Earth, Climate and Environmental Change

Core Modules

• Introduction to Climate Change

  This module will introduce you to the concept of Earth System interactions, as a framework for understanding the causes and consequences of environmental and climate change. The module will cover the physical and chemical features of the Lithosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere; the processes that link these parts of the Earth System together; and the consequences of disturbing these interlinked systems. Term 2 will introduce you to the mechanisms that drive climate change, and the tools that scientists have at their disposal to quantify past climate change.

• Earth Resources

  The module will introduce you to key concepts necessary to understand the global energy market and as well as provide introductory knowledge and key skills needed for the next generation of geoscientists to explore and exploit georesources in a sustainable way. As a response to the Paris Climate Agreement and recent societal shifts, the request for sustainable energy has significantly raised in the last few years, with many energy companies looking to ramp up production of green energy. As a consequence, many of our future graduates are likely to find significant career opportunities in these new areas rather than in traditional hydrocarbon extraction.

• Numerical Toolkit for Earth and Environmental Scientists

  The first term of this module is designed to teach basic mathematics in the context of Earth and Environmental sciences. Topics that will be taught are: manipulation of algebraic and exponential equations; trigonometry; reading charts and graphs and basic differential and integral calculus. In the second term, data analysis techniques will be developed. Content of term 2 will include error analysis, single and multivariate statistics, probability distributions, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression, non-parametric tests, and box modelling.

• Physics and Chemistry of the Earth

  In this module you will develop an understanding of basic concepts in chemistry and physics and how to apply these to geological processes. You will look at atoms and atomic structure, the periodic table of elements, reactions, equations, geochemical analysis, the composition of the earth, interpretation of phase diagrams, solubility of minerals, weathering and the hydrological cycle. You will also consider Newton’s Laws, kinematics, circular motion, planetary orbits, gravity, magnetism, electricity, resistivity, stress, strain, seismicity, isostasy, radioactivity, and geochronology.

• Planetary Geomorphology

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the evolution of major features of current and past tectonic activity of the Earth. You will look at the current understanding of the Earth’s interior, considering its importance for both the kinematic and tectonic evolution of the planet. You will also explore how plate boundaries have formed, the dynamic processes involved, the types of data used to investigate these regions both onshore and offshore, and the importance of these processes to society.

• Introductory Sedimentology

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the surface processes and the mechanisms of weathering, transport and deposition. You will look at the classification of sediments and sedimentary rocks, and consider depositional facies analysis and interpretation of the paleoenvironment. You will also examine the use and interpretation of sedimentary logs, triangular diagrams, vector scales and granylometric data in analysing sedimentary rocks.

• Introductory Palaeontology

  In this module you will develop an understanding of palaeobiology and palaeoecology. You will look at the diagnostic characters of the major groups of fossils in the laboratory and field, and compare and contrast examples from the main categories of fossils, learning to differentiate between them. You will also examine the diversity of fossils and see how this can be applied in both stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental analysis.

• Scientific and Geological Field Skills

  In this module you develop an understanding of the skills required to practice geology in the field, carrying out a series of activities in South Devon and Pembrokeshire. You will learn to describe and interpret the origin of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and how to prepare a geological map and cross-section using standard symbols. You will examine stereographic projections, sedimentary logging, the construction of stratigraphic columns for the identification of rocks, and the analysis of structural features using stereonets.

• Research in Earth, Climate and Environmental Change

  In this research led module skills in scientific writing, communication and data interpretation will be developed alongside an understanding of current research topics in Earth, Climate and Environmental Change. A series of seminars will be led by experts on a range of research topics in the field of Earth, Climate and Environmental change. From these seminars, you will gain an understanding of cutting edge research and the way in which research projects are planned and carried out. A literature review exercise on one of the research topics from the seminar series will be undertaken with support from tutors.

  You will receive training in techniques for literature searching, synthesising a large quantity of literature and reference managing. Data interpretation skills will be developed through a short guided quantitative project.

• GIS and Remote Sensing

  Skills in GIS and Remote Sensing are most effectively acquired through practical work and the use of industry-standard commercial software packages. Practical work is entirely computer-based and involves learning techniques of handling, using and interrogating GIS data, through exercises and projects which have relevance to geology.

  The applications currently used are ArcGIS and ER Mapper.

• Geohazards

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the hazards associated with geological activity, their causes, and approaches to risk management. You will look at volcanoes, earthquakes, and radon, and the hazards associated with the exploitation of geological resources and associated anthropogenic activity, including asbestos, the mining industry, and contaminated land. You will examine a variety of geological and geochemical data, and learn to interpret and analyse these in order to make scientifically justified decisions as to the level of risk.

• Geochemistry

  In this module you will develop an understanding of advanced chemical concepts relevant to the Earth Sciences. You will focus on isotope geochemistry and consider techniques that are directly applicable in most geological contexts. You will attend practical classes and conduct a small project involving the analysis and interpretation of a real geochemical dataset.

