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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Earth Science

Undergraduate Course: Evolution of the Living Earth (EASC08023)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is intended as a foundation course for all Earth Science students with emphasis on processes that operate at the global scale. In particular, the concept of the Earth System as the operation of inter-linked components of the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere is stressed. This concept is used to study the interaction between geology, chemistry, physics and biology affecting the surface processes of the planet that together form the characteristics of the environment in which we live.
Course description Syllabus

The order and or content of these Lectures is likely to change

Part I Origin and Evolution of Life
Lecture 1 Building a habitable Earth -Distance from sun, presence on the surface of liquid water, segregation of the earth into core, mantle, crust, ocean, atmosphere, tectonic activity,
the preservation of the atmosphere.Lecture 2 Origin of Life ¿ prokaryotes vs eukaryotes. What we know and
plausible theories to fill the gaps about the origin of life. Evidence for life on the early earth, and evidence for atmospheric modification by simple life forms.Lecture 3 Origin of complexity - Evolution of eukaryotes and metazoans. Relationship between evolution, radiation and the earth¿s atmosphere.Lecture 4 The Cambrian Explosion ¿Rise of predation, skeletons, major biological processes, diversification and evolution.Lecture 5 The invasion of the land ¿implications for atmospheric composition and the Carbon Cycle

Lecture 6 Major faunal innovation - faunas which have sequentially dominated the earth over the Paper last 550 million years are examined

Lecture 7 The invasion of the air Lecture 8 Dinosaurs!
Lecture 9 More Dinosaurs!

Lecture 10 Wonderful Dinosaurs!

Lecture 11 Rise of mammals ¿ rise of terrestrial ecosystems, implications for Si and C cycles

Lecture 12 Role of Extinctions ¿ a global environmental process. Background and mass
extinctions. Is mass extinction normal?

Lecture 13 Impact of life on the planet -Gaia hypothesis, atmospheric control, the impact of biota on physical weathering, biota as a flux and sink for important chemical compounds.

Part 11 Environmental Chemistry
Lecture 14 Atoms and atomic structure: Definition of elements and compounds. The atom and its constituent parts; the nucleus, protons (p) and neutrons (n). Atomic number). Atomic weights expressed as atomic mass units. What is the mass of an atomic particle? Gram formula weight; Avogadro¿s number. Definition of element (same p), and isotope (same p, various n). Summary of elements listed by numbers of protons. Representation of elements by their symbol, with their atomic number and mass number

Lecture 15 Electronic structure of atoms and periodic table: Electrons: their relative mass, how far away from the nucleus they are. Electron orbitals: K, L, M shells, orbital pairs, electronic configurations. Elements listed by electronic configuration, which dictates the key chemical properties we are often interested in: bonding, volatility, metal vs non-metal. Define and explain the key parts of the periodic table, via groups, and via split into metal/amphoteric/non-metal

Lecture 16 Chemical Reactions and reaction stoichiometries: Bonding of atoms: ionic, covalent, metallic, Van der Waals. Ionic compounds and molecules. What is a chemical reaction? How do they occur. Reaction stoichiometries: How to write and balance a chemical reaction,

Lecture 17 Reactions in solution: Ionic solutions. Dissolving things. Solute and solvent. Concept of dissociation into ionic species in solution, solubility product and what this means. Activity and Concentrations. Redox chemistry, Eh and pH concepts.

Lecture 18 Drivers of chemical reactions: Energy considerations: idea of vibrational, translational and rotational contributions to how much energy it takes to heat up a substance by 1¿C (heat capacity), entropy (with entropy explained in simple terms). Energy considerations in making and breaking bonds - enthaplies.

Lecture 19 Composition of the Earth and the Geochemical Cycle: Distribution of the elements,importance of water and oxygen, chemical reactions in the oxygen cycle. The state-steady geochemical cycle.

Part III Global Biogeochemical Cycles
Lecture 20 Introduction to Biogeochemistry Biogeochemical elements, Advantages and disadvantages of the cyclical approach, terminology and box models.

