Postgraduate Course: Marine Renewables and the Environment (IDCORE) (PGEE11096)

Course Outline
School	School of Engineering	College	College of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	10	ECTS Credits	5
Summary	This course gives students an understanding of the key oceanographic, biochemical and faunal features of coastal marine systems from an ecological perspective as they impinge on offshore renewable energy developments. Background biology of key habitats and species groups are introduced along with their likely vulnerabilities to interactions (negative or positive) to device construction or operation. The most common survey and data processing techniques are introduced along with practical demonstrations at sea and inthe lab. Particular attention will be paid to the differences and difficulties of collecting unbiased data in high energy environments.
Course description	Shelf sea processes from Oceans to Estuaries(Dale/Black/Heymans, sub-module I) ż The role of winds, tides and turbulence in driving the shelf-sea circulation and stratification. ż Consequences of physical processes for marine biota (mixing, fronts, internal waves, thermoclines, energy extraction etc) ż Consequences of biochemical processes for marine biota and benthos ż Ecosystem function and modelling techniques Benthic and littoral habitats (Burrows/Valcic/Hughes/Cook,sub-module II) ż Habitat structure & function ż Natural vs artificial substrates (incl. Invasive species & fouling)* ż Benthic-pelagic connectivity ż Renewable-relevant sensitive habitats and species ż Field techniques and Impact assessment* ż Habitat mapping (GIS, ROVs, Multibeam) Pelagic Marine Vertebrates (Wilson/Fox, sub-module III) ż Fish/Mammal/Bird biology & ecology relevant to marine energy ż Survey techniques* ż Disturbance, encounters and turbine collision risks ż Collision monitoring and mitigation options * Including field trip (onboard RV Calanus) and syndicate project options

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None
Additional Costs	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Block 5 (Sem 2) and beyond
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Assessment Methods
Additional Information (Assessment)	Coursework (100%) Syndicate projects carried out during the week and presented to the class and teaching staff at the end (with a pass/fail criteria).
Feedback	Not entered
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of shelf sea processes; benthic and littoral habitats and pelagic marine vertebrates. Equipped with this, students will be able to demonstrate an appreciation of the interaction of these topics and the offshore renewable energy sector.