Williams College Catalog

Carbon dioxide is the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas, and human activities are adding carbon to the atmosphere at unprecedented rates. Yet only half of the carbon we emit each year remains in the atmosphere because biological, geological, and chemical processes continually cycle carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean, to land plants and soils, and to sediments. The workings of the carbon cycle are at the center of many controversies surrounding the causes of past climate changes and the outcome of future global warming. How was the earth's climate steered by past changes in the carbon cycle, billions and millions of years ago? Will natural processes continue to take up such a high percentage of carbon emissions as emissions continue and climate changes? Can and should we coax natural systems to take up even more carbon? How might carbon emissions be reduced on the scale of the Williams campus? We will explore these issues through readings of current journal articles and reports.

Class Format: tutorial; the class will meet weekly for a one-hour orientation to the topic, and students will meet in pairs for one hour each week with the instructor

Requirements/Evaluation: each student will orally present a written paper every other week for criticism during the tutorial session; evaluation will be based on the five papers and each student's effectiveness as a critic

Additional Info:

Additional Info2:

Prerequisites: one introductory course in Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Geosciences

Enrollment Preference: sophomores and juniors

Department Notes:

Material and Lab Fees:

Distribution Notes:

Divisional Attributes: Division III,Writing Intensive

Other Attributes: ENVI Natural World Electives,ENVS Environmental Biology Lower Level Electives,ENVS Environmental Geosciences Electives,GEOS Environmental Geosciences Courses

Enrollment Limit: 10

Expected Enrollment: 10

Class Number: 1184