Land Resource Science

Faculty | MSc |PhD |Shared | Courses

Land and Atmospheric Science

Chair - Terry J. Gillespie (104 Richards, Ext. 2447)
(E-mail: tgillesp@lrs.uoguelph.ca)
Graduate co-ordinator - Ward Chesworth (007 Richards, Ext. 2457)
(E-mail: wcheswor@lrs.uoguelph.ca)
Graduate secretary - Joy Roberts (101 Richards, Ext. 2456)
(E-mail: jroberts@lrs.uoguelph.ca)

FACULTY
Michael E. Brookfield BSc Edinburgh, PhD Reading - Associate Professor
Nigel Bunce BA, MA, DPHIL Oxford - Professor
Ward Chesworth BSc, MSc Manchester, PhD McMaster - Professor
Leslie J. Evans BSc Southampton, PhD Wales - Professor
Terry J. Gillespie BSc British Columbia, MA Toronto, PhD Guelph - Professor
Michael J. Goss BSc London, MSc Birmingham, PhD Reading - Professor and Chair of Land Stewardship
Pieter H. Groenevelt Ldb Ing, PhD Wageningen - Professor
Beverley Hale BSc, MSc Toronto, PhD Guelph - Associate Professor
Stewart G. Hilts BA Western Ontario, MA, PhD Toronto - Professor
Beverley D. Kay BSA Toronto, MSc Guelph, PhD Purdue - Professor
I. Peter Martini dott Florence, PhD McMaster - Professor
Ray A. McBride BSc (Agr), PhD Guelph - Associate Professor
Ivan O'Halloran BSc MSc Guelph, PhD Saskatchewan - Research Professor
Richard R. Protz BSA, MSc Saskatchewan, PhD Iowa State - Professor
George W. Thurtell BSA, MSA Toronto, PhD Wisconsin - Professor
R. Paul Voroney BSc Calgary, MSc, PhD Saskatchewan - Associate Professor
Claudia Wagner-Riddle BSc, MA Sao Paulo, PhD Guelph - Assistant Professor

Associated Graduate Faculty
Denis A. Angers BSc Laval, MSc Guelph, PhD MacDonald - Agriculture Canada
J.A. Baldock BSc (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Adelaide - National Forestry Institute
Thomas E. Bates BSA Toronto, MS North Carolina State, PhD Iowa State - Retired
Eric G. Beauchamp BSc (Agr), MSc McGill, PhD Cornell - Retired
Brian Brisco BSc, MSc Guelph, PhD Kansas - Intera Information Technologies Nepean, CCRS Ottawa
D. Murray Brown BSA, MSA Toronto, PhD Iowa State - Retired
C. Chong BSc, MSc, PhD McGill - Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Vineland
Gerry den Hartog BSc Western Ontario, MSc Toronto, PhD Guelph - Environment Canada
David E. Elrick BSA Toronto, MSc, PhD Wisconsin - Retired
Robert W. Gillham BSc Toronto, MSc Guelph, PhD Illinois - University of Waterloo
P. Howarth BA Cambridge, PhD Glasgow - University of Waterloo
R. Gary Kachanoski BSc, MSc Saskatchewan, PhD California - Adjunct Professor
Kenneth M. King BSA Toronto, MS, PhD Wisconsin - University Emeritus Professor
Sarah B. Lowe BSc St. Andrews (Scotland), MSc West Indies (Trinidad) - Dufferin Aggregates, Downsview, Ontario
K. Bruce MacDonald BSA Guelph, MSc Toronto, PhD Guelph - Ontario Land Resource Unit, Agriculture Canada, Guelph
Ron Martin BSc, MSc St. Francis Xavier, PhD Western Ontario - Chemistry, Western Ontario
Murray H. Miller BSA Toronto, MSc, PhD Purdue - Emeritus Professor
Harold H. Neumann BASc, MA Toronto, PhD Guelph - Atmospheric Environment Service
Richard D. Reeleder BSc New Brunswick, PhD Wisconsin (Madison) - Agriculture Canada, Research Station, Delhi, Ontario
Graeme A. Spiers BSc Waikato (New Zealand), MSc, PhD Alberta
- Ministry of Northern Development & Mines, Sudbury
G. Ste Douw yn BSc, MSc Cape Town, PhD British Columbia - Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
Alan Tomlin BA, MSc Western Ontario, PhD Rutgers - Agriculture Canada, London, Ontario
G.C. Topp BSA Toronto, MSc, PhD Wisconsin - Agriculture Canada
Gregory J. Wall BSc (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Ohio State - Agriculture Canada

Special Graduate Faculty
Terence P. McGonigle BSc Sussex, PhD York (U.K.) - Research Scientist
H. Peter Van Straaten Dipl. Geol., Dr. rer. nat Gottingen (Germany) - Adjunct Professor

The objective of the MSc and PhD programs in land and atmospheric science is to provide opportunities for advanced studies and research on the lower atmosphere, soil, water, surficial geological deposits, the relationships among these resources, and their management within the context of sustainable development. Cross-disciplinary research with a focus on biophysical sciences is emphasized.    The fields of study and the areas of specialization are as follows:

MSc PROGRAM
Admission Requirements
   In addition to the minimum requirements stated elsewhere in the Graduate Calendar, admission to the graduate program is dependent on the availability of an adviser, space and funding.
   Students entering the MSc program will be expected to have taken, or be familiar with the content of, introductory courses in atmospheric science, soil science, earth science and land resource management, either through appropriate courses or a program of self study.

