Earth Systems Field School
Biosphere 2 Center/Columbia University

Rationale

The environmental challenges threatening the biosphere do not fit neatly into one science. Rather, they span disciplinary boundaries, encompassing geology, biology, chemistry, and physics. It is now recognized that we should train students to think in terms of earth systems, rather than limiting their inquiry to within the confines of university departments.

The Earth Systems Field School Approach

The Earth Systems Field School addresses this need by teaching 1) the field skills necessary to study past, present, and future biospheres and 2) the modeling skills needed to understand these systems. Biosphere 2 is an ideal place to study Earth Systems because it provides a physical model of the biosphere on a understandable scale. In addition, Biosphere 2 is located within a day's drive of spectacular geological and ecological resources.

The course consists of interdisciplinary study of modern ecosystems and their ancient counterparts, beginning with structurally simple modern systems, such as saline algal mats at the Gulf of California, and then moving to more complex marine and terrestrial ecosystems, such as intertidal environments, the Sonoran Desert, and Catalina Mountain "sky islands". Students examine the fossil ecosystems spanning the Precambrian through Quaternary in spectacular venues such as the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest. We link these varied examinations through emphasis on systems dynamics, and on the relationship of each ecosystem to the ecological and geological evolution of the carbon cycle.

We emphasize field data collection by students and application of the data to tests of conceptual and numerical models built by students. In addition to various computer skills, students develop a tool box of topographic, geologic, botanical, and zoological mapping methods, species identification methods, soil and stratigraphic description techniques, transect analysis techniques, and botanical and zoological census techniques. We end the course with student projects which explore various systems within the largest carbon cycle experiment yet constructed - Biosphere 2.

Overview of Course:

Module 1. Introduction to the scientific method and systems thinking (June 6 - 12). How can we learn about our world using the scientific method? During this week, students will get an introduction to scientific inquiry and systems thinking using the example of Biosphere 2. They will learn about classification systems, and about how to create a geographical reference systems for data collection.
Skills: building systems models, plant and animal identification, map-reading, pace and compass mapping, topographic mapping using GPS units.

Module 2. Observing marine and near-marine ecosystems of the Sea of Cortez (June 14 - 18). How do ecosystems work? Students will make observations about a variety of environments ranging from algal mats to tidal pools, to sand dunes at the Sea of Cortez, in order to develop an understanding of the components of ecosystems.
Skills:Animal identification, animal censusing, notetaking, working in groups.

Module 3. Observing ecosystems in the geologic record (June 20-27). How do ecosystems change through time? Students will gain insight into how the Earth and living systems arrived at their present state by studying the spectacular geological and archeological sites of northern Arizona, including the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater, and Petrified Forest.
Skills: Rock identification, fossil identification, describing stratigraphic sections, assessing paleoenvironments, characterizing vegetation, determining ecological ranges.

Module 4. Ecosystem change as a response to abiotic factors I (June 29 - July 3). How does the local biota change in response to changes in physical constraints? Ecosystems along the famous Santa Catalina Mountain gradient vary in response to changes in geology, soil type, altitude, moisture availability, and temperature. Students will develop research projects which examine some aspect of this ecological change and will present their results to their peers.
Skills: Describing soil profiles, plant censusing, non-marine invertebrate censusing, assessing the health of riparian systems, interpretation of data, presentation of data.

Module 5. Ecosystem change as a response to abiotic factors II (July 5 - 10). Students will examine a field area from the northern slope of the Santa Catalina Mountains in which ecosystems interfinger over small spatial scales. They will collect and integrate geographically referenced data on the topography, geology, geomorphology in order to examine biotic responses to changes in the physical environment.
Skills: Topographic mapping, geologic mapping, vegetation mapping, integrating observations using GIS.

Module 6. Managing ecosystems (July 12-16). How well does Biosphere 2 model the real world? Students will learn the challenges of managing ecosystems from the unparalleled laboratory of Biosphere 2. Student teams will use skills developed in the preceding 5 weeks to collect and analyze data which address the health of the various biomes (i.e. rain forest, desert, thorn-scrub, savannah, ocean).
Skills: forming hypothesis, testing hypotheses, interpreting data, presenting research.

[Back | Biosphere 2 Homepage | Earth Systems Field School course resources]