LNAF10050U Land Use, Element Balances and Environmental Impact

Årgang 2013/2014
Engelsk titel

Land Use, Element Balances and Environmental Impact

Uddannelse
MSc Programme in Agriculture
Kursusindhold

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.

Målbeskrivelser

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.

Undervisningsmateriale
No textbook i currently available. The course i primarily based on original research papers, reports etc. that will be available on Absalon.
Knowledge on processes in the plant-soil system as e.g. in the courses 'Soil, Water and Plants' (Jord, Vand og Planter) or ‘Environmental Chemistry in Biological Systems’ (Miljøkemi i Biologiske Systemer) or equivalent courses.
Teaching methods include: - classroom lectures - basic programming tutorials - case-based exercises - excursion with field work, training soil classification - writing and presentation of small project reports
Approximately 1/3 of the course will be related to computer modelling thus part of the teaching will be in the computer room. One afternoon excursion will be off campus.
  • Kategori
  • Timer
  • Eksamen
  • 1
  • Ekskursioner
  • 5
  • Forberedelse
  • 45
  • Forelæsninger
  • 30
  • Praktiske øvelser
  • 40
  • Projektarbejde
  • 50
  • Teoretiske øvelser
  • 35
  • I alt
  • 206
Point
7,5 ECTS
Prøveform
Skriftlig aflevering
Mundtlig prøve, 15 min
During the course three group reports are produced and evaluated.
An oral exam in the reports and the curriculum are performed as a group examination with questions asked to the individual students (15 min is the approximate time used for each student).
Weight: 50% reports, 50% oral exam.
Krav til indstilling til eksamen
Group reports delivered
Hjælpemidler
Alle hjælpemidler tilladt
Bedømmelsesform
7-trins skala
Censurform
Ingen ekstern censur
Flere interne bedømmere
Kriterier for bedømmelse
See 'Learning Outcome'