Degree Requirements
   All students in the MSc program are required to enroll in the two-course sequence Research Issues I and II. The objectives of these courses are to enhance the skills needed for a research career (including cross- disciplinary research); foster the development of superior communication skills; increase the student's awareness of major issues related to land resources, and current research; and provide an environmental, social and economic context for this research. It is recommended that students enrol in the courses during their first year.
   Enrolment in the resource-development emphasis of the University School of Rural Planning and Development enables students to register in the Department of Land Resource Science and complete a joint MSc program between these two units. The prime interest of students choosing this option will usually involve biophysical aspects of resources management and land use planning. Considerable flexibility is thus provided; students are advised to contact the department to discuss individual programs.

PhD PROGRAM
Admission Requirements
   Students who are applying for admission to the PhD program, and who have completed an MSc in another program (at Guelph or at a different University), will follow the application procedures prescribed by Graduate Program Services. Students lacking the same level of understanding across fields and within fields as graduates from the MSc program will be expected to correct this deficiency early in their PhD program.
   Students intending to continue directly into a PhD program after the completion of an MSc within the program must complete a full application for the PhD degree. This application should be submitted at least two months before meeting the requirements of the MSc degree. Superior MSc students may be permitted to transfer to the PhD program without completing the master's degree.

Degree Requirements
   Students must pass a qualifying examination and successfully prepare and defend a thesis, as specified under the general regulations for the PhD degree. Students must complete Research Issues I, 5206900, and Research Issues II, 5206910, as the minimum course requirements. Additional courses will be determined by the advisory committee.
   Students are encouraged to develop an advanced level of understanding of two or more additional areas of specialization which are related to the area of their research and to participate in cross-disciplinary or collaborative research programs where opportunities permit.

INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Rural Planning and Development Shared MSc Program
   Enrolment in the resource development emphasis of the University School of Rural Planning and Development enables students to register in the Department of Land Resource Science and complete a shared MSc program between these two units. The prime interest of students choosing this option usually involves biophysical aspects of resources management and land use planning. Considerable flexibility is thus provided; students are advised to contact the department to discuss individual programs.

COURSES
Atmospheric Science
5206000 Physical Environment of Crops and Forests (0.5) F
Recent literature on temperature, humidity, radiation, wind, gases and particles in crop and forest environments; evapotranspiration and photosynthesis of plant communities; modification of microclimates; applied micrometeorology. Offered in odd-numbered years.
5206040 Micrometeorology (0.5) W
Physical phenomena near the soil-atmosphere interface including solar and thermal radiation, diffusion, turbulence and profile relationships will be discussed. The transport of heat, matter, and momentum within and above plant canopies, and combination equations for evaporation are included topics. Offered in odd-numbered years.
5206060 Agrometeorological Instrumentation (0.5) F
Theoretical and practical aspects of electronic circuits, sensors, and equipment used in agrometeorological research. Offered in even-numbered years.
5206240 Special Topics in Atmospheric Science (0.25-0.5) F & W
The content is determined by the interests of the students and the availability of instructors. Topics may include aspects of statistics for climatology, animal biometeorology, air pollution meteorology, and hydrometeorology.
Soil Science
5206250 Soil Genesis and Classification (0.5) F
A discussion of world soil regions for students not specializing in soil genesis.
5206280 Soil Physics (0.5) W
The soil as a physical system with special regard to soil water movement and the diffusion and dispersion of chemical substances. Numerical techniques and computer solutions will be developed.
5206300 Applied Soil Physics (0.5) W
The application of soil physical principles to practical problems concerning soil physical quality, erosion, land reclamation and industrial-waste disposal on land. Prerequisite: 8704020.
5206320 Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics of Porous Media (0.5) W
Transport processes in porous media such as soils, clays, and membranes are dealt with in the framework of non-equilibrium thermodynamics with emphasis on the coupling between water, solutes, heat and electric charge transport.
5206340 Soil Organic Matter and Biochemistry (0.5) F
(1) Soil organic matter characterization, (2) dynamics of soil organic matter, (0.5) nutrient cycling.
5206360 Soil and Water Chemistry (0.5) F
Thermodynamics of soil solutions; solution-solid phase equilibria; reaction kinetics; computer modelling of solute-mineral interactions.
5206380 Advanced Soil Chemistry (0.5)
The mathematical development of solute speciation models for aqueous solutions, surface complexation models for inorganic soil constituents and descrete and continuous functional group models for humic materials.
5206400 Soil Nitrogen Fertility and Crop Production (0.5) W
Emphasis will be placed on soil N transformations and processes, and N sources for crops; field experimentation methods; environmental issues.
5206420 Soil Productivity (0.5) F
Soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics as they influence crop growth with emphasis on processes and mechanisms.
5206580 Special Topics in Soil Science (0.25-0.5)
Issues that are relevant to the current research of faculty or visiting faculty. Generally presented as a combination of lectures, student seminars and written projects.
Environmental Earth Science
5206280 Soil Physics (See above)
5206360 Soil and Water Chemistry (See above)
5206730 Special Topics in Environmental Earth Science (0.5)
A study of principles and analyses of local environmental problems involving the application of geological and soil information of land use applications and possible hazardous conditions.
Land Resources Management
5206760 Advanced Remote Sensing (0.5) W
Critical review of the latest research papers on the use of remotely sensed data for temporal monitoring of the biosphere.
5206880 Special Topics in Land Resources Management (0.25-0.5)
Issues that are relevant to the current research of faculty or visiting faculty. Generally presented as a combination of lectures, student seminars and written projects.
Other
5206900 Research Issues I (0.25) F
Principles and philosophy of scientific research including the development of superior communication skills.
5206910 Research Issues II (0.25) W
A continuation of Research Issues I.
5206940 Analytical Instrumentation and Techniques (0.25-0.5)
Equipment and techniques of soil and plant analyses. Variable credit will be assigned based on the number of laboratory units covered.

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