Postgraduate Course: Soil Protection and Management (PGGE11183)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In Soil Protection and Management we introduce you to the major functions of soil, the challenges we face in using it and the techniques we can employ to both understand and improve sustainable soil use.
This course begins with an introduction to what soil is before we consder methods for evaluation of soil and land quality. The following sessions go into more detail of the maintenance and improvement of various aspects of soil quality, the importance of soil fertility, structure and physical condition, and biological activity. Management techniques to prevent land degradation by toxic element contamination, salinisation, soil erosion and techniques to promote restoration of contaminated and disturbed land will be considered. Finally, aspects of soil management in the tropics and Australasia will be used to highlight how many of the introduced skills and theories can be applied globally.
The course will be of interest to students who are concerned with protecting land resources from inappropriate use and the restoration of these resources through sustainable management practices. |
| Course description |
Exact timetabling is subject to change based on availability of teaching staff, but we make every effort to keep linked sessions together.
Week 1
Introduction. Soil protection management. Why we need to care about soil from a functional and legislative standpoint. The basic properties of soil (OK).
Week 2
Land evaluation, soil mapping and land capability. Soil forming factors and their use in mapping. Approaches to land evaluation. Land capability classification (ACE). Visit the field sites at Bush Estate - Wednesday.
Week 3
Soils, land use and the environment. The importance of soils in contributing to environmental interactions with land and water. Soil laboratory class. Soil management and the environment. Discussion about potential essay topics (ACE, OK).
Week 4
Management of soil physical conditions and soil water. Land use and degradation in temperate systems. Compaction, water and wind erosion; universal soil loss; erosion control methods in agriculture and forest soils. Soil structure and tillage. (BB or OK).
Week 5
Land reclamation and restoration. Techniques and problems involved in restoring land disturbed by opencast mining. Contaminated land regime in the UK Legal Framework (MOS).
Week 6
Soil contamination and remedation I. Site investigation Procedures, Risk assessmetn - Source-Pathway-Receptor, Overview of Remediation Technologies-Physical, Chemical Biological (MOS).
Week 7
Soil contamination and remediation II. Exercises on determining appropriate remediation options. Field visit to a local opencast/contaminated site (MOS, OK).
Week 8
Land Degradation and soil management in the tropics and Australia. Management of Australian and tropical soil use case studies, a consideration of soil fertility and soil physical properties, and how they can be managed (OK, CM).
Week 9
Student presentations, essay hand in. List of titles to be agreed beforehand (OK, MOS).
Week 10
Revision session. Class work on previous exam papers (OK).
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Course work assessment of an essay of around 3000 word (37.5% of total class mark), a 10 minute presentation (12.5% of total class mark), and an exam (50% of total class mark).
The essay and presentation are of a soil protection and management topic selected by the student and approved by teaching staff. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
1. You will learn about issues concerning the importance of soil conservation and sustainable use. You will develop an inter- and multi- disciplinary approach to the study of soil protection and its management, and the relationships between anthropogenic activities and the function and processes of soil. You will gain an understanding of the concepts and theories associated with the study of soil and environmental management issues
2. You will learn a range of key skills and competencies required for either your continued academic development or the professional work environment. You will develop management techniques to prevent land degradation from human activity, contamination, salinisation, soil erosion, and techniques to promote restoration of contaminated and disturbed land. You will gain skills and abilities in soil protection and management strategies, considerations and constraints.
|
Reading List
There are no prescribed text books for this course. Reading material to accompany most lectures is provided by WebCT, however, the following texts might be useful to students:
The EC Soil Framework Strategy http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/three_en.htm .
The Scottish Soil Framework http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/273170/0081576.pdf
Marshall, T.J., Holmes, J.W. and Rose, C.W. (1996). Soil Physics. 3rd Edition. Cambridge: New York: Cambridge University Press. Bib Id 611437, ISBN 0521451515 / 0521457661(pbk)
Killham, K. (1994). Soil Ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bib Id 189317, ISBN 0521435218
Bloem, J., Hopkins, D.W. and Bennedetti, A. (2008). Microbiological Methods for Assessing Soil Quality. CABI 1 October 2008. ISBN 9781845935009 (pbk)
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
You will have the opportunity to develop and understanding of the pressures and issues relating to soil preservation, management and rehabilitation and to develop potential land management strategies to alleviate or remediate these issues. |
| Keywords | Soil, protection, management, soil sustainability, envrironmental management |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alister Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)50 5597
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Elspeth Martin
Tel: 0131 535 4198
Email: |
|
© Copyright 2015 The University of Edinburgh - 27 July 2015 11:45 am
|
University Homepage