BB905: Basic ecology and biogeochemistry
Study Board of Science
Teaching language: Danish or English depending on the teacher
EKA: N150003102
Assessment: Second examiner: None
Grading: Pass/Fail
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master(s)
STADS ID (UVA): N150003101
ECTS value: 2.5
Date of Approval: 29-04-2021
Duration: 1 semester
Version: Archive
Comment
Introduction course for the Masters in Climate Adaptation for students with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies or Engineering (TEK). The purpose of the course is to create an academic foundation for ecology and biogeochemistry since students will have different academic backgrounds.
Entry requirements
Academic preconditions
Course introduction
Climate change influences all life on Earth by altering chemical, physical and biological processes. When habitats are altered, whole ecosystems are affected. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the ecology and the biogeochemistry of ecosystems. The course will discuss cycles of water and chemical elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. How do these cycles link different parts of the ecosystem, and how do they affect climate? And in turn, how is climate change affecting processes on land and at sea? The course includes practical examples where students get experience in handling and using environmental and climate data.
The course provides an academic basis for the courses Basic course in climate change, climate effects and climate adaptation, Technologies and tools used in climate adaptation as well as climate adaptation in developing cities and sustainable growth, which are placed later in the program.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree, it is the explicit focus of the course to:
- Give competencies to work with ecological and biogeochemical problems.
- Give skills in understanding and handling cases involving hydrological, chemical, physical, and biological disciplines.
- Give knowledge of the main concepts and processes of climate change.
Expected learning outcome
In order to achieve the purpose of the course, the learning objective of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:
- Describe general hydrological processes
- Explain basic water chemistry and biogeochemistry, including C/N/P/S cycles
- Understand the impact of flora, fauna, and microorganisms for production and degradation of organic substance
- Explain the impact of abiotic factors on biological processes e.g. acidification and rising temperatures
- Account for greenhouse gasses and their effect on the climate and the ecosystems
- Handle and understand available data, including handling primary literature.
Content
The course contains these main academic areas:
- The water cycle
- Water chemistry and biogeochemical processes and cycles of substances
- Habitats and ecosystems and the interaction between them
- Controlling factors for the climate, including precipitation, temperature, greenhouse gasses, and other climate affecting factors
- Handling and use of environmental and climate data.
Literature
Examination regulations
Exam element a)
Timing
Autumn
Tests
Written assignment (MCQ)
EKA
N150003102
Assessment
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Full name and SDU username
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Duration
2 hours
Examination aids
Not allowed, a closer description of the exam rules will be posted in itslearning.
ECTS value
2.5
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
At the faculty of science, teaching is organized after the three-phase model ie. intro, training and study phase.The teaching method is based on three phase model.
- Intro phase: 15 hours
- Skills training phase: 10 hours, hereof tutorials: 10 hours
Activities during the study phase:
- Independent recapitulation of the curriculum
- Solving assignments