Department: Environmental Earth System Science

Code Name Description
ESS101 Environmental and Geological Field Studies in the Rocky Mountains Three-week, field-based program in the Greater Yellowstone/Teton and Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Field-based exercises covering topics including: basics of structural geology and petrology; glacial geology; western cordillera geology; paleoclima...
ESS102 Scientific Basis of Climate Change This course explores the scientific basis of anthropogenic climate change. We will read the original papers that established the scientific foundation for the climate change forecast. Starting with Fourier's description of the greenhouse effect, we t...
ESS103 Rethinking Meat: An Introduction to Alternative Proteins How do we feed a growing population in the face of climate change? Will Impossible Burgers become the new norm? Are you curious to learn about a frontier in bio- and chemical-engineering? Are you passionate about animal rights, human health, and sust...
ESS106 World Food Economy The World Food Economy is a survey course that covers the economic and political dimensions of food production, consumption, and trade. The course focuses on food markets and food policy within a global context. It is comprised of three major section...
ESS107 Control of Nature Think controlling the earth's climate is science fiction? It is when you watch Snowpiercer or Dune, but scientists are already devising geoengineering schemes to slow climate change. Will we ever resurrect the woolly mammoth or even a T. Rex (think...
ESS108 Research Preparation for Undergraduates For undergraduates planning to conduct research during the summer with faculty through the MUIR and SUPER programs. Readings, oral presentations, proposal development. May be repeated for credit.
ESS109 Biological and Social Networks This course introduces the analysis of social and biological networks with a focus on field data collected by interdisciplinary environmental and health scientists. Beginning from the premise that structure emerges from relationships between individu...
ESS111 Biology and Global Change The biological causes and consequences of anthropogenic and natural changes in the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Topics: glacial cycles and marine circulation, greenhouse gases and climate change, tropical deforestati...
ESS112 Human Society and Environmental Change Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human-environment interactions with a focus on economics, policy, culture, history, and the role of the state. Prerequisite: ECON 1.
ESS115 Approaching Nepal: Coupled Human-Natural Systems of the Solokhumbu This class designed to prepare students participating in the 2020 BOSP Nepal Seminar. Through readings, lectures, and class discussions, students will acquire a working knowledge of coupled human-natural system theory and examine case studies of CHNS...
ESS117 Earth Sciences of the Hawaiian Islands Progression from volcanic processes through rock weathering and soil-ecosystem development to landscape evolution. The course starts with an investigation of volcanic processes, including the volcano structure, origin of magmas, physical-chemical fa...
ESS118Y Shaping the Future of the Bay Area The complex urban problems affecting quality of life in the Bay Area, from housing affordability and transportation congestion to economic vitality and social justice, are already perceived by many to be intractable, and will likely be exacerbated by...
ESS118Z Shaping the Future of the Bay Area Students are placed in small interdisciplinary teams (engineers and non-engineers, undergraduate and graduate level) to work on complex design, engineering, and policy problems presented by external partners in a real urban setting. Multiple projects...
ESS122 Microbes and Climate Microorganisms drive the cycling of carbon, oxygen, and other nutrients in the earth system. This means that microbes both impact and are impacted by changes in climate. In this reading course, participants will read and present a combination of clas...
ESS123 Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions How do ecosystems respond to climate change, and how can ecosystems affect climate? This course describes, quantitatively and qualitatively, the different feedback mechanisms between the land surface and climate at both local and global scales. We wi...
ESS125 Introduction to Planetary Science This course provides an introduction to planetary science through the exploration of processes that formed and modified planetary bodies within the Solar System and beyond. Each lecture will be given by an expert in a specific subfield of planetary s...
ESS132 Evolution of Earth Systems This course examines biogeochemical cycles and how they developed through the interaction between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Emphasis is on the long-term carbon cycle and how it is connected to other biogeochemical cycl...
ESS135 Community Leadership Offered through Residential Education to residents of Castano House, Manzanita Park. Topics include: emotional intelligence, leadership styles, listening, facilitating meetings, group dynamics and motivation, finding purpose, fostering resilience. St...
