Course syllabus

Science of Environmental Change

FFR166, 7.5 credits (ECTS), 1st quarter 2022/2023

 

 

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

Avi Jakhmola, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
jakhmola@chalmers.se

Florence Pendrill, Department of Space, Earth and Environment
florence.pendrill@chalmers.se

Kristell Pérot, formerly at Department of Space, Earth and Environment
Resigned from Chalmers on Sept 1

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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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, biodiversity loss, air pollution, and ozone depletion.

 

 

Structure

Lectures

The course includes 23 lectures in total, of which three deal with Basic chemistry and physics, and 20 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)

Rogelj et al 2019, Estimating and tracking the remaining carbon budget for stringent climate targets. Nature

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 60 exam points.

Grades are: Fail (< 30), 3 (≥ 30 p), 4 (≥ 39 p), or 5 (≥ 48 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 9/40. This means that, for example, 10 bonus points obtained for a hand-in is worth 2.2 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. 30 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:

  1. i) Pocket calculator of any type
  2. ii) Language dictionaries

 

Calculation exercises make up around 10 to 15 points, out of a total of 60 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 2022 - REVISED.docx