Geo-ecological Systems in a Changing World: Carbon, Nitrogen and Pollutants

Course manual 2022/2023

Course content

Current environmental research has to meet the challenges of climate change and other human-made impacts. The cycle of major elements in ecosystems depends on interactions between organisms and their abiotic environment and will be affected by these environmental changes at different scales, i.e. from local to global and from the molecular to the landscape level. This course focus on fluxes of elements and substances in soils and their impacts on the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.

Special attention will be paid to:

• Soil as a habitat for (micro)organisms and as a reactor controlling biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems
• Important processes and boundary conditions regulating cycles of C, N, P and pollutants
• Importance of soil organic matter for biogeochemical cycles in a changing environment and feedback reactions to global change
• Approaches to quantify biogeochemical cycles and their controlling processes
• Interaction of biogeochemical cycles and (in)organic pollutants

Topics of the different lectures:

• Introduction to important principles of Biogeochemistry 
• Introduction to physiology and biochemistry of soil organisms and important soil habitats 
• Carbon cycling and formation of soil organic matter including approaches for quantification, effects of climate change, linkage between terrestrial and aquatic systems 
• Computer practical metal speciation modelling 
• Relevance of Dissolved Organic Matter 
• Role of N in ecosystem functioning and management
• Use of stable isotopes of C and N in Biogeochemistry 
• Biogeochemical cycling of N and P in dune ecosystems 
• Biogeochemical cycling of metals and  (in)organic pollutants 

Study materials

Literature

• A good book covering the topic Biogeochemistry is:

  Schlesinger, W. H., Bernhardt, E. S. (2013). Biogeochemistry: an Analysis of Global Change. Third Edition. Academic Press.

Other

• To prepare yourself for the lecturers, one or two scientific papers for each lecture will be mentioned on Canvas.

Objectives

• Describe the broad field of bio-geological processes controlling the cycle of major elements like C, N, P and pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems with a focus on soil processes, including the effects of changes in climate and land-use on these element cycles
• Present and discuss one of the topics of the course in a conference oral presentation and one in a poster session
• Apply this knowledge in writing a summary of a scientific paper of biogeochemistry
• Present, discuss and analyze approaches to study biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems and feedback reactions with an externa expert

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Computer lab session/practical training
• Fieldwork/excursion
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis

Lectures, self-tuition, writing an abstract and presentations given by students, an excursion, computer practicum and a poster (presentation). In the first weeks of the course lectures will be given addressing the various topics mentioned above. This will be followed by an excursion to a research institute and field site in Germany. At this site various approaches of quantifying biogeochemical cycles in different ecosystems will be visualized which are theoretically discussed during the lectures. These sites may also be used for student’s master thesis projects. In addition, the students will be required to present a poster presentations on one of the topics discussed during the lectures. We will finish the course with an exam.

Learning activities

Attendance

Requirements of the programme concerning attendance (OER-B):

1. Attendance during practical components exercises is mandatory.

Additional requirements for this course:

The students are urged to be present at all lectures because of the intensity and extent of information in this course. The fieldwork, the computer practical and the assignments “writing a summary”,  the paper presentation as well as the poster pitch presentation are mandatory components of the course. No resits or extra assignments will be organised if students fail to attend these activities.

Assessment

Inspection of assessed work

Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

Assignments

Writing a summary of a scientific paper

• In the second week of the course all student have to write a summary of a scientific paper. This is an individual assignment, which will be graded and feedback will be given afterwards.

Presentation of a scientific article

• All students will have to give a presentation based on a scientific article on a pre-determined topic. A PhD student or a Postdoc working on that topic will lead the discussion based on the presentation. This is an individual assignment, which will be graded and feedback will be given afterwards.

Poster and poster pitch

• At the end of the third week, the students have to make and present a  poster in a short poster presentation pitch. We will make a list from the topics of the lecturers. The students have to pick a topic from that list. The presentation will be poster elevator pitch of 2 minutes. The grade for the poster will be based for 50% on the design of the poster (based on the criteria mentioned in the poster design tutorial) and for 50% on the poster pitch. This is an individual assignment and feedback will be given afterwards.

Final exam

• On one of the last days of the course there will be a final exam, based on the content of the lectures, the mandatory literature and the field-site visit.

Resit Final exam

• The grade for the exam has to be 5.5 or higher. If this is not the case, a resit exam is obligatory.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

The student is required to have...

• Basis knowledge in soil and water chemistry
• Basic knowledge in soil science
• Basic knowledge in terrestrial ecology

Travel and lodging (including breakfeast) during the excursion are covered, however, the students are expected to cover the costs of their own diner.

Contact information

Coordinator

• A. Tietema

Staff

• dr. Albert Tietema (a.tietema@uva.nl)
• dr. Boris Jansen (b.jansen@uva.nl)
• dr. Annemieke. M. Kooijman (a.m.Kooijman@uva.nl)
• dr. Elly M. Morriën (w.m.morrien@uva.nl)
• dr. Antonia Praetorius (a.praetorius@uva.nl)
• prof dr Roland Bol (r.a.p.f.bol@uva.nl)
• prof dr Franciska de Vries (f.t.devries@uva.nl)