Description

In this course, students will be introduced the main chemistry behind contamination in the coastal zone. Chemical interactions on the interface of sea, land and air will be explained as well as transport of pollutants. The state of the coastal zones in the world will be discussed, as well as regional, national and international monitoring practices and programs. An introduction to designing monitoring program will be presented. Further, an insight into our own life style and the effects we have on the environment will be discussed. At the end of the course, students should have a broad overview over the main environmental hazards towards coastal zones, both natural and man made. They should be able to recognize major pollutants and have a understanding of their source, transport and effects on the ecosystem. Students should be familiar with main methods for detecting environmental hazards and means of monitoring them.

Special focus will be put on:

• Effects of persistant organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals on living organisms, with special emphasis on sea-birds
• Environmental chemistry, where students gain insights into chemical analyses and ecotoxicology
• Hands-on demonstration of the effects of contamination on living organisms

Learning outcomes

• Students will gain an understanding of the chemical composition of coastal waters and the various natural processes and human activities which have an influence there.
• Students will gain basic knowledge to design monitoring programmes and asses the results obtained.
• Students will become familiar with the variety of coastal issues which are important in different parts of the world and international efforts and conventions relating to coastal water quality management.

Assessment

The course will include two experiments, each valuing 25%. One experiment will be on individual basis and will investigate the pollution load we have on the environment. The second experiment will be a lab (group of two persons) to give hands-on demonstration of the effects of contaminants. A final paper will value 50%.

Instructor

Dr. Hrönn Jörundsdóttir graduated with a PhD in environmental chemistry from Stockholm University in 2009. Her reseach areas include: Distribution of tradtitional and emerging organic pollutants in the North- Atlantic, Dioxins and PCBs in Greenland Shark, and organochlorine compounds and their metabolites in Icelandic bird species. In one of her latest publications in Iceland, she attempted to answer the question: Is Iceland the world's cleanest country?

Guest lecturer

Further reading