Polar ice sheets are sensitive indicators of current climate and also preserve evidence of past climate conditions. Scientists studying Earth's climate history core thousands of meters deep into ancient ice to retrieve gas bubbles trapped in ice sheets. Ice cores help reconstruct climatic conditions from hundreds of thousands of years ago. Join Dr. Jeff Severinghaus as he explains how gas bubbles are trapped, how they provide detailed chemical clues to the past and how they are helping to shape future climate scenarios. (45 minutes)

The magnitude and timing of global sea level change remains one of the outstanding questions in global change research. Join researcher Shad O'Neel for a tour of coastal glaciers and learn why scientists believe these glaciers' unique behavior will make them one of the largest contributors to sea level rise in the next century. (56 minutes)

The Earth's magnetic field varies on many time scales, waxing and waning in strength, and periodically completely reversing direction. The geologic record of these variations provides important information on the history of our Planet. Join Scripps Oceanography geoscientist Jeff Gee for a fascinating glimpse into his fieldwork in paleomagnetism Đ from autonomous aircraft measurements over the open ocean to exploration of rock exposures in remote regions of Antarctica. (54 minutes)

Learn how plate tectonics plays a critical role in shaping the onshore and offshore terrain around La Jolla.Ę Dr. Neal Driscoll will present new offshore data illustrating the interplay between sediments, tectonics and sea level. (56 minutes)

The growth of Chinese and Indian economies is improving their well being, but at a very high environmental cost. Widespread air pollution and greenhouse gases are having a range of complex effects on both regional and global climate. Join Scripps Oceanography atmospheric science researcher V. Ramanathan as he explains that while science can offer practical solutions, the effectiveness of these strategies will hinge on global cooperation and immediate implementation. (54 minutes)

Climate researchers have long understood that human induced changes to Earth's atmosphere should impact climate in the polar regions earlier and more dramatically than in most other places. Explore the unique meteorology, oceanography, and ecology of both the Arctic and Antarctic with Dr. Dan Lubin as he describes observations that indicate unmistakable signs of anthropogenic climate change in both the Arctic and Antarctic. (46 minutes)

In this Second Annual Keeling Lecture from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Lonnie G. Thompson, distinguished professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University and recipient of both the National Medal of Science and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, provides insight into the convincing evidence of climate change provided by glaciers and polar ice-caps, and the implications that inaction in the face of this rapid change will have on societies on a global scale. (58 minutes)

Is climate variability affected by the ongoing addition of greenhouse gasses to Earth's atmosphere? Join Dr. Chris Charles as he explains how geological archives are shedding new light on the human impact on climate. (52 minutes)

Join oceanographer Kevin Brown as he describes the phenomena that we experience as "earthquakes" and relates what scientists understand about the physics of these sudden and at times catastrophic movements in the earthŐs crust. Learn how Brown and other Scripps scientists are using a variety of techniques to better understand when, where, and how earthquakes occur. (50 minutes)

Polls show that between one-third and one-half of Americans still believe that there is "no solid" evidence of global warming, or that if warming is happening it can be attributed to natural variability. Others believe that scientists are still debating the point. Join scientist and renowned historian Naomi Oreskes as she describes her investigation into the reasons for such widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientific consensus and probes the history of organized campaigns designed to create public doubt and confusion about science. (58 minutes)

Join Richard Somerville as he weaves critical findings in climate science into a compelling story, making the most important issues of our time understandable to all. (57 minutes)

Learn about the challenging research work of many of the fellowship students at Scripps. Hear three short presentations that represent a sampling of the broad spectrum of research work Scripps graduate students are conducting to understand climate change and its impact on Earth. (58 minutes)

Learn about the challenging research work of three outstanding fellowship students at Scripps on topics as diverse as climate science, coastal Geology|Earth Science, and deep-sea diversity as they share their research discoveries and their visions for the future of their disciplines. (59 minutes)

Carbon dioxide has been steadily increasing in the Earth's atmosphere since the industrial rEvolution. Join Dr. Tim Lueker as he describes the history of atmospheric carbon dioxide research and the role the ocean plays in global warming. Learn how Dr. Lueker and others gather data that allow them to assess these important changes in the state of our atmosphere and ocean. (54 minutes)

Join Dr. Lynne Talley as she describes how she and others are using decades of ocean observations from floats, research vessels, and merchant ships to discern the long-term signal of climate change that is recorded in our oceans. (49 minutes)

Increases in global carbon dioxide should be mirrored by decreases in atmospheric oxygen. Join Ralph Keeling to learn how his precise measurements have shown that the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is in fact decreasing slowly from year to year and discover how these data are allowing scientists to place constraints on the global carbon cycle. (57 minutes)

This undergraduate petrology course surveys the distribution, chemical composition, and mineral associations in rocks of the earth’s crust and upper mantle, and establishes its relation to tectonic environment. The emphasis of the course is on the use of chemistry and physics to interpret rock forming processes.

This course discusses phase transitions in Earth’s interior. Phase transitions in Earth materials at high pressures and temperatures cause the seismic discontinuities and affect the convections in the Earth’s interior. On the other hand, they enable us to constrain temperature and chemical compositions in the Earth’s interior. However, among many known phase transitions in mineral physics, only a few have been investigated in seismology and geodynamics. This course reviews important papers about phase transitions in mantle and core materials.

Updated Fall 2023

This textbook was designed especially for Community College students, as a resource to instill the knowledge and adventure that the discipline of geography holds for so many of us. The following units will cover a wide array of topics such as: Earth’s grid system, weather, climate, rivers, oceans, deserts, basic geology, and cartography. This book also integrates virtual field trips and interactive multimedia.

The Text Has 19 units;
Unit 1: Introduction to Geography as a Discipline
Unit 2: Earth’s Place within the Cosmos
Unit 3: Introduction to Geology & Geologic Time
Unit 4: Mapping Earth’s Surface
Unit 5: Earth-Sun Relationships: Reasons for the Seasons
Unit 6: Earth’s Atmosphere
Unit 7: Elements of Weather & Climate
Unit 8: Basic Mineral Development
Unit 9: Igneous Rocks
Unit 10: Sedimentary Rocks
Unit 11: Metamorphism & Metamorphic Rocks
Unit 12: Weathering & Soils
Unit 13: Earths Dynamic Surface: Plate Tectonics
Unit 14: Earths Dynamic Surface: Tectonics Force
Unit 15: Earths Dynamic Surface: Volcanoes
Unit 16: Shaped by Coastal Processes
Unit 17: Shaped by Rivers & Running Water
Unit 18: Shaped by Wind as a Geomorphic Agent
Unit 19: Shaped by Glaciers

Word Count: 51481

ISBN: 978-0-9880427-0-4

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