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.

Biogeochemistry, An analysis of Global Change: William H. Schlesinger & Emily S. Bernhardt Third Edition, Elsevier Inc

Course Learning Objectives

Understand the underlying principles of biogeochemical cycling in aquatic and terrestrial systems.
Understand the basic chemistry of the oceans and how saltwater differs from freshwater.
Identify the major global pathways of bioactive elements and human perturbations of these pathways.
Understand the distribution of elements within the ocean and factors that effect that distribution ranging from gas exchange, to biological activity, to sedimentation.
Understand the ocean-climate feedback loop through geological times and at present.
Develop / improve written and oral communication skills focused on biogeochemical processes.

Topics

Processes and Reactions (Metabolic pathways)
Atmospheric deposition, atmospheric models
Rock weathering and soil development
Photosynthesis and net primary production
Net Primary production and global changes
Nutrient cycling in land plants
Nutrients cycling in land vegetation and soils
Cycling and biogeochemical transformations of N, P and S
Ecosystem mass balances and models of terrestrial nutrient cycling
Lakes primary production, budgets and cycling
Wetlands, and biogeochemical redox reactions in aquatic systems
River transport and chemistry
Estuarine and coastal ocean environments
Oceanic composition, circulation
Oceanic production, carbon regeneration, nutrients cycling in ocean
Hydrothermal vents
Oceanic sedimentary records
The Global Water, Sulfur and Mercury cycles
The Global Carbon Cycle
The Global Phosphorus, Nitrogen and Sulfur Cycle