ESS14 Tropical coastal marine ecosystems: data and analysis methods This 1-unit course is designed for Stanford undergraduates intending to work remotely or on-site in tropical coastal marine systems of the Indo-Pacific at any time between 2021 and 2022. The course includes learning units on mangroves, seagrass beds,...
ESS141 Remote Sensing of the Oceans How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical qua...
ESS143 Molecular Geomicrobiology Laboratory In this course, students will be studying the biosynthesis of cyclic lipid biomarkers, molecules that are produced by modern microbes that can be preserved in rocks that are over a billion years old and which geologist use as molecular fossils. Stude...
ESS148 Introduction to Physical Oceanography An introduction to what causes the motions in the oceans. Topics include: the physical environment of the ocean; properties of sea water; atmosphere-ocean interactions; conservation of heat, salt, mass, and momentum, geostrophic flows, wind-driven ci...
ESS151 Biological Oceanography Required for Earth Systems students in the oceans track. Interdisciplinary look at how oceanic environments control the form and function of marine life. Topics include distributions of planktonic production and abundance, nutrient cycling, the rol...
ESS152 Marine Chemistry Introduction to the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills required to critically evaluate problems in marine chemistry and related disciplines. Physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine the chemical composition of seawater. Air-s...
ESS155 Science of Soils Physical, chemical, and biological processes within soil systems. Emphasis is on factors governing nutrient availability, plant growth and production, land-resource management, and pollution within soils. How to classify soils and assess nutrient cyc...
ESS158 Geomicrobiology How microorganisms shape the geochemistry of the Earth's crust including oceans, lakes, estuaries, subsurface environments, sediments, soils, mineral deposits, and rocks. Topics include mineral formation and dissolution; biogeochemical cycling of ele...
ESS15N Fitting Fish into the Food System There is a growing perception that our global food system is broken. Billions of people around the world lack adequate nutrition for healthy and productive lives, and obesity now exceeds hunger even in poor communities. Agricultural practices add to...
ESS162 Remote Sensing of Land The use of satellite remote sensing to monitor land use and land cover, with emphasis on terrestrial changes. Topics include pre-processing data, biophysical properties of vegetation observable by satellite, accuracy assessment of maps derived from r...
ESS164 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science (GIS) "Everything is somewhere, and that somewhere matters." The rapid growth and maturity of spatial data technologies over the past decade represent a paradigm shift in the applied use of location data from high-level overviews of administrative interest...
ESS165 Advanced Geographic Information Systems Building on the Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems course, this class delves deeper into geospatial analysis and mapping techniques. The class is heavily project-based and students are encouraged to bring their own research questions. T...
ESS170 Analyzing land use in a globalized world This course examines the dynamics of land use in relation to globalization. The objective is to understand how the expansion of global trade, and public and private regulations affect land use changes. The course will enable students to better unders...
ESS171 Climate Models and Data Overview of key concepts necessary to develop familiarity with climate modeling and data. Topics covered will include components of the climate system, climate change and global warming, and model mechanics, their evaluation and usability, and predic...
ESS181 Urban Agroecology Urban agriculture takes many forms in cities around the world and provides significant amounts of food and other resources and benefits for urban communities. This Earth Systems practicum explores the application of agroecological principles to the d...
ESS185 Adaptation Adaptation is the process by which organisms or societies become better suited to their environments. In this class, we will explore three distinct but related notions of adaptation. Biological adaptations arise through natural selection, while cultu...
ESS202 Scientific Basis of Climate Change This course explores the scientific basis of anthropogenic climate change. We will read the original papers that established the scientific foundation for the climate change forecast. Starting with Fourier's description of the greenhouse effect, we t...
ESS203 Rethinking Meat: An Introduction to Alternative Proteins How do we feed a growing population in the face of climate change? Will Impossible Burgers become the new norm? Are you curious to learn about a frontier in bio- and chemical-engineering? Are you passionate about animal rights, human health, and sust...
ESS204 Effective Scientific Presentation and Public Speaking The ability to present your research in a compelling, concise, and engaging manner will enhance your professional career. I will work to convince you that the best way to capture an audience and leave a lasting impression is to tell a story, do a dem...
