Soils and Environment

Studiewijzer 2017/2018

Globale inhoud

Soils are perhaps the most important essentially non-renewable resources on Earth. Soils are very dynamic systems which perform many functions and deliver services vital to humankind and to the survival of ecosystems. For instance, humanity all but completely relies on soils for food production. Unfortunately the majority of soils are very vulnerable to degradation by overexploitation as their regeneration rate is extremely slow. The sustainable use of soils and the protection of their functions therefore require a profound knowledge of (chemical) processes in soils and their interactions with the environment. In the course we will focus on:

• Factors of soil formation
• Important soil types with a focus on Luxemburg and basics of soil classification
• Catena principle
• Soil organic matter
• Important soil chemical processes and related soil forming processes and soil types (e.g., surface reactions as sorption and ion exchange, oxidation/reduction)
• Threats for soils such as contamination and acidification

Over the course of five weeks the principles of soil formation will be taught including practical work to identify different rocks and minerals. Then, the course will focus on soil chemical processes. In addition, one week will be filled with a soil scientific fieldwork  in Luxembourg, which will be followed by a written report of the results

Studiemateriaal

Literatuur

• Blackboard

Syllabus

• Blackboard

Leerdoelen

• Acquire the basic knowledge required to understand soil functions
• Understand the linkage between geology, relief, soil formation and soil characteristics and able to apply this knowledge to analyze and describe soil forming processes in the field
• Understand how key chemical, physical and biological processes function and govern the ecosystem services offered by soils and able to apply this knowledge to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse soil systems.

Onderwijsvormen

• Hoorcollege
• Werkcollege
• Veldwerk/excursie
• Presentatie/symposium
• Zelfstudie
• Zelfstandig werken aan bijv. project/scriptie
• Begeleiding/feedbackmoment
• (Computer)practicum

The course is a mixture of lectures, selfstudy, exercises including practical ones (rocks and sediments), excursion and field work in Luxemburg:

• Hoorcollege (lectures). Attendance not required but strongly recommended as the material covered is part of the final exam.
• Werkcolleges (working groups). Attendance required.
• Practicum (practical) about minerals and rock types. Attendance required.
• Excursion and fieldwork in Luxemburg (1 week: 28 September through 2 October 2015). Attendance required.

Verdeling leeractiviteiten

Aanwezigheid

Aanwezigheidseisen opleiding (OER-B):

• In geval van werkgroepbijeenkomsten met opdrachten is de student verplicht tenminste 90% van de werkgroepbijeenkomsten bij te wonen en zich op deze bijeenkomsten terdege voor te bereiden. Ingeval de student minder dan 90% heeft bijgewoond kan het vak niet succesvol worden afgerond dan wel kan de examencommissie een aanvullende opdracht laten verstrekken.
• In geval van een practicum is de student verplicht ten minste 90% van de practicumbijeenkomsten bij te wonen. In geval de student minder dan 90% heeft bijgewoond dient het practicum opnieuw te worden gevolgd dan wel kan de examencommissie een aanvullende opdracht laten verstrekken.
  

Toetsing

Opdrachten

Onderstaande opdrachten komen aan bod in deze cursus:

•    Naam opdracht 1 : beschrijving 2
•    Naam opdracht 2 : beschrijving 1
•    ....

Fraude en plagiaat

Dit vak hanteert de algemene 'Fraude- en plagiaatregeling' van de UvA. Hier wordt nauwkeurig op gecontroleerd. Bij verdenking van fraude of plagiaat wordt de examencommissie van de opleiding ingeschakeld. Zie de Fraude- en plagiaatregeling van de UvA: www.uva.nl/plagiaat

Weekplanning

Rooster

Het rooster van dit vak is in te zien op DataNose.

Aanvullende informatie

Student's are responsible for their own journey to and from the fieldwork area in Luxembourg. In addition, a compulsory fee will be charged to cover the costs of housing and living during the fieldwork.

Soil science and chemistry knowledge as taught during the courses 'Toekomstperspectieven voor de Aarde' and 'Energietransities'.

The number of participants to the fieldwork part of the course is limited. If the number of attendees is too larger, preference is given to students  following a major Aardwetenschappen from Future Planet Studies or Betagamma. Because of the logistic restrictions of the fieldwork, students are only allowed to follow the fieldwork part of the course once. If a student fails (part of) the fieldwork, an alternative assignment will be prepared as a resit.

The course is taught in English, but parts of the reader are in Dutch. For those who do not speak Dutch, alternative literature will be provided.

Contactinformatie

Coördinator

• dr. B. Jansen