Climate Change and Landscape Dynamics
Climate change is listed by the United Nations as “the defining issue of our time”
and has reached the point where it impacts every sector of the world, including physical,
biological and social systems. Our researchers study the Earth system at a variety
of scales in space and time to help understand a) how the climate has changed and
will continue to do so, and b) how these changes affect a variety of landscape processes.
Focus areas include geomorphology, the study of landscape forms and processes; biogeography, the study of ecosystem change and response; and hydrology/cryogeography, the study of the water cycle and how this affects water availability and vulnerability.
Courses and Degrees
Our introductory course (Earth Environments and Global Change) provides students with a broad background in the relevant processes and issues underlying current global changes. From here, students can take electives allowing them to deepen thier understanding of particular disciplines and allow them to specialize. Climate: a sequence of courses cover the climate system, changes to this system and the resulting impacts on the environment and society. Geomorphology: classes cover the formation of landscape processes in arid and montane environments. Biogeography: classes provide expertise on the global patterns of life and how these support and affect society. Cryosphere: students study snow, glaciers, and ice sheet dynamics and avalanche studies. Across these classes are many opportunities for students to study these processes first-hand in the field. Classes in this area can be combined within the Climate Change and Landscape Dynamics undergraduate emphasis for the Geopgraphy BS.