradation and degradation, alluvial stream morphology. prereq: 3502 and 4501 or instr consent
CEGE 8551 - Environmental Microbiology: Molecular Theory and Methods
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
Introduction to microbial genetics and molecular phylogeny. Application of nucleic-acid techniques in environmental microbiology and microbial ecology.
CEGE 8561 - Analysis and Modeling of Aquatic Environments I
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Prerequisites: One sem grad work or #
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Introduction to hydrologic transport and water quality simulation in natural water systems. Deterministic, process-oriented water quality model development. Mixed cell models, advection, turbulent diffusion/dispersion. Chemical/biological kinetics in water quality models. Application of water quality models to management problems. prereq: One sem grad work or instr consent
CEGE 8562 - Analysis and Modeling of Aquatic Environments II
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Prerequisites: One sem grad work or #
Typically offered: Periodic Fall & Spring
Models for transport/transformation of pollutants, nutrients, particulates, ecosystems, etc., from recently completed theses, articles, or research in progress. Students review assigned recent papers, make presentations, and analyze a topic of their choice. prereq: One sem grad work or instr consent
CEGE 8581 - Research and Professional Ethics in Water Resources and Environmental Science
Credits: 0.5 [max 0.5]
Course Equivalencies: CE 8581/WRS 8581
Prerequisites: [Environmental engineering or water resource science] grad student or #
Grading Basis: S-N or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Ethics of water resources science and environmental engineering research/practice. Societal responsibility, plagiarism, recording-keeping, authorship, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, professional relationships, fraud, reporting misconduct. Meets during first eight weeks of spring semester. prereq: [Environmental engineering or water resource science] grad student or instr consent
CEGE 8601 - Introduction to Stream Restoration
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CEGE 8601/EEB 8601/ESci 8601
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Background material required to participate in a stream restoration project. How to assimilate geologic, hydrologic, and ecological data at watershed and reach scales to plan a restoration project and evaluate/critique existing stream restoration projects.
CEGE 8602 - Stream Restoration Practice
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Course Equivalencies: CEGE 8602/EEB 8602/ESci 8602
Grading Basis: S-N only
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Field experience, group design project. Students provide a stream restoration context for each other's elective coursework, complete critical assessments of stream restoration projects, and design a stream restoration site. prereq: CEGE 8601, or EEB 8601, or ESCI 8601
EEB 4329 - Primate Ecology and Social Behavior
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: Anth 4329/EEB 4329
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Primates as model system to explore animal/human behavior. Factors influencing sociality/group composition. Mating systems. Prevalence of altruistic, cooperative, and aggressive behavior. Strength of social bonds in different species. Evolution of intelligence/culture. prereq: BIOL 1009 or BIOL 1951 or BIOL 3411 or ANTH 1001 or instr consent
EEB 4611 - Biogeochemical Processes
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: EEB 4611/EEB 5611
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
Application of biochemistry, ecology, chemistry, and physics to environmental issues. Issues in biogeochemistry. Impact of humans on biogeochemical processes in soils, lakes, oceans, estuaries, forests, urban/managed ecosystems, and extreme environments (e.g., early Earth, deep sea vents, thermal springs). prereq: [BIOL 1009 or 2003] AND [CHEM 1081 or 1061 or 1071H] or instr consent
EEB 5371 - Principles of Systematics
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Theoretical/practical procedures of biological systematics. Phylogeny reconstruction. Computer-assisted analyses, morphological and molecular approaches, species concepts/speciation, comparative methods, classification, historical biogeography, nomenclature, use/value of museums. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
EEB 5609 - Ecosystem Ecology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Fall
Regulation of energy and elements cycling through ecosystems. Dependence of cycles on kinds/numbers of species within ecosystems. Effects of human-induced global changes on functioning of ecosystems.
ESCI 4102W - Vertebrate Paleontology: Evolutionary History and Fossil Records of Vertebrates (WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
Vertebrate evolution (exclusive of mammals) in phylogenetic, temporal, functional, and paleoecological contexts. Vertebrate anatomy. Methods in reconstructing phylogenetic relationships and origin/history of major vertebrate groups, from Cambrian Explosion to modern diversity of vertebrate animals. prereq: 1001 or 1002 or Biol 1001 or Biol 1002 or Biol 1009 or instr consent
ESCI 4103W - Fossil Record of Mammals (WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Evolutionary history of mammals and their extinct relatives. Methods in reconstructing phylogeny. Place of mammals in evolutionary history of vertebrate animals. Major morphological/ecological transitions. Origins of modern groups of mammals. Continuing controversies in studying fossil mammals.
