Ice Age Earth (L7029)
Ice Age Earth
Module L7029
Module details for 2010/11.
12 credits
FHEQ Level 5
Module Outline
Ice Age Earth is a level 2, 12-credit Physical Geography course that introduces the Earth¿s environmental processes and change during the recent Ice Ages - approximately the last 2.6 million years. The course analyses the physical, biological and chemical evidence for past climatic change (e.g. ocean sediments, ice cores, stable isotopes, fossil plants and insects) and couples this with an assessment of natural forcing mechanisms, geological dating techniques and earth-surface processes. The processes and methods span the natural sciences, giving the course an interdisciplinary perspective that is attractive to students of Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics. The course provides a valuable `palaeo' perspective from which to evaluate the evidence for 21st Century global warming and associated environmental change.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, a successful student should be able to
1. Demonstrate an awareness of the evidence for, rates, causes and consequences of Ice Age (i.e. Quaternary) environmental change.
2. Integrate and interpret different types of palaeoenvironmental data in order to reconstruct Quaternary environments.
3. Appreciate the methodology, applications and problems of different palaeoenvironmental techniques.
4. Collect, analyse and interpret palaeoenvironmental data.
5. Write up field and laboratory data in the format of a scientific paper.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 100.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Essay | Autumn Week 6 | 60.00% |
| Test | Autumn Week 10 (1 hour) | 40.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Term | Lecture | 1 hour | 222222222100 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Prof Mick Frogley
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