• Groundwater hydrology

  The aim of the module is to introduce you to the fundamental concepts of physical hydrogeology, particularly the flow and storage of water in geologic structures. The topics covered include the importance of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle, and fluxes of water between different reservoirs. The lectures will also cover the aquifer properties (permeability, transmissivity), Darcy’s law, groundwater flow equations and simple graphical and numerical ways to solve the groundwater flow equation, how to determine aquifer properties from pump tests, regional flow systems and basics of groundwater and surface water interaction.

• Computational Earth Sciences

  In this module you will develop an understanding of how computation tools are used to read, create, analyse, and visualise digital earth science data. You will learn to use python, a popular scripting language, to read and manipulate data from digital files, and look at digital mapping techniques, using data to plot 2D and 3D maps. You will consider how to fit linear data and analyse the goodness of fit using statistical analysis tools, and examine how to produce simple models of geological processes using algebraic expression, such as generating models for seismic travel time curves, major element concentration during magma crystallization, sedimentary basin thickness, and other similar geological phenomena.

• Oceanography

  The oceans form a critical component of the global climate system. They redistribute heat and nutrients around the world and in doing so exert a significant influence on the proliferation of different organisms, regional climatic zones, and the formation of mineral deposits on the seafloor. In this module you will learn about the physical and chemical constituents of the oceans. You will be introduced to the types of oceanographic measurements that can tell us how the modern oceans behave, and how this behaviour might be extended into predictions of future behaviour. You will also learn how to extract and process large oceanographic datasets using open-access oceanographic software.

• Earth, Climate and Environmental Change research project

  Projects can be field and/or laboratory based, generating new scientific data, or they can be computational, analysing existing data that has not been subject to detailed and critical analysis. Early in term 1 you will submit a project plan to the supervisor and course leader and will receive written feedback on the project plan. Formative feedback will also be provided at the end of term 1 following presentations showing progress made so far. You will be expected to regularly meet with your project supervisor for guidance. At the end of the project you will present the results of your research as a scientific report and as an oral presentation.

   

• Advanced Practical Meteorology

  This module will provide you with a working knowledge of basic meteorology. The module will begin with atmospheric basics and terminology including didactic sessions and workshops/practicals on solar radiation, thermodynamics, water vapour, stability, clouds and precipitation. It will progress into skill sessions (lectures and practicals) on radar, interpreting satellite maps and weather reports and finish with sessions (lectures and practicals) putting it all together (review and consolidation) for understanding of winds, fronts, air masses and thunderstorms. The module will finish up with lectures and practicals demonstrating how basic meteorological understanding can be applied for career useful consideration of meteorological hazards: tropical and extra tropical cyclones, regional winds boundary layers and pollutant dispersal, numerical weather prediction and atmospheric optics.

• Modern Climate Change

  This course has two main aims:

  1) To introduce you to the evidence for and mechanisms of modern climate change – what climate change is, how the climate change is manifested, what physical mechanisms are driving it, and what its future status might be.

  2) Methods of research in multi-disciplinary topics, report writing, and communication of complex ideas for policy makers using Earth Science as a subject matter.

• Palaeoclimate

  The Earth’s climate has changed across geological time, due to the interaction of a huge array of inter-related climate forcing agents. These changes have been reconstructed using many different lines of chemical, biological and physical proxy data, and mechanistically interrogated using computer simulations (Earth-System models). In this module, you will be taught about the key features of major climatic events in Earth’s history and should gain an appreciation of the typical rates and magnitudes of change that characterise these episodes. A key aim of the module is to demonstrate some of the techniques used for quantitative palaeoclimate reconstruction, and for you to learn the critical evaluation skills needed to interpret these datasets. These skills will be developed through class practical exercises and a summative task that requires the interpretation of a raw palaeoclimate dataset.

   

• Methods of Environmental Investigation

Optional Modules

There are a number of optional course modules available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course modules that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new modules may be offered or existing modules may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

• All modules are core

• Stratigraphy and the History of Life

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the key events in the history of life and their environmental impact using the fossil and sedimentary record. You will analyse fossil assemblages using stratigraphic principles such as absolute dating, lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy. You will consider how to interpret sedimentary rocks, and examine the importance of fossil assemblages in the interpretation of events in earth history.

• Applied Geophysics

  In this module you will develop an understanding of the theory and practice of seismic, gravity, magnetic and resistivity surveying. You will consider the methods used to manipulate, analyse, and display geophysical data to solve geological exploration problems, and examine the strengths and weaknesses of the different data types.

• Geothermal Energy

• Hydrogeology
• Environmental Biogeochemistry
• Applied Geochemistry
• Planetary Geology and Geophysics
• Solar, Wind and Marine Energy
• Subsurface storage of CO2 and Energy