ESCI 4401 - Aqueous Environmental Geochemistry
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESci 4401/ESci 8401
Typically offered: Periodic Spring
General principles of solution chemistry applied to geology. Solution-mineral equilibria. Redox processes in natural waters. Geochemistry of hydrothermal fluids. Environmental geochemistry.
ESCI 4402 - Biogeochemical Cycles in the Ocean
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESci 4402/ESci 8402
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
Marine biogeochemistry and chemical oceanography. Processes controlling chemical composition of oceans past/present. Cycles of major/minor constituents, including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and oxygen and their isotopes. Role of these cycles in climate system. prereq: [CHEM 1021, CHEM 1022] or instr consent
ESCI 4602 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Every Spring
Interpretation of origin of sedimentary rocks through application of basic physical/chemical principles. Modern depositional environments, petrographic microscopy, basin dynamics, stratigraphy. prereq: [2301] or instr consent
ESCI 4703 - Glacial Geology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Formation and characteristics of modern glaciers; erosional and depositional features of Pleistocene glaciers; history of quaternary environmental changes in glaciated and nonglaciated areas. Field trips and labs. prereq: 1001 or instr consent
ESCI 5102 - Climate Change and Human History
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESci 3002/ESci 5102
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
Causes of long-/short-term climate change. Frequency/magnitude of past climate changes, their geologic records. Relationship of past climate changes to development of agrarian societies and to shifts in power among kingdoms/city-states. Emphasizes last 10,000 years. prereq: 1001 or equiv or instr consent
ESCI 5201 - Time-Series Analysis of Geological Phenomena
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Time-series analysis of linear and nonlinear geological and geophysical phenomena. Examples drawn from ice age cycles, earthquakes, climatic fluctuations, volcanic eruptions, atmospheric phenomena, thermal convection and other time-dependent natural phenomena. Modern concepts of nonlinear dynamics and complexity theory applied to geological phenomena. prereq: Math 2263 or instr consent
ESCI 5204 - Geostatistics and Inverse Theory
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Statistical treatment of geological and geophysical data. Statistical estimation. Stochastic processes/fields. Non-linear/non-assumptive error analysis. Cluster analysis. Eigenvalue-eigenvector methods. Regional variables. Correlograms and kriging. Theoretical framework of linear geostatistics and geophysical inverse theory. prereq: Stat 3011 or instr consent
ESCI 5302 - Isotope Geology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Theory and uses of radioactive, radiogenic, and stable isotopes in geology. Radioactive dating, geothermometry, and tracer techniques in geologic processes. prereq: 3303W or instr consent
ESCI 5705 - Limnogeology and Paleoenvironment
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Within-lake, hydrogeologic, and landscape (geological/biological) processes that lead to formation of various proxy records of paleoenvironment. Systems approach to physical, geochemical, biogeochemical, and biotic proxies. Basic principles, case studies. Emphasizes how proxy records relate to paleoclimate. prereq: instr consent
ESCI 8243 - Principles of Rock Magnetism
Credits: 1.0 -3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Remanent magnetizations, their classification and origins. Fundamentals of fine particle magnetism; magnetic minerals; separation of multicomponent magnetizations; effects of chemical change on magnetization; magnetic proxies of climatic and environmental change; biomagnetism. prereq: 4204 or instr consent
ESCI 8511 - Mechanics of Sediment Transport
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: CE 8511/ESci 8511
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Spring Even Year
Particle motion in fluids. Criteria for incipient motion. Formulations for bedload and suspended load. Bedform mechanics, hydraulic resistance relations. Channel stability, aggradation/degradation, alluvial stream morphology.
