Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This module aims to provide students with a deep understanding of Earth System Science and its implications for climate processes.

To provide students with a holistic understanding of Earth System Science and its role in shaping climate processes.

To foster an interdisciplinary approach, integrating principles from meteorology, oceanography, geology, and biology and other relevant fields to study Earth's climate dynamics.

To develop critical thinking and practical skills, enabling students to analyse complex Earth processes and phenomena and evaluate the impact of human activities on the Earth system.

Outline Of Syllabus

1. Global Systems, topics to be covered include: The Earth's geosphere, the atmosphere, the oceans, the biosphere, the cryosphere
2. Transport, topics to be covered include: global cycling elements (e.g., carbon and oxygen).
3. Energy, topics to be covered include: solar energy (radiation, latent and sensible heat) and climate.
4. Homeostasis, topics to be covered include: positive and negative feedback, climate change and global warming.
5. Global warming and climate change: PaleoclimateRece

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1. Describe and explain key Earth system components, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, and understand their interactions
2. Analyse the processes driving Earth's systems, such as plate tectonics, climate dynamics, and biogeochemical cycles.
3. Integrate knowledge from multiple scientific disciplines to address complex earth and environmental science questions.
4. Understand the drivers and consequences of contemporary climate change, integrating Earth System Science principles.
5. Discuss mitigation strategies and examine adaptation strategies, recognizing the need to address and prepare for the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and societies.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Successful students will be able to use basic algebra to describe environmental and climate systems, including chemical reactions, material fluxes, Earth’s radiation budget.
They will be familiar with: Chemical elements and reactions, units and scales, the manipulation of equations, logarithms and exponentials, the use of graphs and tables, independent literature study, and summarising key information in written form.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures introduce core information (linked directly to all Intended Knowledge Outcomes). Small group teaching (tutorials) is designed to put this information into context of “real world examples”, and to apply information to solving explicit problems, encouraging a deeper understanding of gained core information and further reading (linked directly to Intended skills and Knowledge Outcomes).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Given the breadth of subject areas covered in this introductory module for a range of programmes, the assessment method will be based on an exam.

General Notes

N/A