ESS205 Fundamentals of Geobiology Lecture and discussion covering key topics in the history of life on Earth, as well as basic principles that apply to life in the universe. Co-evolution of Earth and life; critical intervals of environmental and biological change; geomicrobiology; pa...
ESS206 World Food Economy The World Food Economy is a survey course that covers the economic and political dimensions of food production, consumption, and trade. The course focuses on food markets and food policy within a global context. It is comprised of three major section...
ESS208 Topics in Geobiology Reading course addressing current topics in geobiology. Topics will vary from year to year, but will generally cover areas of current debate in the primary literature, such as the origin of life, the origin and consequences of oxygenic photosynthesis...
ESS209 Biological and Social Networks This course introduces the analysis of social and biological networks with a focus on field data collected by interdisciplinary environmental and health scientists. Beginning from the premise that structure emerges from relationships between individu...
ESS210 Techniques in Environmental Microbiology Fundamentals and application of laboratory techniques to study the diversity and activity of microorganisms in environmental samples, including soil, sediment, and water. Emphasis is on culture-independent approaches, including epifluorescence micros...
ESS212 Measurements in Earth Systems A classroom, laboratory, and field class designed to provide students familiarity with techniques and instrumentation used to track biological, chemical, and physical processes operating in earth systems, encompassing upland, aquatic, estuarine, and...
ESS213 Global Change and Emerging Infectious Disease The changing epidemiological environment. How human-induced environmental changes, such as global warming, deforestation and land-use conversion, urbanization, international commerce, and human migration, are altering the ecology of infectious diseas...
ESS215 Approaching Nepal: Coupled Human-Natural Systems of the Solokhumbu This class designed to prepare students participating in the 2020 BOSP Nepal Seminar. Through readings, lectures, and class discussions, students will acquire a working knowledge of coupled human-natural system theory and examine case studies of CHNS...
ESS218Y Shaping the Future of the Bay Area The complex urban problems affecting quality of life in the Bay Area, from housing affordability and transportation congestion to economic vitality and social justice, are already perceived by many to be intractable, and will likely be exacerbated by...
ESS218Z Shaping the Future of the Bay Area Students are placed in small interdisciplinary teams (engineers and non-engineers, undergraduate and graduate level) to work on complex design, engineering, and policy problems presented by external partners in a real urban setting. Multiple projects...
ESS220 Physical Hydrogeology (Formerly GES 230.) Theory of underground water occurrence and flow, analysis of field data and aquifer tests, geologic groundwater environments, solution of field problems, and groundwater modeling. Introduction to groundwater contaminant transport...
ESS221 Contaminant Hydrogeology and Reactive Transport Decades of industrial activity have released vast quantities of contaminants to groundwater, threatening water resources, ecosystems and human health. What processes control the fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface? What remediation s...
ESS222 Microbes and Climate Microorganisms drive the cycling of carbon, oxygen, and other nutrients in the earth system. This means that microbes both impact and are impacted by changes in climate. In this reading course, participants will read and present a combination of clas...
ESS223 Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions How do ecosystems respond to climate change, and how can ecosystems affect climate? This course describes, quantitatively and qualitatively, the different feedback mechanisms between the land surface and climate at both local and global scales. We wi...
ESS224 Remote Sensing of Hydrology This class discusses the methods available for remote sensing of the components of the terrestrial hydrologic cycle and how to use them. Topics include the hydrologic cycle, relevant sensor types and the electromagnetic spectrum, active/passive micro...
ESS225 Rivers: The Arteries of Earth's Continents Rivers are the arteries of Earth's continents, conveying water, sediments, and solutes from the headwaters to the oceans. They provide a haven for life and have been at the heart of the world's economy by generating fertile floodplains, human habitat...
ESS226 Wastelanding: Indigenous Environmental Justice in the Western US A connection to land is often central to Native identity and spirituality. The degradation and exploitation of Native lands, then, not only causes physical harm to Native communities, but spiritual harm as well. Through a series of invited speakers,...
