Classes Taught by Baylor Fox-Kemper

Teaching


Images: Darwin & Nansen via Wikimedia	EEPS0160. Monsters of the Abyss: Oceanography and Sea Tales We will read from the logbooks of Cook, Darwin, Wallace, and Nansen. Their discoveries and expeditions inspired and were inspired by fiction that we will also read, including Moby Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The daring successes and cannibalistic dooms of the Essex, Beagle, Terror, Challenger, and Fram inspired 19th century writers to imagine what lay far across and deep beneath the oceans. These retellings--fictional, narrative, and scientific--helped formulate and fund further research. Who risks their life for a bird, a map, a widow, or an eclipse? How would these scientists and their ideas do today? What are the role and aftereffects of colonialism in the geosciences? Enrollment limited to 20 first year students. First Year Seminar. Baylor taught this class in Fall 2022, Fall 2013.
BFK Notes	GEOL0350. Mathematical Methods of Fluid and Solid Geophysics and Geology Intended for undergraduates concentrating in geological and physical sciences or engineering, especially those interested in the quantitative study of Earth. Problem sets will cover common approaches to quantify the dynamics and chemistry of solids and fluids in nature. Mathematical topics to be introduced include linear algebra, vectors and tensors, differential equations, dynamical systems, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, empirical orthogonal functions, fractals, chaos, and statistics. Applications include waves in the oceans, atmosphere, and solid earth, convective and conductive heat flow, reaction rates, gravitational potential energy, Newton’s laws on a rotating planet, measuring coastlines and ranges, and dating errors in stratigraphy. Baylor taught this class in Fall 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014.
	EEPS1520. Ocean Circulation and Climate Or, Notions for the Motions of the Oceans. Examines physical characteristics, processes, and dynamics of the global ocean to understand circulation patterns and how they relate to ocean biology, chemistry, and climate change. Assignments address ocean's role in the climate system; ocean observations and models; the origin, distribution, and dynamics of large-scale ocean circulation and water masses; energy and freshwater budgets; and variability of the coupled system on seasonal to centennial timescales e.g. El Niño. Intended for geological and physical sciences undergraduate and graduate students with quantitative skills and an interest in oceans, climate, paleoclimate. Pre-requisite: GEOL 0250, GEOL 0350, PHYS 0720, or MATH 0180. Offered alternate years, previously offered as GEOL1520, GEOL1100. Baylor taught this class in Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013. Proceedings volumes Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2013. Spring 2010. Spring 2008. Spring 2007.
	GEOL1820. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Explores theories of the large-scale ocean and atmosphere, including quasigeostrophic, planetary geostrophic, and shallow water equations. Topics will vary to focus on features of the general circulation and climate system (e.g. thermocline, westward intensification, jet stream dynamics, polar vortex, meridional overturning circulations), instabilities and waves (e.g. gravity, Rossby, and Kelvin), or rotating stratified turbulence. May be repeated with permission of instructor. Pre-requisites: GEOL 0250, GEOL 0350, PHYS 0720, or APMA 0340, and GEOL1510 or GEOL1520. Baylor taught this class in Spring 2020 on Rotating, Stratified Turbulence and Parameterizations, Fall 2016 on Waves and Mean Flows.
	GEOL1950M. Geoengineering Examines the processes, dynamics, and consequences of geoengineering, or intentional climate intervention, approaches to controlling climate change. Through assignments stu- dents will create a series of referenced, researched, public wikipedia pages summarizing the state of the art understanding (i.e., a geoengineering hackathon). Intended for under- graduate and graduate students with interests in oceans, climate, paleoclimate, engineer- ing, and climate change policy. Pre-requisite: GEOL0240 or ENVS0490 or GEOL1350 recommended; permission of instructor required. Enrollment limited to 30. Recommended Pre-requisites: GEOL0240 or ENVS0490 or GEOL1350. Baylor taught this class in Fall 2017.
	EEPS1960X. Ocean, Cryosphere, and Sea Level Change Interested in finding out how big climate science gets done? This graduate and undergraduate reading and writing seminar will emphasize study of the breakthrough science that has been published in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports. Focus will be on the physical science basis: past and future changes in the overall earth system; ocean circulation and properties, ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and sea level; evaluation of models and projection methods; detection and attribution; projections; abrupt change and long-term commitment; and extremes. Pre-requisite: any of EEPS 0850, EEPS 1430, EEPS 1510, EEPS 1520, EEPS 1820, or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to 50. Background: The seminar is aimed at undergraduates and graduate students interested in anthropogenic climate change. Baylor taught this class in Spring 2022, Fall 2018.
Image: MPE	EEPS2300. Mathematical and Computational Earth Sciences For graduate students interested in quantitative study of the Earth in geological, physical, or engineering sciences. Mathematical topics that may be introduced include tensor analysis, asymptotic and per turbation analysis of differential equations, numerical integration of differential equations, basis functions and pattern recognition, fractals and multifractals, and statistics. Applications will vary by offering, but examples include: statistics of turbulence and earthquakes, advection-reaction-diffusion systems, boundary layers, development of shocks and singularities, climate change, carbon sensitivity, and dimensional reduction of geophysical data. Intensive review of introductory mathematical methods through leading discussions in a lower level class. Earth, fluid, or solid science background recommended. Baylor taught this class in Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2015.
Image: Jones et al., 2005	GEOL2910N. Volcanism and Climate The course will explore the effects of volcanism on climate over a range of spatial and temporal scales, including: historic and prehistoric eruptions, large igneous provinces and correlations of secular atmosphere change with supercontinent cycles. The links between volcanism and climate on Mars will also be examined. The goals are to understand the interactions of planetary interiors and atmospheres and how these interactions are preserved in the geologic record. Background: The seminar is aimed at graduate students. An undergraduate background in geology, chemistry and physics is required. Baylor co-taught this class (with Parman [lead], Russell, Saal) in Fall 2014
	Baylor used to teach at the University of Colorado. Click on the icon at left to access approximations to the old course webpages.