Environmental Science BSc

You will undertake detailed research on a chosen topic after discussion with a supervisor. Each project will involve collection of data by means such as experiment, questionnaire or observation, as well as the analysis and interpretation of the data in the context of previous work.

Working closely with an academic supervisor, you develop and undertake a research project in your third year. You will present your results orally to your peers and in the form of a concise scientific paper.

The project encourages critical thinking and involves a detailed literature survey, data collection, analysis and interpretation.

Recent projects include:

• Phytoremediation of contaminated soil
• The effect of phosphogypsum on soil development
• Reduction of atmospheric pollutant concentrations by hedgerows
• Hazard assessment of heavy metal uptake to plants
• Ecological impacts of veterinary drugs
• Forest carbon storage and its role in mitigating CO² emission

Animal-human interactions raise some prominent ethical issues. In this module, you’ll examine the ethical dimensions concerning animal agriculture, modern biotechnologies and research in the biosciences, in relation to both humans and non-human species. You’ll learn about the ethical frameworks used to analyse specific dilemmas raised by the human use of animals. Using specific animal and biotechnology case studies, you’ll interpret the main ethical theories and principles and apply them to the case studies to inform professional decision-making. You’ll have a mix of lectures and seminars to explore these concepts.

The course will focus on the function of arctic ecosystems. We will identify key terrestrial ecosystem drivers and processes in order to gain a broad understanding of arctic areas. During the field course, you will put ecological methodology into practice. Working on projects that analyse landscape patterns and processes in different habitats. The course will also address climate change impacts on arctic ecosystems. You'll develop skills in ecological methodology, experimental design, data collection and analysis, interpretation and presentation. You are required to pay a contribution towards the cost of the field course.

In this module we will explore some of the ways of mitigating climate change. We will look at the different tools available to meet these challenges such as renewable energies, low-carbon buildings carbon foot printing, and off setting. We will also examine the potential of nature-based solutions to help both mitigate against climate change and boost our resilience to its impacts.

Modern biological and environmental science includes the study of complex systems and large data sets, including imaging data. This necessitates the use of computer models and analyses in order to understand these systems.

This module contains an introduction to computer programming and modelling techniques that are used in the biological and environmental sciences. Specifically, it contains:

1. Development, simulation and analysis for models in space and time, using the Python language, with applications in the biological and environmental sciences;
2. Analysis of long term behaviour of models in two or more dimensions;
3. Methods for fitting models to experimental and environmental data;
4. Analysis of image data. The module will focus on relevant applications in environmental and biological science, e.g. chemical, radioactive and biological pollution, crop development and pathogens and microbiology. The module will use the Python programming language throughout and be assessed by a patchwork assessment consisting of write-ups of assignments from during the semester.

20 credits in the Autumn semester.

An intermediate module covering the key environmental and sustainability issues of relevance to energy supply and use, materials consumption, and product design/manufacture. Topics include:  
 
1) Drivers for sustainability, including patterns of energy use, material consumption, waste generation, and associated environmental impacts in UK and globally.   
 
2) Factors influencing the availability of non-renewable and renewable energy and material resources.  
   
3) Principles for the efficient use of energy resources including energy use in buildings, heat and power generation, and heat recovery systems.  
   
4) Life cycle assessment of engineering activities, with focus on greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, their impacts, and mitigation measures.  
   
5) Economic analysis of investments in energy savings, material substitution, product design, and value recovery from end-of-life products Cost-benefit analysis incorporating environmental externalities and the role of government regulations in influencing business decisions.

This module provides training in environmental biotechnology, with particular emphasis on the interaction between microorganisms and the environment. The main topics covered will be wastewater treatment, bioremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants, microbes as indicators of risk factors in the environment, microbes in agriculture (biocontrol and biofertilisers) and the role of microorganisms in bioenergy production.

This module is concerned with the behaviour and effects of pollutants in terrestrial and aquatic environments and how their impacts can be ameliorated and managed. The focus is on both the scientific understanding of environmental pollutants and on the intervention strategies currently available. Topics covered include study of the common water and soil pollutants: heavy metal contamination of land; radionuclide behaviour in the environment; persistent organic contaminants and pesticides; nitrate pollution of groundwater; pollution of surface waters by agriculture; eutrophication of lakes; acidification of soils and freshwaters; biological monitoring of rivers; ecotoxicology and environmental epidemiology; quantitative risk assessment; land reclamation, including landfill sites. You will have lectures, tutorials, a field visit and laboratory work and demonstrations.

The module will focus on the processes that govern the interplay between the biosphere and geosphere. It will identify key events and processes in geological time which demonstrate the geological consequences of evolution. Students will gain understanding of the mechanisms that control changes in the physiochemical environmental and their impact upon evolution and in turn how life has impacted on the physiochemical environment.

What happens below the ground that affects the water and nutrient uptake by plants? In this module, you’ll examine the acquisition of water and nutrients by plants in both agricultural and natural systems, and how plants interact with the soil environment. You’ll learn about the evolution of root adaptations which enable plants to thrive in environments with limited or excess water and nutrients. In an agricultural setting, you’ll explore how water and nutrient uptake by plants can be used to improve crop productivity and resource management, and use the practical study component to investigate new methods and technologies for below-ground phenotyping of roots. You’ll have a mix of lectures and computer-based practicals to gain a fundamental understanding of how water and nutrients are acquired by plants from the soil environment, and their influence on plant growth and development.

This one week field excursion aims to provide you with experience of a range of environmental pollution issues. Issues covered in the excursion include:

• soil acidification and forest decline/recovery
• contamination of soils and vegetation due to mining and air pollution
• biomonitoring using tree rings
• lignite mining and combustion, past and present
• particulate and gaseous air pollution

Field activities will be based in Barcelona. A series of field exercises involving sampling and observation will be undertaken, based on the key topics above. These will be followed up by laboratory sessions during which samples collected in the field will be processed and data analysis undertaken. The results will be presented during a seminar session where you will give short summary talks on the work undertaken during and after the field trip.

Students are required to pay a contribution towards the cost of the field course. 

Soils underpin the sustainability of all terrestrial ecosystems on our planet. Alongside forming the basis of agricultural production soils provide us with a range of vital ecosystem services including storing water and atmospheric greenhouse gases, mediating the impact of pollutants and providing habitats for soil organisms.

Globally soils are under threat from a wide range of processes. This module covers the environmental issues associated with the management of soils. You will explore and debate the sustainable management options open to land managers to prevent degradation and its adverse effects on soil functions and services, while helping to enhance food security.

This module will introduce students to a range of topics relating to ecology and conservation, with a particular focus on the tropical context. During the course students will:

• Consider the threats and problems that tropical ecosystems and biodiversity are currently facing, including topics such as the impacts of climate change, land-use change, and exploitation of wildlife.
• Consider a range of possible approaches for conservation and more sustainable management. These will take into account ecological, socio-political, and economic factors, and will include a wide range of strategies such as habitat management, land-use planning, and policy change.
• Examine case studies detailing real-life example of problems and solutions, across a variety of tropical contexts.