UnitLevel 3Undergraduate

EAE3342 Environmental cycles on our living planet

Faculty of Science

EAE3342 Environmental cycles on our living planet is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2022 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.

Credit points: 6
Offered in 2022: Semester 1; Clayton
Assessment: Exam 35%; and 3 other tasks

This is the 2022 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.

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Requisites

Before EAE3342

No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.

After EAE3342

No unit lists EAE3342 as a prerequisite in the 2022 handbook.

Enrolment rules

PREREQUISITE: EAE2322 or by permission of unit coordinator

PROHIBITION: ESC3190 and permission by the unit coordinator is required for students in S6002 who are undertaking the Environmental Security (Science) specialisation.

Overview

The biogeochemical cycling of elemental nutrients controls earth's climate, the health of ecosystems and the sustainability of human societies. This unit explores how environmental cycling of the elements (1) shapes the nature of earth's surface (2) sustains our living planet and (3) may be managed to solve environmental and industrial challenges. Topics including earth's major nutrient cycles, anthropogenic cycling of commodity elements, and the influence of mineral-microbe interactions on environmental cycles will be covered in detail and applied to pressing, real world problems in contaminant mitigation and sustainable stewardship of natural systems.

Offerings in 2022

Teaching period	Campus	Mode
First semester	Clayton	On campus

Assessment

PracticalsOther
50%
QuizzesOther
5%
End-of-year presentationPresentation
10%
Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes)Exam
35%

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1
Explain the processes that underpin earth's major nutrient (ie. C, N, P and S) cycles.
2
Comprehend the importance of metal cycling in the earth system.
3
Describe the roles of microorganisms and minerals in environmental cycles.
4
Develop an understanding of how anthropogenic influence on environment cycles can either cause pollution or be used to remediate it.
5
Use geochemical tracer methods to identify sources and sinks for elements in natural and contaminated systems.
6
Analyse and interpret geochemical datasets from natural and contaminated environments.

Workload and teaching

Lectures24 hours
Practical activities36 hours
Teaching approachProblem-based learning

Two 1-hour lectures
One 3-hour practical class and
Seven hours of private study/research time per week

The teaching approach will consist of problem-based learning, analysis of data from case studies presented in class or in the literature and other authentic learning tasks. You will have the opportunity to work in groups on significant environmental questions, modeling the expert behaviour of environmental consultants and scientists.

Where it fits

EAE3342 is part of 8 areas of study in the 2022 handbook.

Contacts

Chief Examiners: Dr Andrew Frierdich
Unit Coordinators: Dr Andrew Frierdich

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for EAE3342?

EAE3342 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.

When is EAE3342 offered?

In 2022, EAE3342 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.

Does EAE3342 have an exam?

Yes. The exam is worth 35% of the final mark, alongside 3 other tasks.

Which majors and minors include EAE3342?

EAE3342 is part of Earth science, Environmental science, Environmental security and Geographical science.

More details

Credit points: 6
Level: 3
Study level: Undergraduate
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Organisational unit: School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment

Type: Coursework
EFTSL: 0.125
Student contribution: SCA Band 2
Study abroad: Available
Handbook years: 2020 202120222023 2024 2025 2026 2027