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This course aims to introduce lakes, streams, wetlands and estuaries as landscape features and as physical, chemical, and biological systems that provide habitats for organisms ranging in size from microbes to monsters. We discuss geologic processes that produce and modify inland water basins. We investigate physical processes such as light transmission, water movements and patterns of lake stratification by comparing various temperate and tropical lake systems. The extraordinary variability in chemical composition of lake water is covered and the causes for these variations discussed. In the context of our new knowledge, we consider the importance of basin geology, chemistry and physics on plankton and fish species' abundance and distribution. Students will explore how fundamental science helps solve practical problems by delving into current ideas in the fields of eutrophication, acid rain, climate change, and contaminants. In addition, a series of case studies of lake restoration and manag ement will be analyzed.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: NSM E&ES Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: BIOL207 OR E&ES106
Last Updated on MAR-24-2000
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459