This course provides the fundamental knowledge and techniques to understand, assess, and manage aquatic ecosystems. It covers aquatic chemistry, biogeochemistry, and aquatic ecology while the applied aspects emphasize ecosystem managements taking rivers and lakes as examples.
Aquatic ecosystems have close relation to human activities, including flood control, water use, water environment, fishery, and so forth. Therefore, it is critically important to understand how aquatic ecosystems are complex, dynamic, and vulnerable from the physical, chemical and biological perspectives in order to properly assess and conserve aquatic ecosystems in relation to human activities. This lecture aims to provide such fundamental knowledge as well as techniques for practical applications so that students can obtain the overview of ecosystem management.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Explain basics of biogeochemical process and water quality formation process in water environment.
2. Describe key components of the aquatic ecosystem and major ecological processes.
3. Present the concepts and techniques that are useful for environmental management, based on the hydraulic characteristics of each body of water including rivers , lakes, and coastal areas.
Water Chemistry, Microbiology, Trophic Relations, Aquatic Ecosystem, Water Environmental Management
✔ Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
One topic is addressed in a class. Every class contains a lecture for about 70 min. and an exercise for about 20 min. All students are expected to submit reports and have exams.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Guidance Lecture outline, present state of aquatic environments | Understand lecture outline and present state of aquatic environments and work on its exercise |
Class 2 | Watershed hydrology and aquatic ecosystem | Understand watershed hydrology and aquatic ecosystem and work on its exercise |
Class 3 | Basic aquatic chemistry (1) Basic analytical chemistry, particle and colloid, dissolution and deposition | Understand basic aquatic chemistry (basic analytical chemistry, particle and colloid, dissolution and deposition) and work on its exercise |
Class 4 | Basic aquatic chemistry (2) Reaction kinetics, acidity, oxidation and reduction | Understand basic aquatic chemistry (reaction kinetics, acidity, oxidation and reduction) and work on its exercise |
Class 5 | Nutrient cycles | Understand nutrient cycles and work on its exercise |
Class 6 | Primary production | Understand primary production and work on its exercise |
Class 7 | Organic carbon dynamics | Understand organic carbon dynamics and work on its exercise |
Class 8 | Microbial community | Understand microbial community and work on its exercise |
Class 9 | Trophic relationships | Understand trophic relationships and work on its exercise |
Class 10 | Isotopes and environmental studies | Understand isotopes in environmental studies and work on its exercise |
Class 11 | Biodiversity | Understand biodiversity and work on its exercise |
Class 12 | Ecological disturbance | Understand ecological disturbance and work on its exercise |
Class 13 | Fate and transport of pollutants | Understand fate and transport of pollutants and work on its exercise |
Class 14 | Ecological risk assessment | Understand ecological risk assessment and work on its exercise |
Class 15 | Fundamentals of applied ecological engineering | Understand fundamentals of applied ecological engineering and work on its exercise |
Not specified
Aquatic Environmental Chemistry (Oxford, 1998)
Principles and Applications of Aquatic Chemistry (Wiley, 1993)
Stream Ecology: Structure and function of running waters (Springer, 2007)
Exercise/Discussion 50%, Exam 50%
More than 9 times of attendance (exams not included) are required for the credit.
No prerequisites