Ecosystems of the future: climate change, terrestrial feedbacks and nature-based solutions
| Module title | Ecosystems of the future: climate change, terrestrial feedbacks and nature-based solutions |
|---|---|
| Module code | GEO2235 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Iain Hartley (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
Module description
To reach net zero, society must reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the level that the land surface and oceans can absorb, resulting in no increase in GHGs in the atmosphere. Terrestrial ecosystems currently absorb ~25% of the CO2 we release each year. However, there is uncertainty whether this will continue as climate change impacts become more severe. On the other hand, there is increasing interest in trying to manage land to promote greater carbon uptake while also delivering ecological benefits (Nature-based Solutions). This module will critically evaluate the role terrestrial ecosystems could play in the fight against climate change.
The model is suitable for non-geographers but some ecological knowledge is useful.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to:
- demonstrate how greenhouse gas fluxes to and from terrestrial ecosystems are controlling atmospheric chemistry and therefore the Earth’s climate;
- outline the type of detailed knowledge required to predict future carbon uptake/release;
- evaluate management options for using terrestrial ecosystems in climate change mitigation, and the associated risks;
- explain the challenges in predicting future greenhouse gas fluxes.
The course is highly research-led, making extensive use of the primary literature and outlining the most recent developments in the subject. There are increasing opportunities for jobs associated with Nature-based Solutions, linked to carbon-offsetting schemes in both the public and private sector. Understanding how to measure stores and fluxes of greenhouse gases is extremely important for verifying these schemes, and the module will engage with these issues directly. Furthermore, evaluating potential rates of future carbon uptake, as well as options for managing the carbon cycle, requires critical engagement with both the science and the societal contexts in which carbon offsetting may be promoted. As well as the subject-specific training, you will need good group-work and communication skills to succeed in many jobs. Working within groups in practical sessions will provide you with the opportunities to develop communication and organisational skills, as well as providing technical experience in monitoring the carbon cycle and analysing data.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Explain the current role terrestrial ecosystems play in controlling atmospheric chemistry and our climate
- 2. Outline the changes that are taking place in the Earth system that may influence future greenhouse gas uptake and release from terrestrial ecosystems
- 3. Evaluate and synthesise information, and make judgements on the potential for using terrestrial ecosystems in climate change mitigation
- 4. Quantify carbon stocks and fluxes, and consider the challenges in monitoring sinks and sources of carbon
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Discuss and critically evaluate contested and controversial research
- 6. Present and discuss data/results clearly and concisely
- 7. Demonstrate understanding of how science is continuously advancing, and the need to change conclusions in order to incorporate new findings
- 8. Evaluate how decisions may need to be made in the face of uncertainty
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Communicate ideas, principles and theories effectively and fluently
- 10. Identify your optimum role in a group, and to contribute to the overall success of the work of that group
- 11. Identify, acquire, critically evaluate and synthesise data from a range of sources
- 12. Develop a well-reasoned argument
Syllabus plan
The main content of the course will be delivered during 15 hours of lectures. Topics covered will include:
- Reasons for current carbon uptake:
The impacts of nitrogen deposition
Responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations
- Future climate change impacts on carbon uptake and GHG emissions:
The impacts of climate change on plants and soils
The consequences of permafrost thaw
Changes in the distribution of ecosystems
Extreme events and disturbances, including fire
- Opportunities for managing terrestrial ecosystems:
Changing the management of agricultural systems
Ecosystem conservation and rewilding
- How to monitor the carbon cycle:
Small, local and fine-scale versus remote and coarse-scaled
There will be two 3-hour field and laboratory-based practical classes in which we will measure both carbon storage in an ecosystem, and fluxes of carbon to and from the ecosystem. This will form the basis of a report that students will need to prepare on the best ways of determining how carbon storage has changed in managed ecosystems.
There will also be 3 hours of directed preparation for three class discussions on hotly-contested issues, answering questions related to the literature which is being read. The three class discussions will each take 1-hour to run and there will be a 1-hour feedback session to underpin the critical essays that will be set based on the discussion topics.
Finally, a one-hour research seminar will introduce you to examples of the types of research taking place on this subject.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 120 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 16 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 6 | 2 x 3 hour practical classes |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 3 | Preparation for class discussions |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 4 | Presentation of the arguments for and against the discussion topics, and feedback session |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 1 | Research seminar |
| Guided Independent Study | 32 | Reading around the lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | 36 | Preparation for debates |
| Guided Independent Study | 22 | Easy writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 29 | Exam revision |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class discussions | 1 hour | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7. 9, 11, 12 | Verbal, one-hour feedback session |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay, critical evaluating the evidence for and against one of the discussion topics | 50 | 1500 words | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 | Written |
| Report, presenting the results from the practical classes in the context of carbon sequestration | 50 | 1500 words | 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay and Report | Essay and Report | As above | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Two assessments are required for this module. The reassessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred in the report, you will have the resubmit the report and will be provided with data from one of the groups if the field and labwork component of the work was missed. This will constitute 50% of the module. Where you have been referred/deferred in the critical essay you will be required to resubmit an essay on the same topic. This will constitute 50% of the module. Referral will be determined at the June Exam Board meeting. Referred marks will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Canadell, J.G., P.M.S. Monteiro, M.H. Costa, L. Cotrim da Cunha, P.M. Cox, A.V. Eliseev, S. Henson, M. Ishii, S. Jaccard, C. Koven, A. Lohila, P.K. Patra, S. Piao, J. Rogelj, S. Syampungani, S. Zaehle, and K. Zickfeld, 2021: Global Carbon and other Biogeochemical Cycles and Feedbacks. In Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, pp. 673–816, doi:10.1017/9781009157896.007.
- Seddon N (2022) Harnessing the potential of nature-based solutions for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Science 376, 1410-1416, doi/10.1126/science.abn9668
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/23 |
