Schedule of classes and readings for Geology 194: Rivers and the Environment: An introduction to environmental geology

Olin-Rice 170

Professor: Kelly MacGregor

Office: Olin-Rice 116

Office hours: MW 2:30-4:00

696-6441

macgregor@macalester.edu

Week 1:

W (9/3) Introduction: what is this course all about?

Preface; Merritts, Ch. 1

F (9/5) Water and our solar system

Lunine, Ch. 11

Week 2:

M (9/8) Water on Earth

Mount, Ch. 1 (3-9); Merritts, Ch. 2; Merritts, Ch. 7 (191-198)

W (9/10) Water inputs, outputs, and balance

Dunne, Ch. 2 & 3 (35-90) & Ch. 8 (236-254)

F (9/12) Drainage basins and river networks

Dunne, Ch. 14 (493-505); Mount, Ch. 7 (121-144)

Week 3:

M (9/15) Water in motion

Mount, Ch. 2 (17-37)

W (9/17) Sediment Transport

Mount, Ch. 3 (38-51)

F (9/19) Field trip: Mississippi River Story

Week 4:

M (9/22) Sediment transport

Dunne, Ch. 17 (661-686)

W (9/24) River geomorphology

Mount, Ch. 4 (52-82); Merritts, Ch. 7 (198-206)

F (9/26) River geomorphology

Twain

Week 5:

M (9/29) Hydrographs and flow variability

Mount, Ch. 5 (83-100) and Ch. 8 (145-160)

W (10/1) Bankfull discharge and floods

Dunne, Ch. 16 (590-660)

F (10/3) Floods

Mount, Ch. 14 (267-286); Dunne, Ch. 10 & 11 (279-440)

Week 6:

M (10/6) Floods

McPhee, Mississippi River chapter

W (10/8) Dams and water

Harden, all

F (10/10) Field trip: Lock and Dam #1

Week 7:

M (10/13) Dams and sediment

Colorado River news feature (reserve); Columbia River paper (reserve)

W (10/15) Dam disasters

F (10/18) Hour Exam I

Week 8:

M (10/20) Using the library database and resources

W (10/22) Guest lecture: Dave Hafemeister, Energy Policy in the U.S.

Merritts, Ch. 11, reserve

F (10/24) No class – Fall break

Week 9:

M (10/27) Rivers and hillslopes

McPhee (LA hillslopes chapter)

W (10/29) Sediment supply to rivers

Mount, Ch. 6 (101-120)

F (10/31) Urbanization and effects on water and sediment supply

Dunne, Ch. 18 (687-710) and Ch. 9 (255-278)

Extended Outline of final paper due

Week 10:

M (11/3) Groundwater

Dunne, Ch. 7 (192-235)

W (11/5) Groundwater

Merritts, Ch. 8 (232-259); Ogallala aquifer, reserve

F (11/7) Field trip: U of M underground library site +

Week 11:

M (11/10) Groundwater/surface water dynamics

Mount, Ch. 11 (202-226)

W (11/12) Contamination issues

reserve reading

F (11/14) Field trip: water treatment facility

Week 12:

M (11/17) Water and the American West

Reisner book, Ch. 1-6

W (11/19) Water and the American West

Reisner book, Ch. 7-epilogue

F (11/21) Water and the American West

Reserve

Week 13:

M (11/24) Water policy in the U.S.

reserve

W (11/26) Water policy in the U.S.

reserve

Preliminary draft of final paper due

F (11/28) No class – Thanksgiving break

Week 14:

M (12/1) Water policy in other nations

reserve

W (12/3) Water use in other nations

reserve

F (12/5) Hour Exam II

Week 15:

M (12/8) Guest speaker: Jeff Thole, Environmental Geology

W (12/10) no class – AGU meeting

F (12/12) no class – AGU meeting Final papers due

FINAL EXAM period – oral presentations