| Responsible Department | Forest & Landscape
40 % Department of Basic Science and Environment 40 % Department of Agriculture and Ecology 20 % | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | BSc. 2 year to MSc. 1 year | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 7.5 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Level of Course | Joint BSc and MSc | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination written examination and oral examination Portfolio Examination All aids allowed Description of Examination: The course has three themes and for each theme a report is produced based on elements from exercises and assignments throughout the course. At the final oral examination the student draw a question to the curriculum. The response may include a presentation of parts of the report material and the curriculum. There is preparation time before the examination. The work on the reports is performed in groups; however, the oral examination is individual. Weight: Oral examination in reports and curriculum 100% 7-point scale, no second examiner | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Requirement for Attending Exam | Reports delivered | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Teaching will take the form of lectures, case study analysis, assignments, computer exercises, field exercises and excursions. Field exercises and excursions will be off campus. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 3 Week Structure: A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Language of Instruction | English | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | 250021 Soil, Water and Plants 230009 Environmental Chemistry of Biological Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Content | |||||||||||||||||||||
| The course takes an ecosystem approach, thus the internal processes in the plant-soil system are not intensively studied. These processes are assumed to be known from e.g. 'Environmental Chemistry in Biological Systems' (Miljøkemi i Biologiske Systemer) or equivalent courses. The focus is on sources and sinks affecting the element balance of a system under different land uses and land use changes. Main themes are: . Element balance concept, including the biogeochemistry and processing of elements: deposition, fertilisation (broadly including also the use of waste products), weathering, plant uptake, litterfall, net mineralisation, leaching and gaseous losses. . Water balance and its components including modelling here of. . Soil characteristics and variability: Investigations in the field, importance for element balance and modelling calculations. . Mass balances of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and base cations. . Integrated models for transport and loss of water, matter and gasses. Common types of terrestrial ecosystems are addressed, including intensively managed agriculture and semi-natural ecosystems such as forests, at scales from fields to watersheds. The impact of land use change e.g. due to less intensive management or afforestation is analysed. The examples, assignments and student reporting is related to three parallel case studies: a river catchment with restored hydrology, a groundwater abstraction area in a complex landscape, and a simplified agricultural area for modelling. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching and learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching methods include: - classroom lectures - basic programming tutorials - case-based exercises - field work, training soil classification - excursions - writing and presentation of small reports - evaluation | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning Outcome | |||||||||||||||||||||
| The aim of the course is to give the students a fundamental understanding of the effects of different land uses on element cycling, element balances and element losses from terrestrial ecosystems. The students will achieve skills in using element balances and more complex modelling tools to quantify impacts on the environment at different scales. The competences achieved are essential for work related to environmental analysis, assessment, management and research on issues related to various land uses and land use changes. After completing the course the student should be able to: Knowledge . Summarize land use impacts (agriculture, forestry) on environmental problems. . Reflect on the variability of soil characteristics (including on the practical problems of soil mapping) and their influence on water and element fluxes. . Describe C, N and P cycling under agricultural and forest land uses as well as the mutual interactions of these cycles in wetland soils. Skills . Use element (and water) balances to estimate environmental impacts and/or benefits at different scales. . Use complex computer models (e.g. Daisy) to calculate element balances for case areas. . Communicate knowledge on environmental problems related to land use Competences . Evaluate components in element balances as well as water balances and how these components are influenced by land use. . Predict potential environmental impact from various land uses and from land use change. . Discuss problems related to scaling and to obtaining reliable data. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Literature | |||||||||||||||||||||
| No textbook i currently available. The course i primarily based on original research papers, reports etc. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Per Gundersen, pgu@life.ku.dk, Forest & Landscape Denmark/Applied ecology, Phone: 353-31678 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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