The Essential Guide to Planet Earth

This textbook is written for an audience of introductory college students in a non-science degree program. It is intended to provide a detailed comprehensive knowledge of Planet Earth, including basic aspects of physics, chemistry, geology and biology. As a major scientific overview of the entirety of Planet Earth, the intention is to only present key concepts that will enhance, enrich, and engage the readers interest in Earth Sciences. It is intended to make any reader, such as yourself, at least a little more knowledgeable of the amazing place that we all live within. Hosted as a WikiBook.

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Benjamin Burger

Geological Structures: a Practical Introduction

This manual is about structures that occur within the Earth’s crust. Structures are the features that allow geologists to figure out how parts of the Earth have changed position, orientation, size and shape over time. This work requires careful observation and measurements of features at the surface of the Earth, and deductions about what’s below the surface. The practical skills you will learn in this course form the foundation for much of what is known about the history of the Earth, and are important tools for exploring the subsurface. They are essential for Earth scientists of all kinds. The course that this document supports is about doing structural geology. It’s not possible to be a good geologist (or to pass the course) just by learning facts. You have to be able to solve problems. Do your lab work conscientiously and get as much as possible done during lab sessions when instructors are available to help you. This manual consists of both readings and lab exercises, which alternate through the text. The readings are designed to be read and understood outside the lab sessions, whereas the labs contain specific instructions and questions to be completed. Before each lab, be sure you have covered the readings that come immediately before it.

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: John Waldron, Morgan Snyder

Hydrological Measurements

Relation of purpose of data to data requirements. Relation of data to costs. Accuracy requirements of measurements and error propagation: Related to a problem the required accuracy of measurements and the consequences for accuracy in the final result are discussed. Different types of errors are handled. Propagation of errors; for dependent and independent measurements, from mathematical relations and regression is demonstrated. Recapitulated is the theory of regression and correlation. Interpretation of measurements, data completion: By standard statistical methods screening of measured data is performed; double mass analysis, residual mass, simple rainfall-runoff modelling. Detection of trends; split record tests, Spearman rank tests. Methods to fill data gaps and do filtering on data series for noise reduction. Methods of hydrological measurements and measuring equipment: To determine quantitatively the most important elements in the hydrological cycle an overview is presented of most common hydrological measurements, measuring equipment and indirect determination methods i.e. for precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, river discharge and groundwater tables. Use, purpose and measurement techniques for tracers in hydrology is discussed. Advantages and disadvantages and specific condition/application of methods are discussed. Equipment is demonstrated and discussed. Areal distributed observation: Areal interpolation techniques of point observations: inverse distance, Thiessen, contouring, Kriging. Comparison of interpolation techniques and estimation of errors. Correlation analysis of areal distributed observation of rainfall Design of measuring networks: Based on correlation characteristics from point measurements (e.g. rainfall stations) and accuracy requirements the design of a network of stations is demonstrated.

Material Type: Homework/Assignment, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Reading

Author: Dr.ir. A.M.J. Coenders

Integrated Water Management

The lectures introduce a number of topics that are important for IWRM and the modeling exercise. The lectures introduce water management issues in the Netherlands, Rhine Basin, and Volta Basin. The role-play is meant to experience some of the social processes that, together with technical knowledge, determine water management.

Material Type: Lecture Notes, Reading, Simulation

Author: Prof.dr.ir. N.C. van de Giesen

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - Interactive Mind Map

An interactive reference work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals with short introductions to the goals, the official translations and numbering of the 17 goals and the 169 underlying targets, zoom in / zoom out at goal or target level, powerful search function, and "deep" hyperlinks to the UN website about the goals.Compact and online available interactive reference work that can be useful in all kinds of learning activities related to the SDGs.Currently available in English, Spanish, French and Dutch.Free to use online, but also to download and "embed" in other websites (HTML5); the source code is also freely available (MMAP).

