This program is open only to students in the B.Sc. or B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major Environment.
How do land surface processes and climate change interact?
The thin soil layer on the planet's land surfaces controls the vital inputs of water, nutrients and energy to terrestrial and freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Widespread occurrences around the globe of desertification, soil erosion, deforestation and land submergence over water reservoirs indicate that this dynamic system is under increasing pressure from population growth and changes in climate and land uses. Production of key green-house gases (water vapor, CO2 and methane) is controlled by complex processes operating at the land surface, involving climate change feedbacks that need to be fully understood, given current global warming trends. The program introduces students to the interacting physical and biogeochemical processes at the atmosphere-lithosphere interface, which fashion land surface habitats and determine their biological productivity and response to anthropogenic or natural environmental changes. Through an appropriate selection of courses, students can prepare for graduate training in emerging research areas such as earth system sciences, environmental hydrology and landscape ecology.
See also Information for StudentsÌýfor details concerning:
- Suggested First Year Courses
- Taking courses onÌýboth campuses
- ENVR course sections - beware!
Program Requirements
NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 30 credits at the 200 level and a minimum of 12 credits at the 400 level or higher in this program.Ìý This includes Core and Required courses.
NOTE: Revisions have been made to this Concentration, shown below, effective Fall 2020.
Core: Required Courses (18 credits)
Core: Complementary Course — Senior Research Project
(3 credits*)
(in Barbados)
(in Africa)
(in Panama)
(in Barbados)
* only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives
Concentration Required Course (3 credits)
Concentration Complementary Courses (39 credits)
3 credits of Statistics chosen from:
(M)
or equivalent
3 credits of Geographic Information Systems chosen from:
(M)
3 credits of Weather and Climate chosen from:
(in Barbados)
(M) (not offered)
9 credits of Fundamental Land Surface Processes chosen from:
or (M) (no longer offered)
** Students will not receive credit for both GEOG 272 and SOIL 300
(not offered 2024-2025)
or (M)
or (M)
3 credits of Environment and Resource Management chosen from:
(M) (offered alternate years; in Panama)
or (M)
(M)
(M)
(offered alternate years, in May term)
Ìý
(in Africa)
(not offered 2024-2025)
Ìý(not offered 2024-2025)
(M)
(M)
(M)
3 credits of a Field Course chosen from:
(in Panama)
(at Mont St Hilaire)
(in Barbados, not offered 2024-2025)
(in Schefferville; no longer offered)
(M) (in Arizona; offered in alternate summer terms)
3 credits of Social Science chosen from:
(M)
(offered alternate years, in May term)
(no longer offered)
or (M) (no longer offered)
(offered in alternate years; in Panama)
(offered in alternate years; in Panama)
12 credits total of Advanced Studies chosen from the following two lists:
3 credits minimum of advanced study of Particular Environments
(M)
(not offered)
(not offered)
(M)
(M)
3 credits minimum of advanced study of Surface Processes
(M)Ìý
(not offered)
(M)
(M)
(M)
(M) (not offered 2024-2025)