| Department of Natural Sciences
50 % Department of Agricultural Sciences 50 % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Earliest Possible Year | MSc. 1 year to MSc. 2 year | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | One block | ||||||||||||||||||
| Credits | 15 (ECTS) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Course Level | MSc | ||||||||||||||||||
| Examination | Final Examination written examination Written Exam in Lecturehall All aids allowed Description of Examination: Evaluation of project report. 4 hours written exam. Weight: Project report (30 %) Written exam (70 %) 13-point scale, external examiner Dates of Exam: 03 November 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Requirement For Attending Exam | Submission of project reports | ||||||||||||||||||
| Organisation of Teaching | Lectures, theoretical exercises, case studies including computer-based problems, problem-based project work based on a selected topic, excursions | ||||||||||||||||||
| Block Placement | Block 1 Week Structure: A, Practical training is carried out in relation to the pedology part of the course. Excursions are included in bot parts II and III. Block 1 Week Structure: C | ||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching Language | English | ||||||||||||||||||
| Optional Prerequisites | Jord, Vand og Planter Miljøkemi i Biologiske Systemer or equivalent. Arealanvendelse, stofbalancer og miljøpåvirkning. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Areas of Competence the Course Will Address | |||||||||||||||||||
| Basic Science Comprehend spatial and temporal variability of soils Transfer and evaluate soil classification by the Soil Taxonomy system Understand and comprehend the molecular mechanisms controlling pollutant fate in soils and sediments Transfer general principles from physical chemistry, biochemistry and physics in a soil environmental context Applied Science Understand soil description and sampling in the field Comprehend, apply and evaluate common models and procedures used for quantification of soil processes, pollutant fate and intrinsic soil quality measures Acquire knowledge on the specific behaviour of common soil pollutants for use in control and remediation Knowledge on instrumental methods used to analyse inorganic and organic soil solids and solutes Ethics & Values Ability to discuss the criteria underlying key terms such as "toxic", "pollution", "thresshold concentrations", "soil quality", "soil degradation" and "sustainability" Reflects on the precautionary principles and other principles Awareness of soils as indispensable but vulnerable and limited resources | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Objectives | |||||||||||||||||||
| To understand how soils form in response to the soil forming factors, how soil forming processes and anthropogenic acitivities determine the properties of soils, how soils interact with the environment, locally and in a global context. Part II: soil formation, classification, mapping. Part III: How pollutants are retained, degraded, transported in soils, quantification of pullutant assesment, fate and remediation. Soil quality, soil as part of global biogeochemical system. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Contents | |||||||||||||||||||
| Part I (common): Soil spatial and temporal variability is reviewed. Structure, chemical composition and properties of soil minerals and humic matter. Interactions between abiotic and soil biochemical processes. Sampling, fractionation and analysis of soil solutes in relation to land use and soil properties. Sampling, description, properties and notation of soil profiles and horizons. Diagnostic horizons and properties, and overall principles used in classification. Introduction to soil distribution and geography. Soil forming factors and soil forming processes with emphasis on acidification, mineral weathering, humification/mineralization, clay migration, podzolization, redox processes and leaching. Part II (pedology): Focus on soil formation, development and classification in order to understand relationships between the soil forming factors, soil properties and sustainable soil use in a global perspective. Occurrence and properties of various soil types are highlighted and exemplified, and their suitability for various land uses such as conventional and ecologic agriculture, horticulture and forestry is evaluated. Emphasis is put on training soil classification by the American Soil Taxonomy system as a tool for understanding soil composition and properties under current and changing external conditions. The consideration of the soil forming factors (parent material, climate, topography, vegetation, human influence, time) and the soil forming processes (acidification, clay migration, erosion, gleization, humification, podzolisation, salinization, weathering) in soil classification and evaluation is taught. Part III (environmental chemistry): Review of pollutants in soil environments with emphasis on biogeochemical properties, monitoring data and mass balances for N, P, heavy metals, radionuclides, acids, pesticides, endocrine disruptors, detergents, PAH's, halogenated compounds, veterinary drugs/biomedicine, natural toxins, and anthropogenic nanoparticles. Intro to activity and mode of action of soil enzymes. Gas-water exhange. Complexation, acid-base reactions, solubility, hydrolysis and enzymatic reactions in soil solution. Sorption equilibria and kinetics with emphasis on ion exchange, surface complexation, partitioning and hydrophobic sorption. Sorption, ageing, speciation and bioavilability. Mineral stability, dissolution (weathering) and redox processes at the solid-solution interface; redox zonations and sequences. Abiotic degradation reactions at surfaces of soil minerals and humic matter. Equilibrium computation software. Degradation pathways, formation of metabolites, and models to quantify degradation and mineralization kinetics. QSAR estimation software. Modelling of water and solute transport. Macropores and transport in macropores. Natural and artificial soil colloids as transport vectors. Cleaning and remediation of soils with emphasis on bioremediation technologies and methodology for new technologies for minimising soil pollution. Methods for soil quality assessment. Intro to risk assessment. Linkages between land use, soil quality and water quality. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teaching And Learning Methods | |||||||||||||||||||
| Lectures Theoretical exercises and case studies, including computer-based problems Problem-based project work based on a selected topic Half- and full-day excursions Lectures are based on the textbooks used. The topics of the theoretical exercises/cases runs in parallel with the topics treated in the lectures. Groups of 2 - 4 students work together to discuss and solve the selected problems. The aims of the project work are to train literature and data search, soil classification and interpretation, handling of literature data, to train the use of different models and computational tools introduced during the course, and to get detailed insight for a particular soil property, soil forming process or pollutant fate. The project work is usually carried out by groups of 2 - 4 students. The project report is presented orally at end of the course. At the excursion sites representing different types of soil properties, pollution, and soil quality management are visited, e.g. soil contaminated by tar, heavy metals, sludge, pesticides, or soils which undergo changes in properties and soil quality due to land use changes. In the pedology part (II) soils are sampled and analysed in the labortory. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Litterature | |||||||||||||||||||
| Borggaard, O.K. & Elberling, B. (2004) Pedological Biogeochemistry. Paritas Grafik A/S, Brøndby. Hansen, H.C.B. (ed:)(2006) Environmental Soil Chemistry including exercises. Handout notes | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Coordinator | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Kragholm Borggaard, okb@life.ku.dk, Department of Natural Sciences/Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Phone: 35332419 Hans Christian Bruun Hansen, haha@life.ku.dk, /VIVA - Knowledge about Water, Phone: 3528 Søren Hansen, sha@life.ku.dk, Department of Basic Sciences and Environment/Agrohydrology, Phone: 3528 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance Fee | |||||||||||||||||||
| 100 DDK per full day excursion | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Board | |||||||||||||||||||
| Study Committee NSN | |||||||||||||||||||
| Course Scope | |||||||||||||||||||
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