NIGK17000U CHANGED: Land Use and Environmental Modelling

Volume 2018/2019
Education

MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Nature Management

Content

Environmental modelling is increasingly used in land management. The course takes an ecosystem approach and use simple as well as more advanced models to quantify environmental loads under different land uses and land use changes.

Main themes are:
• Element balance concept, including the biogeochemistry and processing of elements: deposition, fertilisation, 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.

We use element balance calculations and exisisting empirical and dynamic models that are comparable to those used in enviromental or agricultural consultant companies.

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 detailed modelling.

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, simple empirical models 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 models to calculate element balances and environmental loads for case areas.
  • Communicate knowledge on environmental problems related to land use.
  • Understand and relate critically to results generated by environmental models.

 

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.
Literature

We use scientific papers and reports. Please see 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.
CHANGED in 2018/19 to: the course coordinator will decide the learning method (students need to contact the course coordinator for detalis). The type of assessment wil not change.

Changed from: 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 you need to bring a computer and install software. One afternoon excursion will be off campus.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Excursions
  • 5
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Practical exercises
  • 40
  • Preparation
  • 45
  • Project work
  • 50
  • Theory exercises
  • 35
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, during course
Oral examination, 15 minuttes
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.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Re-submission of reports, individual oral examination, 20 min.

Criteria for exam assesment

See 'Learning Outcome'