Postgraduate Course: Soil Protection and Management (PGGE11011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | 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. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 14:00 - 17:00 |
| First Class |
Week 1, Friday, 14:00 - 17:00, Zone: King's Buildings. Peter Wilson Building, lecture room G |
| Additional information |
Classes are generally given in the Peter Wilson Building (SAC) on the King's Building Campus.
The first lecture is an introductory lecture to the course, why soil is important, basic soil functions and soil properties.
We then dicuss land use and visit to Boghall Glen to see soil formaiton and associated uses in action. A laboratory session as well as some optional Wednesday afternoon sessions are then used to show how we can undertake some simple soil analysis on what we have observed.
The course then considers agriculture, mineral extraction and pollution. We visit an open cast site for a more hands on experience.
Finally we look at soils on a more global context and how some of the issues we have studied are applicable here.
The course routinely attracts around 15 to 20 students allowing for good staff/student interaction in the sessions.
Course delivery is generally given by SAC staff and three external consultants. All have research and consultnacy experiences to draw upon. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Soil Protection and Management | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| Learning the importance of soil conservation and sustainable use. To discuss management techniques to prevent land degradation from human activity, contamination, salinisation, soil erosion and techniques to promote restoration of contaminated and disturbed land. |
Assessment Information
Coursework assessment of an essay of around 3000 words(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 the teaching staff. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Exact timetabling is subject to change based on availability of teaching staff, but we will make every effort to keep linked sessions together.
Week 1
Introduction. Soil protection management
Why soil? Properties of soil; the biology, physical and chemical. Soil quality and protection. (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 to 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. Soils 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 equation; erosion control methods in agricultural 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 remediation I.
Site investigation Procedures, Risk assessment- 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 soils using 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).
OK Oliver Knox; BB Bruce Ball; ACE Tony Edwards; MOS Mike O&©Sullivan; CM Chris Mullins.
|
| Transferable skills |
You will have the opportunity to develop some simple lab based skills and soil analysis techniques during this course.
We have a session on abstract writting and presentations, which are part of the course assessment process. |
| 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, Holmes and Rose.Soil physics 3rd ed.
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Bib Id 30382, ISBN 0521451515
Killham, Title Soil ecology
Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Bib Id 1479, ISBN 052143517X
Bloem, Hopkins and Benedetti, Microbiological Methods For Assessing Soil Quality
CABI December 2005
ISBN978-1-84593-500-9
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Mainly lecture based delivery. Two field trips (Boghall Glen and Roslin open mine). One required lab class and three optional lab sessions.
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| Keywords | Spoil Protection and Management |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Oliver Knox
Tel:
Email: oliver.knox@sac.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Elspeth Martin
Tel: 0131 535 4198
Email: Elspeth.Martin@sac.ac.uk |
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