Courses

Principles and practices of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Capturing spatial data and the use of remote sensing systems to map, monitor and better manage forest, vegetation and ecosystem resources.

Understanding geo-spatial data structures, databases and developing, maintaining and utilizing geo-spatial data.

Energy and water in the Earth-Atmosphere system, global climates and climate change, ecosystem properties and processes, human impacts. Please consult the Faculty of Science Credit Exclusion Lists: www.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=12,215,410,414.

Physical principles underlying weather and climates. Thermal, moisture and wind climates from the scale of plants and animals to the globe. Daily weather systems and climate change. Credit will be granted for only one of GEOB 200, GEOB 204, APBI 244.

Meteorology and climatology at the micro-, local, and meso-scales. Interactions between land surfaces and atmosphere. Basics of atmospheric turbulence and transfer processes. Microclimates on scales of a leaf to those of a large valley.

Principles of hydrology at site, watershed, and larger regional scales. Introduction to techniques of measurement and analysis. Emphasizes surface water hydrology of western North America.

Quaternary landscape development emphasizing the history of glaciation with special reference to western North America; applications of geomorphology in resource development and land management; interpretation of Quaternary materials.

The impact of urbanization upon atmospheric processes and climates. The energy and water balances of cities. Meteorological effects (urban heat island, precipitation modification, etc.) and their significance. Models of the urban atmosphere.

Investigation of vegetation dynamics integrating theory and research to address contemporary issues of global environmental change. Students will conduct fieldwork and learn to analyze data and interpret results.

Students use GIS in primary research applications in conservation biology, crime analysis, and health geography; theoretical and practical aspects considered in a hands-on environment.

[No course description provided]

The human geography of the modern world since 1945: global interdependence in economic geography, geopolitics, and cultural geography; consequences of modernization, including demography, urbanization and environmental effects; regional case studies; reactions to modernization.

The demographic, economic, ecological, and technological factors that underlie current environmental challenges, considering their effects to date and their possible impact in the future.

Selected topics in human geography focusing on the regional distribution of natural resources, population, urban systems, and economic activities.

Concepts of environment, resources and sustainability; the roles of physical and human geography in understanding the interaction of humans and the environment; introduction to management of environment-resource systems.

Climates over the geological, historical and instrument periods. Theories of climatic change. Monitoring and modelling the climate system. Impacts of change on environmental and socio-economic systems.

Concepts and techniques employed in environmental research; challenges in the areas of climate change, water use, knowledge translation and natural hazards.

The role of geophysical events, human ecology, environmental perception, world social and political order in explaining the risk of natural disasters. Assessment of acceptable risk, disaster relief and reconstruction and contrasts between developed and developing nations.

The principles, implementation, and role of environmental impact assessment in environmental management, in Canada and internationally.

City systems and theories of urban location; internal spatial structure of the city; commercial and industrial location; social areas; neighbourhood and land use change; urban trends and public policy.

Geographical approaches to economic development; models of economic development and spatial change; influences on spatial economic change; case studies from the developed, third, and socialist worlds.

Interdisciplinary analysis of critical water issues, in Canada and internationally. Focus on social science perspectives. Emphasis on presentation, research, and essay-writing skills.

An examination of how attitudes toward human nature and non-human nature have changed from Mesolithic times to the present in Western society.