Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module, students should:
(i) appreciate the extent to which Earth systems are interconnected and how Geoscience resource issues impact on Environmental Sustainability
(ii) know that Earth's resources are finite and require careful assessment and management in the context of sustainable development
(iii) understand that renewable energy resources are variably sensitive to climate change, depending on location and the time-frame under consideration
(iv) be able to explain the resource-related factors that must be taken into account when planning renewable energy installations such as wind farms, solar farms and wave energy convertor deployment
(v) appreciate the nature of geohazards and some of the links between geoscience and human/animal health
Indicative Module Content:
Online Sessions
1 Earth’s Internal Cycles and Energy Flows: Part 1
• Earth’s internal structure and Energy
• Plate Tectonics
2 Earth’s Internal Cycles and Energy Flows: Part 2
• Introduction to Earthquakes
• Introduction to Volcanoes
3 Earth’s External Cycles and Energy Flows: Part 1, The Oceans
• Shallow ocean Circulation
• Deep ocean circulation
4 Introduction to Earth’s Climate System: Part 1
• Past natural climate variability
• Climate forcing mechanisms
5 Introduction to Earth’s Climate System: Part 2
• Evidence for recent climate change
• Climate models; how do they work
6 Introduction to Earth’s Climate System: Part 3
• Climate Sensitivity, resolution and other issues in climate models
• Attribution of recent change (natural versus anthropogenic)
7 Geohazards: Part 1
• Earthquakes and Induced Seismicity
• Landslides and bog bursts
8 Geohazards: Part 2 • Natural Radioactivity and Radon gas
9 Renewable Energy: Part 1
• Geothermal Energy
• Water Resources and Hydropower
10 Renewable Energy: Part 2
• Wind Energy
• Wave and Tidal Energy
11 Earth’s Finite Resources and Sustainability
• Earth’s hydrocarbon resources
• Earth’s metal and non-metallic resources
12 Pollutants in the Environment
• Metals and organometallic compounds in the environment
• Behaviour of organic compounds in the environment