An introduction to the fundamental principles of global geophysics. Four parts, taught over three weeks each in an order allowing the material to build up to form a final coherent picture of (how we know) the structure and evolution of the solid Earth: 1. Gravity and 2. Magnetism: the description and study of the Earth's magnetic and gravitational fields. 3. Seismology: body waves, surface waves and free oscillations. 4. Geodynamics: heat flow, cooling of the Earth, and mantle convection. The emphasis is on physical principles including the mathematical derivation and solution of the governing equations.
COURSES
Undergraduate Courses
Fall 2019
Data, Models, and Uncertainty in the Natural Sciences
No more being puzzled by dots on a graph! This course is for those who want to turn observations into models and subsequently evaluate their uniqueness and uncertainty. Three main topics are: 1. Elementary inferential statistics, 2. Heuristic time series analysis, and 3. Model parameter estimation via matrix inverse methods. While the instructor's and textbook examples will be derived mostly from the physical sciences, students are encouraged to bring their own data sets for classroom discussion. Problem sets and MATLAB computer programming exercises form integral parts of the course. Prior programming experience is helpful but not required.
Instructors: Benjamin Eli Schaffer, Frederik Jozef Simons