ESS227 Decision Science for Environmental Threats Decision science is the study of how people make decisions. It aims to describe these processes in ways that will help people make better or more well-informed decisions. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws upon psychology, economics, politic...
ESS228 Advanced survey of current research in climate dynamics This is a guided reading course that will explore current papers in climate dynamics and climate change, with an emphasis on the large-scale atmospheric and oceanic circulations. Topics include energy balance models, changes in the jet streams and at...
ESS230 Pursuing Sustainability: Managing Complex Social Environmental Systems This course provides a systems framework for understanding and managing social-environmental systems, with the ultimate goal of inclusive, equitable, intra- and intergenerational human well-being. It explores the roles of natural, human, social, tech...
ESS232 Evolution of Earth Systems This course examines biogeochemical cycles and how they developed through the interaction between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Emphasis is on the long-term carbon cycle and how it is connected to other biogeochemical cycl...
ESS233 Mitigating Climate Change through Soil Management Climate change is one of the greatest crises facing our world. Increasing soil organic carbon storage may be a key strategy for mitigating global climate change, with the potential to offset approximately 20% of annual global fossil fuel emissions. I...
ESS239 Data Science for Geoscience Overview of some of the most important data science methods (statistics, machine learning & computer vision) relevant for geological sciences, as well as other fields in the Earth Sciences. Areas covered are: extreme value statistics for predicting r...
ESS240 Advanced Oceanography For upper-division undergraduates and graduate students in the natural sciences and engineering. Topical issues in marine science/oceanography. Topics vary each year following or anticipating research trends in ocean research and issues. For 2018, th...
ESS241 Remote Sensing of the Oceans How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical qua...
ESS242 Antarctic Marine Geology and Geophysics For upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. Intermediate and advanced topics in marine geology and geophysics, focusing on examples from the Antarctic continental margin and adjacent Southern Ocean. Topics: glaciers, icebergs, and sea ic...
ESS243 Molecular Geomicrobiology Laboratory In this course, students will be studying the biosynthesis of cyclic lipid biomarkers, molecules that are produced by modern microbes that can be preserved in rocks that are over a billion years old and which geologist use as molecular fossils. Stude...
ESS244 Marine Ecosystem Modeling This course will provide the practical background necessary to construct and implement a 2-dimensional (space and time) numerical model of a simple marine ecosystem. Instruction on computer programming, model design and parameterization, and model e...
ESS245 Advanced Biological Oceanography For upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. For upper-division undergraduate and graduate students interested in an in-depth look at biological processes in the world's oceans. Themes will vary from year to year but will include such top...
ESS246A Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation Introduction to the physics governing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and their control on climate with emphasis on the atmospheric circulation. Topics include the global energy balance, the greenhouse effect, the vertical and meridional...
ESS246B Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation Introduction to the physics governing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and their control on climate with emphasis on the large-scale ocean circulation. This course will give an overview of the structure and dynamics of the major ocean curr...
ESS247 Tropical Meteorology Introduction to tropical meteorology and climate. Topics include radiative-convective equilibrium, Hadley and Walker circulations, equatorial waves, El Nino/Southern Oscillation, the Madden-Julian Oscillation, monsoons and tropical cyclones. Prerequi...
ESS249 Marine Stable Isotopes This course will provide an introduction to stable isotopes biogeochemistry with emphasis on applications in marine science. We will cover fundamental concepts of nuclear structure and origin of elements and isotopes, and stable isotopic fractionatio...
ESS251 Biological Oceanography Required for Earth Systems students in the oceans track. Interdisciplinary look at how oceanic environments control the form and function of marine life. Topics include distributions of planktonic production and abundance, nutrient cycling, the rol...
ESS252 Marine Chemistry Introduction to the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills required to critically evaluate problems in marine chemistry and related disciplines. Physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine the chemical composition of seawater. Air-s...
ESS253S Hopkins Microbiology Course (Formerly GES 274S.) Four-week, intensive. The interplay between molecular, physiological, ecological, evolutionary, and geochemical processes that constitute, cause, and maintain microbial diversity. How to isolate key microorganisms driving marine...