ESPM 5402 - Biometeorology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Fall Even Year
This course examines the interactions between the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface. We will discuss the principles of the surface energy and radiation balance, air motion in the atmospheric boundary layer, land surface parameterization for climate models, boundary layer budgets, and field research methods. The course aims to achieve exemplary learning through hands-on activities and examining recent field studies conducted in natural and managed ecosystems. prereq: MATH 1271, PHYS 1201, STAT 3011, [instr consent]
FNRM 5131 - Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for Natural Resources
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3131/FNRM 5131/FR 3131/
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Geographic information systems (GIS), focusing on spatial data development and analysis in the science and management of natural resources. Basic data structures, sources, collection, and quality; geodesy and map projections; spatial and tabular data analyses; digital elevation data and terrain analyses; cartographic modeling and layout. Lab exercises provide practical experiences complementing theory covered in lecture. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
FNRM 5153 - Forest Hydrology & Watershed Biogeochemistry
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
This rigorous course examines hydrology and biogeochemical cycling in forested watersheds. Topics include role of forests in hydrologic processes (precipitation, runoff generation, and streamflow) and exports (sediment, carbon, and nitrogen). Readings from primary literature, active discussion participation, research/review paper. prereq: [Basic hydrology course, one course in ecology, and one course in chemistry [upper div or grad student]] or instr consent
FNRM 5203 - Forest Fire and Disturbance Ecology
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3203/FNRM 5203
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
Ecology, history, management, control of fire, wind, insect infestation, deer browsing, other disturbances in forests, including disturbance regimes of boreal, northern hardwood, savannas of North America. Influence of disturbance on wildlife habitat, urban/wildland interfaces, forest management, stand/landscape dynamics. Tree mortality in fires, successional patterns created by fires, interactions of life history traits of plants with disturbances. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
FNRM 5204 - Landscape Ecology and Management
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3204/FNRM 5204
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Introduction to landscape ecology at different scales in time/space. Development/implications of broad-scale patterns of ecological phenomena, role of disturbance in ecosystems. Characteristic spatial/temporal scales of ecological events. Principles of landscape ecology as framework for landscape research, analysis, conservation, and management. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
FNRM 5218 - Measuring and Modeling Forests
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3218/FNRM 5218
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Spring
General sampling design and survey techniques to assess current resource conditions. Application of metrics/sampling methods to forest vegetation. Calculation of tree/stand volume, selection of modeling approaches. Case studies of modeling to project future growth. Landscape processes, characterization, and modeling.
FNRM 5262 - Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis of Natural Resources and Environment
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3262/FNRM 5262
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Introductory principles and techniques of remote sensing and geospatial analysis applied to mapping and monitoring land and water resources from local to global scales. Examples of applications include: Land cover mapping and change detection, forest and natural resource inventory, water quality monitoring, and global change analysis. The lab provides hands-on experience working with satellite, aircraft, and drone imagery, and image processing methods and software. Prior coursework in Geographic Information Systems and introductory Statistics is recommended. prereq: Grad student or instr consent
FNRM 5462 - Advanced Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis
Credits: 3.0 [max 6.0]
Course Equivalencies: FNRM 3462/FNRM 5462
Typically offered: Every Spring
This course builds on the introductory remote sensing class, FNRM 3262/5262. It provides a detailed treatment of advanced remote sensing and geospatial theory and methods including Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), lidar processing and derivatives, advanced classification algorithms (including Random Forest, Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines), biophysics of remote sensing, measurements and sensors, data transforms, data fusion, multi-temporal analysis, and empirical modeling. In-class and independent lab activities will be used to apply the course topics to real-world problems. Prior coursework in Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, and statistics is necessary. Prereq: grad student or instr consent
GEOG 5401W - Geography of Environmental Systems and Global Change (ENV, WI)
Credits: 3.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Geog 3401W/5401W
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Geographic patterns, dynamics, and interactions of atmospheric, hydrospheric, geomorphic, pedologic, and biologic systems as context for human population, development, and resource use patterns. prereq: grad student or instr consent
GEOG 5426 - Climatic Variations
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Typically offered: Periodic Fall
Theories of climatic fluctuations and change at decadal to centuries time scales; analysis of temporal and spatial fluctuations especially during the period of instrumental record. prereq: 1425 or 3401 or instr consent
GEOG 5531 - Numerical Spatial Analysis
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Geog 3531/5531
Typically offered: Every Fall
Applied/theoretical aspects of geographical quantitative methods for spatial analysis. Emphasizes analysis of geographical data for spatial problem solving in human/physical areas.
