Environmental and Earth Sciences Concentration

Environmental & Earth Sciences in Action

measurement tool
Undergraduate Interns in the Field
stream table
river surveying
snow measurements
Keith Musselman in the field
Intern at Mountain Research Station at Niwot Ridge, 2020
Large Wood Field Day. A logjam with large wood was sampled. The logjam is located in the Westcreek watershed outside of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Environmental and Earth Sciences

Climatology, geomorphology, biogeography, arctic and alpine systems, hydrology, ecology and global change

Physical geography integrates and inter-relates landforms, water, soils, climate, and vegetation as the major natural elements of the environment.  The focus of physical geography is on the zone of the land, ocean, and atmosphere containing most of the world’s organic life.  Physical geography not only describes natural phenomena near the surface of the earth but, more importantly, seeks explanations of how and why the physical and biological processes act as they do.  Physical geography includes processes studied in other physical and natural sciences such as meteorology, geology, biology, and soil science, however, physical geography is more than a mere composite of these other sciences.  It takes a comprehensive approach to the processes of the natural environment, often with an emphasis on human modifications to the environment. 

Courses in this Concentration

Lower Division

  • GEOG 1001: Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation
  • GEOG 1011: Our Changing Planet: Landscapes and Water
  • GEOG 1100: Colorado Geographies: Environment, Society and Change in the Centennial State
  • GEOG 1200: Climate Change Geographies
  • GEOG 2271: Intro to the Arctic Environment
  • GEOG 2321: Geography of Skiing and Snowboarding
  • GEOG 2421: Visualizing Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events

Methods:

Upper Division

Quick Links