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Primary Source, Unit of Study

Author: Pieter van der Hijden

Urban Drainage and Watermanagement

The lectures will discuss characteristics of urban water flows, hydraulics, hydrology and how to apply knowledge of these phenomena to the design and analysis of urban water systems. Integration of various scientific disciplines and technological and practical approaches is a central theme in this course. Students will design an urban drainage system for a real case in the Netherlands or abroad using the Rational Method. They will use this design as input for a hydrodynamic computer model and perform model calculations for various conditions to check the performance of the designed system and improve where needed. They will prepare a written report of their data, design choices and results and present main results in a plenary session that concludes the lecture series.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Reading

Author: Dr.ir. J.A.E. ten Veldhuis

The Water Cycle Game

The water cycle game helps you learn how water molecules move through various places including rivers, the ocean, the earth’s surface, the atmosphere and clouds. Actions such as evaporation, runoff, condensation, precipitation, soil absorption and ground water expansion move water from one zone to another.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Homework/Assignment, Simulation

Dams

Through eight lessons, students are introduced to many facets of dams, including their basic components, the common types (all designed to resist strong forces), their primary benefits (electricity generation, water supply, flood control, irrigation, recreation), and their importance (historically, currently and globally). Through an introduction to kinetic and potential energy, students come to understand how dams generate electricity. They learn about the structure, function and purpose of locks, which involves an introduction to Pascal's law, water pressure and gravity. Other lessons introduce students to common environmental impacts of dams and the engineering approaches to address them. They learn about the life cycle of salmon and the many engineered dam structures that aid in their river passage, as they think of their own methods and devices that could help fish migrate past dams. Students learn how dams and reservoirs become part of the Earth's hydrologic cycle, focusing on the role of evaporation. To conclude, students learn that dams do not last forever; they require ongoing maintenance, occasionally fail or succumb to "old age," or are no longer needed, and are sometimes removed. Through associated hands-on activities, students track their personal water usage; use clay and plastic containers to model and test four types of dam structures; use paper cups and water to learn about water pressure and Pascal's Law; explore kinetic energy by creating their own experimental waterwheel from two-liter plastic bottles; collect and count a stream's insects to gauge its health; play an animated PowerPoint game to quiz their understanding of the salmon life cycle and fish ladders; run a weeklong experiment to measure water evaporation and graph their data; and research eight dams to find out and compare their original purposes, current status, reservoir capacity and lifespan. Woven throughout the unit is a continuing hypothetical scenario in which students act as consulting engineers with a Splash Engineering firm, assisting Thirsty County in designing a dam for Birdseye River.

Material Type: Full Course, Unit of Study

Environmental Engineering

In this unit, students explore the various roles of environmental engineers, including: environmental cleanup, water quality, groundwater resources, surface water and groundwater flow, water contamination, waste disposal and air pollution. Specifically, students learn about the factors that affect water quality and the conditions that enable different animals and plants to survive in their environments. Next, students learn about groundwater and how environmental engineers study groundwater to predict the distribution of surface pollution. Students also learn how water flows through the ground, what an aquifer is and what soil properties are used to predict groundwater flow. Additionally, students discover that the water they drink everyday comes from many different sources, including surface water and groundwater. They investigate possible scenarios of drinking water contamination and how contaminants can negatively affect the organisms that come in contact with them. Students learn about the three most common methods of waste disposal and how environmental engineers continue to develop technologies to dispose of trash. Lastly, students learn what causes air pollution and how to investigate the different pollutants that exist, such as toxic gases and particulate matter. Also, they investigate the technologies developed by engineers to reduce air pollution.

Material Type: Full Course

The Environment of the Earth's Surface

A great variety of processes affect the surface of the Earth. Topics to be covered are production and movement of surficial materials; soils and soil erosion; precipitation; streams and lakes; groundwater flow; glaciers and their deposits. The course combines aspects of geology, climatology, hydrology, and soil science to present a coherent introduction to the surface of the Earth, with emphasis on both fundamental concepts and practical applications, as a basis for understanding and intelligent management of the Earth's physical and chemical environment.

Material Type: Full Course

Author: John Southard

Geography of Water Resources

Geography 431 is designed to further understanding of the natural processes of aquatic ecosystems, management of water resources, and threats to sustaining water quantity. Develop awareness and appreciation of the perspectives about water as a precious resource, commodity, and sometimes hazard. Learn how and why water is distributed unevenly around the Earth. Examine how resource management decisions are strongly related to water availability, quantity, and quality. The course examines water resources management; dams and dam removal; provision of safe potable water; threats to water quantity and quality; land use changes; the water economy; water laws and policy; institutions for water management at the global, national, regional, and local scale; and issues of water security and climate change.

