NIGK17000U Land Use and Environmental Modelling
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Nature Management
MSc Programme in Global Environment and Development
Environmental modelling is increasingly used in land management. To make decisions on sustainable land management, quantitative estimates of impacts (e.g. flux of N leaching in kgN/ha/yr) are needed for the range alternative strategies. Such data on impacts ususally comes from models. The course takes an ecosystem approach and use simple as well as more advanced models to quantify environmental loads under different land uses and from 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 model software 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. The work on the case studies is performed in groups and a group report is submitted for each of these three cases.
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.
- Describe C, N and P cycling under agricultural and forest land uses as well as the mutual interactions of these cycles in wetland soils.
- Reflect on the variability of soil characteristics (including on the practical problems of soil mapping) and their influence on water and element fluxes.
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.
- Understand and relate critically to results generated by environmental models.
- 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.
We use scientific papers and reports. Please see Absalon.
Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 32
- Preparation
- 129
- Exercises
- 40
- Excursions
- 5
- Total
- 206
Teachers give written and/or oral feedback on drafts of the three reports produced as part of the course. Oral feedback will also be part of the discussion following group presentations.
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- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 minuttes
- Type of assessment details
- The student will draw 1) one of the three submitted reports and 2) a question related to the curriculum. The reports are not graded but the theme of the report forms the basis of the first half of the oral exam. For the second half the question is drawn from a known pool of questions.
- Exam registration requirements
Three project reports submitted
- Aid
- All aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners
- Re-exam
Re-submission of reports no later than three weeks before the re-examination, individual oral examination, 20 min.
Criteria for exam assesment
See 'Learning Outcome'
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- NIGK17000U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 3
- Schedule
- A
- Course capacity
- 30
The number of places might be reduced if you register in the late-registration period (BSc and MSc) or as a credit or single subject student.
The number of seats may be reduced in the late registration period
Study board
- Study Board of Natural Resources, Environment and Animal Science
Contracting departments
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinators
- Per Gundersen (3-766d7b466f6d7434717b346a71)
Lecturers
Efstathios Diamantopoulos
Sander Bruun
Bjarne W. Strobel
Hans Christian Bruun Hansen