Module GEOG30M1: Mediterranean Environments

Department: Geography

GEOG30M1: Mediterranean Environments

Prerequisites

• GEOG2462 Scientific Research in Geography or GEOG2521 Managing River Catchments

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• Mediterranean environments are particularly sensitive to changes in climate and other types of anthropogenic disturbances, often leading to irreversible land degradation. The aim of this field trip module is to provide advanced-level conceptual and practical training in the integrated understanding of environmental processes in Mediterranean environments, which are particularly relevant to the pervasive problem of land degradation. This knowledge is needed to tackle the UN Sustainable Development Goals in many parts of the world. Students will engage in detailed environmental analyses from conceptual and applied perspectives including models that integrate process-based understanding and demonstrate the value of interdisciplinary perspectives for the understanding of environmental change. As a Level 3 module, it is intended to build upon basic grounding in relevant substantive material from Years 1 and 2, but to expand and apply this knowledge through direct experience of, and undertaking, investigation in a Mediterranean environment. The field trip location in Mallorca is a world-class place to look at the outlined issues, and is designed to inspire the next generation of researchers on the topic of environmental change and land degradation.

Content

• Through this field-based module, students will learn about the physical processes associated with land degradation, and build upon their background in physical geography to explore the roles of different processes – including hydrology, geomorphology, ecology and biogeochemistry – within a systems perspective.
• Students will attend pre-field trip lectures in which they will receive an essential grounding in key environmental processes and their interactions and will learn about state-of-the-art empirical and environmental modelling applications for studying these processes.
• Through small-group activities in the field, students will become experienced in the advanced collection of field data (for example data on vegetation characteristics and soil properties), and applying a range of approaches to the study of environmental questions, in order to make the link between data, concepts and practice.
• Students will explore thematic areas in detail that include resilience and self-organization in Mediterranean environments, understanding the interplay between short- and long-range processes on the emergence of patterns in Mediterranean environments, how these patterns can be used as indicators of land degradation, the cascading effects of wildfire, and carbon budgeting within an ecogeomorphic framework.

Learning Outcomes

• On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of how interconnected systems work, including how interacting parts of the environment combine in ways that are not straightforwardly predictable
• Comprehend the Mediterranean environment as an interconnected system, including the interactions between climate, vegetation, geology, and surface processes
• Show how an understanding of how concepts of resilience and sustainability can be used to frame the human settlement of Mediterranean environments, with a specific focus on issues of land degradation
• Understand how computer modelling and field data are integrated to be able to understand interconnected systems in detail across a range of space and time scales

• On successful completion of this module students will be able to:
• Relate current literature on complex systems and Mediterranean environments to specific situations and case studies
• Design and implement a field data-collection project
• Use the data collected to run a computer model to explore the character of the system.
• Analyse results to support a critical assessment of the system and support decision-making to mitigate human impacts on the landscape
• Document data collected and make them available for others using best practices in open data and open source approaches, and to link data with other sources of information.

• On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
• Design a collaborative research project
• Solve problems and the ability to make reasoned decisions
• Perform interpretations explained in lectures / practicals and extract patterns from environmental data collected in the field
• Undertake critical analysis and interpretation of data and text
• Apply numerical and computational skills to complex datasets
• Present logical written and oral arguments
• Manage time and organise work effectively

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

• Briefing sessions before the field trip will be used to introduce key concepts and specific background to the environment to be investigated. Lectures will also be the basis for the small-group discussions used to formulate the field projects, and gain the necessary understanding of the methods to be used. The small-group discussions will be used to guide the development of realistic projects, using the synthesis of complex literature to develop ideas at the frontier of current research.
• The field trip will be used to develop a more in-depth understanding of core concepts and environmental processes through field-based learning including hands on training in key field skills. Students will carry out group project work to collect relevant data and start to process and analyse them. Training on best practices in field work will be provided, including notetaking as the basis for the reproducibility of data, advanced measurement techniques, and field mapping of the landscape as well as more detailed mapping of surface biotic and abiotic characteristics relevant to environmental modelling. Practical applications of the understanding of decision-making processes and management of land degradation will also be discussed.
• Data collected will be analysed in timetabled computer laboratory sessions during Term 1 of Level 3, and will be used to apply and critically assess state-of-the-art models for the understanding of interconnected environmental processes. Guidance will be given on how to link the measurements and modelling to theory and research questions, and on how to produce an open data repository with appropriately structured metadata. The repository and supporting materials will be assessed as a group, and each student will produce an independent report.
• Important Information:
• The fieldtrip takes place September 2025 (before the start of the academic year).The compulsory briefing sessions for this module will take during Week 47 (June 9th-13th 2025) before the compulsory Dissertation week.
• Students who pre-register for this module are required to be present in Durham during this time and must attend all sessions. Failure to attend these sessions will result in your place on the module being cancelled.
• All students will require a valid passport for travel.
• Non-UK/EU passport holders:
• Please ensure you have read carefully the information available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website regarding requirements for entry. Entry requirements vary greatly and it is important that you highlight this to the Department at the point of selecting this module, so that any necessary entry arrangements can begin as early as possible. As a general rule, the department can supply letters confirming full coverage of your accommodation and subsistence as well as your insurance. Flights are booked well in advance and proof can be provided for visa application purposes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will be provided in the following ways: On the initial project outline. During the field course. During follow-up practical classes. Formative feedback is also provided on the oral presentation of the poster.

■ 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