Course syllabus
Science of Environmental Change
FFR166, 7.5 credits (ECTS), 1st quarter 2021/2022
Course management
Examiner/course leader
Stefan Wirsenius, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
stefan.wirsenius@chalmers.se; 031-772 3146
Course co-leader
Daniel Johansson, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
daniel.johansson@chalmers.se; 031-772 2816
Additional teachers
Hanna Ek Fälth, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
hanna.ek.falth@chalmers.se
Anqi Li, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
anqi.li@chalmers.se
Florence Pendrill, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
florence.pendrill@chalmers.se
Kristell Pérot, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
kristell.perot@chalmers.se
Jinxi Yang, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
jinxi.yang@chalmers.se
Course administrator
Jinxi Yang, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
jinxi.yang@chalmers.se
General information
The course is part of the Master’s program Industrial Ecology at Chalmers University of Technology, but can also be taken as an elective by others that fulfill the course prerequisites.
The course web site can be found at Canvas. Please check this page regularly for updates, news and clarifications.
Aim and learning objectives
The course aims at giving a natural science basis for the understanding of key processes and mechanisms involved in major environmental problems and their solutions, in particular with respect to:
1) Processes involved in the responses and effects to human impacts on parts of the Earth system, such as the carbon cycle.
2) Factors that influence the scale of human impacts on Earth systems from, for example, different emissions.
3) Mechanisms determining the biophysical potentials for mitigation of human impacts, for example, reductions of various emissions.
After the course, you shall be able to:
- explain and apply basic natural and environmental science concepts and models
- explain key properties and processes on Earth of importance for understanding environmental changes
- apply this knowledge to explain the processes involved in environmental disturbances caused by humans
- perform simple calculations related to Earth systems and environmental change
Additional, more specific, learning objectives are given as part of the lectures.
Content
1) Overview of environmental changes
The course starts with an overview of major environmental changes and the dangers they pose to humanity.
2) Basic chemistry and physics for understanding environmental changes
Thereafter the course gives a review of basic chemical and physical concepts and models important for understanding and analyzing environmental changes.
3) The Earth system and its components
Another important basis for understanding environmental changes is knowledge about of the different components of the Earth system. The course gives a review of key properties of the atmosphere and the ocean, and in-depth descriptions of the climate system, and the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous.
4) Environmental changes caused by humanity
Interwoven in the description of the Earth system, the course gives in-depth accounts of different disturbances induced by human activities. This course focuses in particular on the problem of global warming. Other environmental changes that are dealt with more closely include ocean acidification, eutrophication, air pollution, and ozone depletion.
Structure
Lectures
The course includes 23 lectures in total, of which three deal with Basic chemistry and physics, and 18 with Earth systems and Environmental changes. After each lecture, slides and notes will be available at the course website.
As a preparation for the written exam, a Q & A session is scheduled at the end of the course, to allow you to ask questions about the course content.
Assignments
There are two assignments performed in groups of three students and handed in. The purpose of these hand-ins is to facilitate learning by studying in-depth important Earth system processes and mechanisms. The hand-ins are an optional, but expected, part of the course and give bonus points that are added to the result on the written exam (see Examination and grading below). The assignments will be made available on the course website. The student groups are required to upload their hand-ins onto the course website before the deadline.
There are two scheduled tutorials for each of the hand-ins, where you can ask questions and receive guidance. These tutorials are optional, but a good chance for you to get help on the assignment.
The student groups are put together by the course management, and will be announced on the course website by the end of the first study week. Please contact the course administrator if you have issues in finding your group.
Calculation exercises
Although a minor part of the course, being able to perform (simple) calculations relating to Earth systems and environmental change is part of the learning goals of the course. There will be two scheduled occasions where solutions to exercises are presented by teachers. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions about exercises you have tried to solve by yourself. Attendance is optional.
Please note that some questions in the exams will be selected from the calculation exercise sheet.
The compendium of exercises will be made available at the course website.
Readings
Purpose
Reading assignments are an important part of the course, as they provide you with depth and knowledge about environmental changes. Lecture content is limited to the most important matters, and you need to learn the rest of the materials on your own through the readings (as well as hand-ins and calculations). The readings will deepen your knowledge, and help understanding environmental changes at a deeper and more theoretical level. You are expected to read the assigned readings. Some questions in the exam will be selected from the assigned readings.
List (for details, see schedule below)
Archer, 2012. Global Warming, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd (Selected pages, see schedule below.)
Breitburg et al., 2018. Declining oxygen in the global ocean and coastal waters. Science
Doney et al., 2020. The Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Marine Ecosystems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources.
Erb et al 2018. Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass. Nature
Goosse et al., 2010. Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
IPCC, 2013, Technical summary. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Jackson & Jackson, 2000. Environmental Science, 2nd edition, Pearson Education. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Jacobson, 2012. Air Pollution and Global Warming, Cambridge University Press. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Matthews et al., 2017. Estimating Carbon Budgets for Ambitious Climate Targets, Current Climate Change Reports.
Ricklefs & Miller, 2000. Pathways of elements in the ecosystem, In: Ricklefs & Miller, Ecology, 4th ed, WH Freeman. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Rodhe, 2000. Modeling biogeochemical cycles, In: Jacobson et al., Earth system science, AP. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Sutton et al 2011. European nitrogen assessment - Technical Summary. Cambridge UP
Vallis, 2012. Climate and the oceans, Princeton University Press. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Wallace & Hobbs, 2006. Atmospheric Science, 2nd ed, Elsevier (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Williams & Follows, 2011. Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle. Cambridge University Press. (Selected pages, see schedule below)
Availability
All readings are available for download at the course website.
Examination and grading
General information
In order to pass the course, you must pass the written exam.
Points and grades:
- The written exam can give a maximum of 80 exam points.
Grades are: Fail (< 40), 3 (≥ 40 p), 4 (≥ 52 p), or 5 (≥ 64 p).
- Each assignment can give a maximum of 20 bonus points, which are scaled and added to the exam result.
The bonus points obtained for assignments are scaled, i.e. converted to equivalent exam points, using the ratio 12/40. This means that, for instance, 10 bonus points obtained for a hand-in is worth 3.0 exam points. Please note, however, that these exam points obtained from bonus points are counted towards your exam result only if your exam score alone is at or above the level for pass (i.e. 40 exam points). Also note that they are valid for one year only, i.e., you have three exam opportunities to use them (the regular exam by the end of the course, and two re-exams).
Some details about the written exam
Duration: 5 hours
Aids:
- i) Pocket calculator of any type
- ii) Language dictionaries
Calculation exercises make up around 15 to 20 points, out of a total of 80 points. Formulas and equations needed for solving the exercises are provided in the exam sheet.
Evaluation
Student evaluation of the course is done in accordance with current Chalmers practices. A student evaluation contact group (three persons) will be appointed at the introduction class, and subsequently announced at the course website. The course management will hold two meetings with the student group during the course. After the course, all course participants are offered to take part in an evaluation survey on-line.
Schedule
SEC Course schedule 2021 - Update Sept 7.pdf
also see TimeEdit