Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication
The course will provide students with comprehensive knowledge of how eutrophication affects aquatic ecosystems. The importance of different pollution sources caused by human activities (agriculture, forestry and wastewater from urban and rural treatment plants and facilities) in a watershed will also be evaluated, in combination with development of suitable remediation programmes using a source apportionment model.
Information from the course leader
Hydrology lecture starts at 9
Message from Kevin: I will be at SLU, in my office, online with zoom for the whole period. There will be three, 30 minute, pre-recorded power point presentations (with start at 0900, 1000 and 1100. I will do these from Zoom by sharing my screen. When each 30 minute power point is over, I will take over the meeting. For the first two sessions, the pre-recorded part finishes with an exercise. I will split the students into pairwise breakout rooms to work on the exercises, and then take a 15 minute break. At the end of the 3rd session (at 11:30) I will be available for a question session, which will include going over the answers to those two exercises.
2020-10-28
Zoom
Dear students, all lectures will be on Zoom. To stay up to date with the course information, use Canvas. If you don't have access to course in Canvas, first check you mailbox for invitation, second if you haven't received one, email me. See you next week. I will post a Zoom link on Canvas. Magda
Course evaluation
The course evaluation is now closed
MV0217-20155 - Course evaluation report
Once the evaluation is closed, the course coordinator and student representative have 1 month to draft their comments. The comments will be published in the evaluation report.
Additional course evaluations for MV0217
Academic year 2023/2024
Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication (MV0217-20204)
2023-10-31 - 2023-11-30
Academic year 2022/2023
Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication (MV0217-20049)
2022-11-01 - 2022-12-01
Academic year 2021/2022
Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication (MV0217-20090)
2021-11-02 - 2021-12-02
Academic year 2019/2020
Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication (MV0217-20102)
2019-11-01 - 2019-12-03
Academic year 2018/2019
Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication (MV0217-20084)
2018-11-05 - 2019-01-20
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
MV0217 Land use and watershed management to reduce eutrophication, 7.5 Credits
Markanvändning och vattenvård för att minska övergödningSubjects
Environmental Science Soil Science Soil science Environmental scienceEducation cycle
Master’s levelModules
| Title | Credits | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Written examination | 5.0 | 0202 |
| Study visits and written assignment | 2.5 | 0203 |
Advanced study in the main field
Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirementsMaster’s level (A1N)
Grading scale
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Knowledge equivalent to:• 150 ECTS first-cycle courses, including
• 60 ECTS in a scientific subject such as Biology, Agricultural Science, Soil Science, Earth Sciences, Environmental Science or Technology,
• 10 ECTS Chemistry,
• 10 ECTS Biology,
• 15 ECTS Soil Science or Earth Sciences
and
• a level of English equivalent to upper-seconday-school English (Engelska 6).
Objectives
The course provides the foundations for work with water quality and management issues.
It provides a holistic picture of the eutrophying emissions that can be related to human activities in watersheds.
On completion of the course students will be able to:
• describe hydrological processes and catchment hydrology,
• describe how the most important chemical and biological processes in the aquatic environment are affected by increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus,
• describe how different cultivation practices within agriculture affect the water quality in a watershed, with focus on nitrogen and phosphorus load,
• suggest appropriate mitigation measures for reduced nitrogen and phosphorus losses to recipient waters,
• outline how emissions from private sewage systems and sewage treatment plants affect the water quality in a watershed, and possible methods for reduced impact,
• give a general outline of the value of the environmental quality objectives, directives and legislation concerning water quality management in Sweden and the rest of the EU,
• plan and carry out a literature study of choice within the scope of the course area and present the results in both a written and oral presentation.
Content
The course explores the effects of eutrophying emissions on the aquatic environment and how mitigation measures and programs can be designed, implemented and managed. Focus is mainly on watershed management under northern European conditions. Teaching is based on lectures, literature studies, group exercises and study visits. An individual term paper is included where supervision is provided by a researcher. All course components are compulsory, except lectures.
The following topics are included in the course:
• hydrology at the watershed scale,
• occurrence, pools and transport pathways of nutrients and other compounds to recipient ground- and surface waters,
• biological and chemical processes in aquatic systems,
• eutrophication problems in inland waters and marine systems,
• existing environmental monitoring of water quality and methods for assessment and water status evaluation,
• reasons for and use of mitigation measures to reduce nutrient loads to the aquatic environment from agriculture, forestry and wastewater,
• wetlands for increased nutrient retention in the landscape,
• legislation, directives and environmental quality objectives in Sweden and the rest of Europe,
• water quality management issues, in a national and international perspective.
Grading form
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.Formats and requirements for examination
The following is required for a pass mark on the course:
• passed written examination,
• approved written and oral reporting of project and exercises,
• approved participation in compulsory components.
- If a student has failed an examination, the examiner has the right to issue supplementary assignments. This applies if it is possible and there are grounds to do so.
- The examiner can provide an adapted assessment to students entitled to study support for students with disabilities following a decision by the university. Examiners may also issue an adapted examination or provide an alternative way for the students to take the exam.
- If this syllabus is withdrawn, SLU may introduce transitional provisions for examining students admitted based on this syllabus and who have not yet passed the course.
- For the examination of a degree project (independent project), the examiner may also allow the student to add supplemental information after the deadline for submission. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Other information
The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.
If there are special reasons, students are entitled to participate in components with compulsory attendance when the course is given again. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Responsible department
Department of Soil and Environment
Cooperating departments:
Further information
Litterature list
- Introduction to the new EU Water Framework Directive [Introduction to the new EU Water Framework Directive ] (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/info/intro_en.htm)1) On the value of long-term, low-frequency water quality sampling: avoiding throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Hydrological Processes, 25, 828-830. Författare: Burt et al., 2011 1) Major agricultural changes required to mitigate phosphorus losses under climate change, Nature Communications, 8, 1-9. Författare: Ockenden et al., 2017 1) Sustainable intensification of agricultural drainage, Nature Sustainability, 2, 914-921. Författare: Castellano et al., 2019 1) Multiple-stressor effects of sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen on stream macroinvertebrate communities, Science of the Total Environment, 637-638, 577–587. Författare: Davis et al., 2018 1) Management of Phosphorus Resources – Historical Perspective, Principal Problems and Sustainable Solutions. In Integrated Waste Management – Volume II. 247-268. Författare: Cohen et al., 2011 1) The Nitrates Directive [The Nitrates Directive ] (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-nitrates/index_en.html)1) Protecting and restoring Europe's waters: An analysis of the future development needs of the Water Framework Directive, Science of the Total Environment, 658, 1228–1238 Författare: Carvalho et al., 2019 1) The EU Water Framework Directive: From great expectations to problems with implementation, Science of the Total Environment, 575, 358–366. Författare: Voulvoulis et al., 2017 1) Stewardship to tackle global phosphorus inefficiency: The case of Europe. Ambio, 44, S193–S206. Författare: Withers et al., 2015 1) From single fields to river basins: Identification of critical source areas for erosion and phosphorus losses at high resolution, Ambio, doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1134-8, 1-14. Författare: Djodjic and Markensten, 2018 1) Possibilities for Reducing Nitrate Leaching from Agricultural Land. Ambio, 31, 404-408. Författare: Kirchmann et al., 2002 1) Two centuries of nitrogen dynamics: Legacy sources and sinks in the Mississippi and Susquehanna River Basins. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 31, 2-23. Författare: Van Meter et al., 2017 1) The fine structure of water-quality dynamics: the (high-frequency) wave of the future. Hydrological Processes, 18, 1353-1359. Författare: Kirchner et al., 2004