Material Type: Full Course

Authors: Jamie Peeler, Michael Nassry, Rob Brooks

Offshore Hydromechanics Part 1

Offshore Hydromechanics includes the following modules:1. Hydrostatics, static floating stability, constant 2-D potential flow of ideal fluids, and flows in real fluids. Introduction to resistance and propulsion of ships. Review of linear regular and irregular wave theory. 2. Analytical and numerical means to determine the flow around, forces on, and motions of floating bodies in waves. 3. Higher order potential theory and inclusion of non-linear effects in ship motions. Applications to motion of moored ships and to the determination of workability. 4. Interaction between the sea and sea bottom as well as the hydrodynamic forces and especially survival loads on slender structures.

Material Type: Full Course, Lecture Notes

Author: de Jong, P.

"Biome" in a Baggie

This ZOOM video segment shows how to create a self-contained environment and explores evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive

Authors: National Science Foundation, WGBH Educational Foundation

Can You Catch the Water?

Students construct three-dimensional models of water catchment basins using everyday objects to form hills, mountains, valleys and water sources. They experiment to see where rain travels and collects, and survey water pathways to see how they can be altered by natural and human activities. Students discuss how engineers design structures that impact water collection, as well as systems that clean and distribute water.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Denise W. Carlson, Janet Yowell, Jay Shah, Malinda Schaefer Zarske

Dam Forces

Students learn how the force of water helps determine the size and shape of dams. They use clay to build models of four types of dams, and observe the force of the water against each type. They conclude by deciding which type of dam they, as Splash Engineering engineers, will design for Thirsty County.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Denali Lander, Denise W. Carlson, Kristin Field, Lauren Cooper, Megan Podlogar, Sara Born, Timothy M. Dittrich

Do as the Romans: Construct an Aqueduct!

Students work with specified materials to create aqueduct components that can transport two liters of water across a short distance in their classroom. The design challenge is to create an aqueduct that can supply Aqueductis, a (hypothetical) Roman city, with clean water for private homes, public baths and fountains as well as crop irrigation.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Fish-Friendly Engineering

Students further their understanding of the salmon life cycle and the human structures and actions that aid in the migration of fish around hydroelectric dams by playing an animated PowerPoint game involving a fish that must climb a fish ladder to get over a dam. They first brainstorm their own ideas, and then learn about existing ways engineers have made dams "friendlier" to migrating fish, before being quizzed as part of the game.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Denise W. Carlson, Jeff Lyng, Kristin Field, Megan Podlogar

Advanced Water Mathematics

Learning and Understanding Mathematical Concepts in the Areas of Water Distribution and Water Treatment. From College of the Canyons. Table of Contents Section 1: Unit Dimensional Analysis Section 2: Geometric Shapes Section 3: Density and Specific Gravity Section 4: Chemical Dosage Analysis Section 5: Weir Overflow Rate Section 6: Water Treatment Math Detention Time Section 7: CT Calculations Section 8: Pressure, Head Loss, and Flow Section 9: Well Yield, Specific Capacity, and Drawdown Section 10: Horsepower and Efficiency Section 11: Per Capita Water Usage Section 12: Blending and Diluting Section 13: Scada and the Use of mA Section 14: Water Utility Management

Material Type: Textbook

Authors: Michael Alvord, Regina Blasberg

Elementary GLOBE: Magnify That

Students will learn about magnification and how a magnifying lens works. They will examine a variety of different objects, first without a magnifier and then with a magnifier, and compare what they observe. They will practice observing details of these objects with magnifying lens. The purpose of this activity is for students to learn about observation skills and how tools can help people make observations, what "magnification" means, and to learn that scientists use tools, such as magnifying lenses, to examine objects. Students will be able to identify a magnifying glass and its purposes. They will be able to describe how the same object looks different when using the unaided eye versus a magnifying lens.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Textbook

Offshore Hydromechanics 2

Part 2 of offshore hydromechanics (OE4630) involves the linear theory of calculating 1st order motions of floating structures in waves and all relevant subjects such as the concept of RAOs, response spectra and downtime/workability analysis.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Lecture, Lecture Notes, Reading, Textbook

Author: Ir. P. Naaijen