ESS255 Microbial Physiology Introduction to the physiology of microbes including cellular structure, transcription and translation, growth and metabolism, mechanisms for stress resistance and the formation of microbial communities. These topics will be covered in relation to th...
ESS256 Soil and Water Chemistry (Graduate students register for 256.) Practical and quantitative treatment of soil processes affecting chemical reactivity, transformation, retention, and bioavailability. Principles of primary areas of soil chemistry: inorganic and organic soil comp...
ESS258 Geomicrobiology How microorganisms shape the geochemistry of the Earth's crust including oceans, lakes, estuaries, subsurface environments, sediments, soils, mineral deposits, and rocks. Topics include mineral formation and dissolution; biogeochemical cycling of ele...
ESS259 Environmental Microbial Genomics The application of molecular and environmental genomic approaches to the study of biogeochemically-important microorganisms in the environment without the need for cultivation. Emphasis is on meta-omic analysis of microbial DNA, RNA, and protein obta...
ESS262 Remote Sensing of Land The use of satellite remote sensing to monitor land use and land cover, with emphasis on terrestrial changes. Topics include pre-processing data, biophysical properties of vegetation observable by satellite, accuracy assessment of maps derived from r...
ESS264 Poverty, Infrastructure and Climate Lack of access to physical infrastructure such as roads, water supply and electricity is a key element of how 'poverty' is often defined. At the same time, the causal pathways that link infrastructure and economic development are not well understood,...
ESS265 Advanced Geographic Information Systems Building on the Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems course, this class delves deeper into geospatial analysis and mapping techniques. The class is heavily project-based and students are encouraged to bring their own research questions. T...
ESS268 Empirical Methods in Sustainable Development The determinants of human well-being over the short and long-run, including the role of environmental factors in shaping development outcomes. A focus on the empirical literature across both social and natural sciences, with discussion and assignment...
ESS270 Analyzing land use in a globalized world This course examines the dynamics of land use in relation to globalization. The objective is to understand how the expansion of global trade, and public and private regulations affect land use changes. The course will enable students to better unders...
ESS271 Climate Models and Data Overview of key concepts necessary to develop familiarity with climate modeling and data. Topics covered will include components of the climate system, climate change and global warming, and model mechanics, their evaluation and usability, and predic...
ESS275 Nitrogen in the Marine Environment The goal of this seminar course is to explore current topics in marine nitrogen cycle. We will explore a variety of processes, including primary production, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation, and their...
ESS279 The Climate System and The Second Law of Thermodynamics This course will read and discuss a recent review of the climate system with a focus on modeling the Earth's atmosphere as a heat engine, and quantifying entropy balance and entropy production in the moist atmosphere. The Earth receives a small amoun...
ESS281 Urban Agroecology Urban agriculture takes many forms in cities around the world and provides significant amounts of food and other resources and benefits for urban communities. This Earth Systems practicum explores the application of agroecological principles to the d...
ESS282 Designing Educational Gardens A project-based course emphasizing 'ways of doing 's sustainable agricultural systems based at the new Stanford Educational Farm. Students will work individually and in small groups on the design of a new educational garden and related programs for t...
ESS292 Directed Individual Study in Earth System Science Under supervision of an Earth System Science faculty member on a subject of mutual interest.
ESS301 Topics in Earth System Science Current topics, issues, and research related to interactions that link the oceans, atmosphere, land surfaces and freshwater systems. May be repeated for credit.
ESS305 Climate Change: An Earth Systems Perspective This is an introductory graduate-level course that is intended to provide an overview of leading-edge research topics in the area of climate change. Lectures introduce the physical, biogeochemical, ecological, and human dimensions of climate change,...
ESS306 From Freshwater to Oceans to Land Systems: An Earth System Perspective to Global Challenges Within this class we will have cover Earth System processes ranging from nutrient cycles to ocean circulation. We will also address global environmental challenges of the twenty-first century that include maintaining freshwater resources, land degra...
ESS307 Research Proposal Development and Delivery In this class students will learn how to write rigorous, high yield, multidisciplinary proposals targeting major funding agencies. The skills gained in this class are essential to any professional career, particularly in research science. Students wi...
