Biogeochemistry: Global Environmental Cycles

Biogeochemistry: Global Environmental Cycles

I taught Global Environmental Cycles (OCS 3103) for Fall 2020 – class offered by the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, LSU. If you would need any materials (class presentation slides), feel free to contact me.

Course Learning Objectives

1. Understand the underlying principles of biogeochemical cycling in aquatic and terrestrial systems.

2. Understand the basic chemistry of the oceans and how saltwater differs from freshwater.

3. Identify the major global pathways of bioactive elements and human perturbations of these pathways.

4. Understand the distribution of elements within the ocean and factors that effect that distribution ranging from gas exchange, to biological activity, to sedimentation.

5. Understand the ocean-climate feedback loop through geological times and at present.

6. Develop / improve written and oral communication skills focused on biogeochemical processes.

Topics

1. Processes and Reactions (Metabolic pathways)

2. Atmospheric deposition, atmospheric models

3. Rock weathering and soil development

4. Photosynthesis and net primary production

5. Net Primary production and global changes

6. Nutrient cycling in land plants

7. Nutrients cycling in land vegetation and soils

8. Cycling and biogeochemical transformations of N, P and S

9. Ecosystem mass balances and models of terrestrial nutrient cycling

10. Lakes primary production, budgets and cycling

11. Wetlands, and biogeochemical redox reactions in aquatic systems

12. River transport and chemistry

13. Estuarine and coastal ocean environments

14. Oceanic composition, circulation

15. Oceanic production, carbon regeneration, nutrients cycling in ocean

16. Hydrothermal vents

17. Oceanic sedimentary records

18. The Global Water, Sulfur and Mercury cycles

19. The Global Carbon Cycle

20. The Global Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Sulfur Cycle