Isotopes provide insight into the nature and timing of processes that shape the ocean and atmosphere, the earth, and the solar system. (Ocean photograph courtesy of Repoort on Flickr. Earth photograph is from NASA and is in the public domain. Nebula photograph is from NASA/ESA and is in the public domain. Periodic table of elements figure was created by Wikimedia user Cepheus and is in the public domain.)
Instructor(s)
Dr. Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink
Dr. Bill Jenkins
Kyrstin Fornace
(Teaching Assistant)
MIT Course Number
12.744
As Taught In
Fall 2012
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
The objective of this course is to develop an understanding of principles of marine isotope geochemistry, its systematics, and its application to the study of the behavior and history of the oceans within the earth system. The emphasis is on developing the underlying concepts and theory as well as proficiency in working with practical isotope systems. The course is divided into four sections: nuclear systematics, Earth formation and evolution, stable isotopes, and applications to the ocean system.