ESS308 Carbon Dioxide and Methane Removal, Utilization, and Sequestration This is a seminar on carbon dioxide and methane removal, utilization, and sequestration options, and their role in decarbonizing the global energy system. This course will cover topics including the global carbon balance, utilizing atmospheric carbon...
ESS322B Seminar in Hydrology Current topics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
ESS323 Stanford at Sea (Graduate students register for 323H.) Five weeks of marine science including oceanography, marine physiology, policy, maritime studies, conservation, and nautical science at Hopkins Marine Station, followed by five weeks at sea aboard a sailing rese...
ESS328 Environmental Change and Human Resiliency Unprecedented environmental change increasingly threatens human settlements in the U.S. and around the globe. This environmental change renders communities vulnerable to poor health outcomes, property loss, and displacement. This confluence of interr...
ESS348 Dynamics of the Atmosphere Overview of large-scale atmospheric dynamics. Topics include the circulation of a zonally symmetric atmosphere, internal gravity waves, Rossby waves, the instability of zonal flows, and the role of eddies in the general circulation of the troposphere...
ESS360 Social Structure and Social Networks In this course, we will explore social network analysis, a set of methods and theories used in the analysis of social structure. The fundamental conceit underlying social network analysis is that social structure emerges from relationships between in...
ESS363F Geophysical Fluid Dynamics The fundamental dynamics of rotating stratified fluids. Topics include inertia-gravity waves, geostrophic and cyclogeostrophic balance, vorticity and potential vorticity dynamics, quasi-geostrophic motions, planetary and topographic Rossby waves, ine...
ESS38N The Worst Journey in the World: The Science, Literature, and History of Polar Exploration This course examines the motivations and experiences of polar explorers under the harshest conditions on Earth, as well as the chronicles of their explorations and hardships, dating to the 1500s for the Arctic and the 1700s for the Antarctic. Materia...
ESS40 Approaching Palau: Preparation and Research Ideation and Development This class is a seminar designed to prepare students participating in the 2022 Palau Seminar for possible research activities. Enrollment by approval of the instructors.
ESS400 Graduate Research Independent study and thesis research under the supervision of a faculty member in the Earth System Science department. On registration, students designate faculty member and agreed-upon units. The course involves regular meetings with the faculty ad...
ESS401 Curricular Practical Training CPT course required for international students completing degree. Prerequisite: Earth System Science Ph.D. candidate.
ESS46N Exploring the Critical Interface between the Land and Monterey Bay: Elkhorn Slough Preference to freshmen. Field trips to sites in the Elkhorn Slough, a small agriculturally impacted estuary that opens into Monterey Bay, a model ecosystem for understanding the complexity of estuaries, and one of California's last remaining coastal...
ESS61Q Food and security The course will provide a broad overview of key policy issues concerning agricultural development and food security, and will assess how global governance is addressing the problem of food security. At the same time the course will provide an overvie...
ESS65N How to make a tornado (and other flows in the atmosphere and ocean) In this seminar students explore the physics of atmospheric and oceanic flows experientially using rotating tanks of water on small turntables provided to students in the class. Different flow phenomena from tornado formation, ocean gyres, to hurrica...
ESS71 Planet Ocean Oceans make up the majority of our planet's area and living spaces and are fundamental to biodiversity, climate, food and commerce.This course covers integration of the oceanography and marine biology of diverse ocean habitats such as the deep sea, c...
ESS8 The Oceans: An Introduction to the Marine Environment The course will provide a basic understanding of how the ocean functions as a suite of interconnected ecosystems, both naturally and under the influence of human activities. Emphasis is on the interactions between the physical and chemical environmen...
ESS801 TGR Project TGR Project
ESS802 TGR Dissertation TGR Dissertation
ESS86N The Most Rational People in the World Humans, broadly construed, emerged as bipedal apes in the African mixed savanna-woodlands approximately two million years ago. From humble beginnings, humans have gone on to be become the ecologically dominant species in most biomes and grown to a gl...