- UCAS course code
- F902
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Understanding the Earth Part 2
| Unit code | EART11102 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 4 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Offered by | Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
The modern Earth is a dynamic planet and unique in our solar system in supporting life, but what does the future hold? This lecture-based course unit introduces students to the physical processes and interrelationships that govern the modern Earth’s dynamic system, and the global environmental challenges arising from human impact on the Earth system. The story follows on from EART11101 which took students on a journey through Earth’s evolution through geological time. The underlying ethos of the course unit is to engage students with current ideas at the forefront of Earth, planetary and environmental science research and to communicate the excitement of our science. The story, which is grounded in the fundamental sciences of geology, chemistry, physics and biology, is told in two interrelated chapters: A Dynamic Planet and A Sustainable Planet.
A Dynamic Planet: The Earth is a dynamic planet in which the transfer of mass and energy occurs as the result of major interacting cycles: the hydrological cycle, the rock cycle and various geochemical cycles. We study the physical processes and relationships between the key components of these cycles that govern how the Earth system works today (the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere).
A Sustainable Planet: In this chapter we will study the ways in which human demand for mineral, energy, water and food resources have impacted on the Earth system, including the climate system and ecosystems, and how this knowledge can be used to address global environmental challenges. We tackle this within the framework of The UN Sustainable Development
Aims
The aim of this course unit is to convey a multidisciplinary understanding of the Earth as a system of interacting components. The unit emphasises the importance of studying how the Earth has evolved through time, in order to understand the processes we see happening today, and so that we can plan for and influence the future. Together with EART11101, this unit provides a unifying narrative for the first year of the undergraduate degrees in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES), and is supported by EART11200 The Natural Scientists Toolkit and EART11300 Practical, Professional and Fieldwork Skills.
Learning outcomes
- Describe the basic structure and composition of the modern, solid Earth (geosphere) and its hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere
- Outline the fundamental stages in the evolution of Universe, stars and planetary bodies
- Identify key geological, climatic, biological and ecological events in Earth history, when they occurred and their causes
- Describe the physical, chemical and biological processes that operate within and on the Earth and other Planetary bodies, and how they have combined to shape the evolution of the Earth and planetary system through geologic time
- Describe the formation, extraction and generation of mineral, energy, water and food resources, and discuss the environmental consequences of how these resources are utilised and managed for the Earth
- List, in order, the principle divisions of geologic time and their defining biological, climatic and geological basis
- Identify the central paradigms of our science that shape our perspective of how the Earth and planets operate today, such as plate tectonics, evolution theory and uniformitarianism, and describe how these ideas developed historically
- Apply appropriate nomenclature to describe and classify modern and ancient organisms, and Earth materials such as rocks and minerals
- Synthesise a large body of factual and contextual knowledge by taking good lecture notes, through directed reading and independent study
- Engage with current ideas at the forefront of Earth, planetary and environmental science research, from a multidisciplinary perspective
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written exam | 100% |
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 40 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Merren Jones | Unit coordinator |