GEOG 5561 - Principles of Geographic Information Science
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Geog 3561/ Geog 5561
Typically offered: Every Fall & Spring
Introduction to the study of geographic information systems (GIS) for geography and non-geography students. Topics include GIS application domains, data models and sources, analysis methods and output techniques. Lectures, reading, and hands-on experience with GIS software. prereq: grad
GEOG 5839 - Introduction to Dendrochronology
Credits: 4.0 [max 4.0]
Course Equivalencies: Geog 3839/Geog 5839
Typically offered: Every Fall
Examination of past landscape histories are critical for assessing how environments change and identifying causal mechanisms. Tree-rings, the annual growth rings formed by trees growing in temperate regions, are an instrumental tool for elucidating changes over time. As biological entities, tree-rings are recorders of changes in their surroundings. The application of tree-rings to understand environmental change is called dendrochronology. Dendrochronology has played an important role in understanding past climates, disturbance regimes, and the history of Indigenous peoples (to name just a few applications). Its use has been critical to understanding pressing environmental issues such as 20th century global warming, the impacts of fire suppression on forested landscapes, the loss of the Black Forest in Europe (pollution), and the use/abandonment of archaeological sites (the Anasazi and Ojibwe). It is an exceedingly interesting analytical tool that has unique applications, but it isn?t as simple as counting the rings of trees to determine an age. In this course we will focus on the biology, theoretical principles, and operational techniques of dendrochronology and apply this knowledge toward understanding forest change. By the end of the course students will be able to conduct basic dendrochronological research and appreciate the advantages and limitations of this important tool. My aim is to expose you to the foundational science behind the field, provide you with some simple tools, and introduce you to the variety of applications to which tree-ring analysis can be applied by doing some dendrochronological research. We will apply the tools of dendrochronology toward understanding forest dynamics in a specific landscape to examine fire and tree growth patterns and the influence of climate and people on the forested environment. This course will be a mixture of lecture and hands-on data analysis. The primary approach for this course is the development of a group research project utilizing data that is either collected in the field for a specific purpose or the use of data that is already archived. prereq: [1403, [BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009 or equiv]] or instr consent
LAAS 5050 - Integrated Topics in Land & Atmospheric Science
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Earth system science. Interactions between the land and atmosphere. Biogeochemistry, human-environment interactions, environmental biophysics, and global environmental change.
LAAS 5425 - Atmospheric Processes I: Thermodynamics and Dynamics of the Atmosphere
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Basic laws governing atmospheric motion through analysis of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics at the micro, synoptic, and global scales. Fundamental thermodynamic and dynamical processes/equations governing the behavior of the atmosphere/apply to larger-scale geophysical situations. prereq: One yr college-level [calculus, physics]
LAAS 5426 - Atmospheric Processes II: Radiation, Composition, and Climate
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Spring Odd Year
Atmospheric radiation, composition/chemistry, climate change. Radiative transfer in Earth's atmosphere. Changing chemical makeup of troposphere/stratosphere. Interplay between natural processes and human activities in air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, and chemical forcing of climate. Anthropogenic contribution to climate change/role of land-atmosphere feedbacks affecting atmosphere's energy budget and cycling of greenhouse gases. Application to numerical modeling. prereq: [one yr college-level [calculus, physics, chemistry]]; LAAS 5425 recommended
SOIL 4511 - Field Study of Soils
Credits: 2.0 [max 2.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Summer
Learn to write soil profile descriptions in the field. Class requires hands-on experience to determine soil texture, color, and horizon designations in the field. prereq: 2125
SOIL 5555 - Wetland Soils
Credits: 3.0 [max 3.0]
Course Equivalencies: ESPM 5555/Soil 5555
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Every Fall
Morphology, chemistry, hydrology, formation of mineral/organic soils in wet environments. Soil morphological indicators of wet conditions, field techniques of identifying hydric soils for wetland delineations. Peatlands. Wetland benefits, preservation, regulation, mitigation. Field trips, lab, field hydric soil delineation project. prereq: SOIL 1125 or 2125 or equiv or instr consent; concurrent registration is required (or allowed) in SOIL 4511 recommended
SOIL 8510 - Advanced Topics in Pedology
Credits: 2.0 -4.0 [max 12.0]
Grading Basis: A-F or Aud
Typically offered: Fall Odd Year
Sample topics: soil-landscape relations, soil genesis, landscape evolution, land use and management, precision agriculture, digital terrain modeling, forest soils. prereq: 5515