Marine pollution and risk assessment
The course gives a broad understanding of the risks that marine pollution poses to our seas and our planet. We study the spreading of contaminants and their effects from the sub-cellular level to ecosystems, e.g. metals and organic pollutants, oil spills, microplastic and radioactivity.
The course gives a broad understanding of the threats caused by marine pollution, with focus on pollutants such as metals and organic contaminants, oil spills, littering with plastic and microplastics and emissions of radioactive isotopes. We start by presenting the major classes of environmental contaminants. We discuss how these contaminants are emitted and spread in the environment through air and water. Then we study examples of their mode of toxicity at the sub-cellular and individual level on terrestrial and aquatic organisms and humans. Then we discuss ecotoxicological effects at the population, ecosystem and planetary level e.g. interactions between contaminants, eutrophication and climate change.
The course includes theory and practice in ecotoxicology, e.g. methods to assess toxicity and risks (environmental risk assessment ERA) and how to assess the environmental status in marine systems (methods in marine environmental monitoring).
The course also includes tools for better environmental management, e.g. chemical policy, environmental risk assessment and remediation strategies of polluted sites.
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Course structure
The course starts with lectures and a series of literature seminars. Then we visit the Marine Askö Laboratory to learn how to conduct marine environmental monitoring in the Baltic Sea and how to conduct laboratory toxicity tests with marine organisms. After a writen exam that concludes this lecture-intensive part, the course continues with a more project-based practical part, where you conduct a group project (2-3 students) on an actual pollution case, that you will then present with an oral presentation and a written report at the end of the course.
Teaching format
Though it is a third-year undergraduate course, the level is high and the course also welcomes students at the post-graduate level, Master students, visiting students from the Erasmus program and PhD students, who wish to learn more about our actual environmental pollution problems.
The first part of the course is lecture-intensive, i.e. lectures every day except on Fridays when we usually have a literature seminar to discuss and clarify the topics that were taught during the week. You also get some time for own studies, to prepare the seminars for reading additional papers or book chapters. This first part of the course ends with a written exam. The literature seminars are obligatory (one seminar per week). The lectures are not mandatory, however, as the written exam is largely based on the lectures, it is much easier to pass the exam when you attend the lectures.
The second part of the course is more project-based and practical. There are no more lectures, here you work together in a group of 2-3 students, with your own teacher / group project advisor. The group project (GP) consists either of a laboratory experiment to test the effects of various pollutants, or to analyse already gathered data from our monitoring programs or from ongoing research projects.Assessment
The course is assessed according to following criteria: active participation at the literature seminars, pass a short test at the beginning of the course and the exam. Then the oral and written presentation of your group project at the end of the course. Both the first and second half of the course are mandatory to pass the course.
Examiner
The course director and examiner for the course is Jonas Gunnarsson, Professor in Marine Ecology and Ecotoxicology at DEEP. Ca 15 teachers at DEEP and at other departments are giving lectures at the course. Each year a few guest-lecturers and Alumni, from governmental agencies and companies are also lecturing at the course to give examples of future jobs in marine ecotoxicology. For more information you can contact jonas.gunnarsson@su.se.
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Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course. -
More information
The course used to be given under the name Ecotoxicology, please note that these two courses can not be included in a degree together. The course has been modified to get more focus on marine case studies, however, we also discuss the effects of contaminants in terrestrial systems, atmospheric pollution and coupling of pollution to climate change.
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Contact