Lecture 21 Global Carbon Cycle 1 Forms and isotopes of carbon, major reservoirs, a) atmosphere, CO2-seasonal and anthropogenic changes, b) hydrosphere-carbon speciation, concept of alkalinity and buffering capacity of seawater, c) lithosphere, including fossil carbon burning.
Lecture 22 Global Carbon Cycle 2 Mechanisms for exchange and fluxes between terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere, diurnal variations in CO2: Flux from atmosphere to oceans. Prime mechanisms of carbon transport in oceans, primary and new production. Fallout fluxes.

Lecture 23 Global Nitrogen Cycle 1Natural nitrogen compounds HNO3, NO2, N2O, NH3 amines etc. Biological transformations of nitrogen compounds; nitrogen fixation, ammonia, assimilation, nitrification, assimilatory nitrate fixation, ammonification and denitrification. Lecture 24 Global Nitrogen Cycle 2 Nitrogen inventories in the aquatic and terrestrial systems. Fluxes of nitrogen and anthropogenic perturbations. Is the global nitrogen cycle in balance?

Lecture 25 Phosphorus Cycle Natural forms of phosphorus in the environment. Important reservoirs and sub-cycles: Weathering of phosphorus minerals and flux of phosphorus to the rivers and oceans. Form of phosphorus in the ocean. Deposition of phosphorus to ocean sediments. Diagenetic concentration of phosphorus into economic deposits. Links between the phosphorus cycle and the carbo-nitrogen cycle.

Part IV Global Climatic and Environmental Change

Lecture 26 Timescales of climatic change The habitable Earth; ¿Faint young sun paradox¿; the Climate System; structure, composition and circulation of the atmosphere and of the ocean.

Lecture 27 Climate change over millions of years Evidence for past climatic change; weathering of rocks as a possible thermostat for Global climate; the role of tectonic processes in driving climate change; past ¿greenhouse¿ and ¿icehouse¿ times in Earth history; the Cretaceous ¿greenhouse¿ World as an example.

Lecture 28 Glacial-interglacial cycles and millennial timescale climatevariability Cooling from the Cretaceous into the modern ¿icehouse¿; glacial-interglacial cycles of the past 2 million years and the role of orbital forcing; millennial timescale variability during the last glacial-interglacial cycle; climate of the Holocene.

Lecture 29 Mechanisms of natural short-term variation in climate

Natural short-term variations in climate due to stochastic processes, variations in solar irradiance, effects of volcanic eruptions, effects of large meteorite impacts and auto-oscillations such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation; Anthropogenic climate change and the role of greenhouse gases and aerosols.Lecture 30 Climate Change: the Past 1000 years and the Next 100 yearsSources of information on short term variations in climate; nature and drivers of climate changes over the past 1000 years and anticipated changes over the next 100 years.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  93
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 30, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 30, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 136 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The written exam will cover all materials from the course.

The coursework assessment will comprise 40% each from the Environmental Chemistry and the Origin and Evolution of Life practicals and 20% from an summary of topical scientific literature. The assesment for the Origin and Evolution of Life practicals will be a practical exam in week 5 which students are allowed to refer to notes and materials from the previous practicals. The assesment of the Environmental Chemistry practicals will be based on the reports of the practicals.

Students MUST pass both the Continuous Assessment and Examinations components of the course (with a pass mark of 40% each).
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Evolution of the Living Earth2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)Evolution of the Living Earth2:00
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to evaluate the degree to which there is interaction between Earth systems.

They will be able to assess the degree to which recent climate change is exceptional compared to previous times, and will understand the significance and reliability of future predictions based on climate model results.

Students will acquire a basic understanding of geochemistry and its application to the Earth system.

They will be able to extract and synthesise data from important publications in these fields.
Reading List
Life on a Young Planet: The First Three Billion Years of Evolution on Earth, A.H.Knoll, Princeton University Press.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Butcher et al., Academic Press.
Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change, W.H. Schlesinger, Academic Press.
Geology and Environment in Britain and Ireland, N. Woodcock, UCL Press.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Laboratory skills; Critical thinking;
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alex Thomas
Tel: (0131 6)50 8749
Email: Alex.Thomas@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Nicola Muir
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email: Nikki.Muir@ed.ac.uk
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