Module GEOG2651: GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Department: Geography

GEOG2651: GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To use geochemical signals to interpret the impact of physical, biological and anthropogenic processes operating in the environment
• To provide a foundation in inorganic and organic geochemistry for Physical Geographers

Content

• Introduction to geochemistry and the use of elements as tracers to better understand processes in the environment
• Introduction to global biogeochemical cycles; with focus on carbon and other major elements in the Earth System (Oxygen, Nitrogen)
• The cycle of elements at the ‘catchment-scale’: From the atmosphere, through soils, via rivers to lacustrine and ocean environments; the concept of reservoirs, fluxes and residence times
• Inorganic geochemistry: Why elemental concentrations vary (dilution and mixing); How elements cycle through atmosphere, land and ocean
• Organic geochemistry: The building blocks of life; organic matter production and degradation; link to the global carbon cycle
• Isotope geochemistry: How isotope fractionation give insights into environmental processes (e.g. through tracing key processes in the carbon cycle)
• Anthropogenic impacts: How natural elemental cycles can be perturbed (promoting primary productivity, causing eutrophication, contaminating land) and how geochemical tracers can improve understanding and management options

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of the module students are expected to be able to:
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of what controls the concentration of elements in a range of physical environments
• Describe geochemical data in the context of environmental processes
• Demonstrate awareness of how biogeochemical cycles operating in a single catchment can combine to impact at the global-scale
• Assess the relative impact of human activities on biogeochemical cycles using geochemical tracers
• Assess contrasting concepts and theories to explain spatial and temporal trends in elemental composition in different environments

• On successful completion of the module students are expected to be able to:
• Examine patterns and trends in geochemical data
• Understand appropriate sample preparation procedures for analytical geochemistry
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the analytical methods used to measure element concentration in environmental geochemistry
• Understand precision and accuracy of geochemical measurements
• Assess how geochemical measurements can be used as ‘proxies’ for environmental conditions or processes
• Extract patterns from geochemical data
• Describe geochemical data in the context of environmental processes

• On successful completion of the module students are expected to be able to:
• Interpret and effectively present scientific data
• Working as a group to produce and interpret data used for the individual summative report

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module uses a range of teaching, learning and assessment techniques: Lectures will provide the breadth of coverage, overview, and study guide required by the aims and learning outcomes. These will be supplemented where appropriate by specified additional reading which will extend the information in the lectures. They will also draw on learning experiences from the practicals and laboratory sessions
• Practicals will provide ‘hands-on’ experience with real data and real world problems and the methods used to interpret and present geochemical data. These will relate to concepts introduced in the lectures and provide a forum in which to question key issues in more detail
• Laboratory practicals will provide training in key methods in environmental geochemistry, including sample preparation, inorganic and organic geochemical analysis (e.g. CHN, trace metals, biomarkers) and provide an understanding of technical aspects of geochemical analyses (accuracy, precision). The data collected will form the content the formative and summative (coursework) assessments
• Seminars will allow students to work in groups to produce a coherent, concise verbal presentation of the results of their laboratory practicals. Laboratory practical 1 in term one will form the seminar content for the formative assessment and Laboratory practical 2 will form the seminar content for the summative assessment in term two. They will provide training in how to best summarise and present project results to an audience, and how to answer questions relating to the project. They will assess the key skills outlined above
• The unseen examination will provide the students with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of environmental geochemistry, their ability to their facility for critical evaluation of the concepts introduced in the course, assessing the key skills described above

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Written formative feedback will be provided on the term 1 laboratory report. Verbal feedback will also be provided on written practicals and seminar presentation in terms 1 and 2, along with model answers.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University