To provide students with a view of the global carbon cycle as a dynamic system;
To give students an appreciation of the importance of chemical and biological processes in controlling the distribution of carbon in the atmosphere, ocean and land;
To provide students with an in depth understanding of how carbon is transfered between the atmosphere, land and ocean over contemporary and glacial timescales.

(LO1) Students will learn how physical, chemical and biological process control the transfer of carbon between the atmosphere, ocean and land, and the distribution of carbon species between these environments.

(LO2) Students will understand the role and significance that the atmosphere, land and ocean plays in the global cycling of carbon.

(LO3) Students will understand the pathways involved in cycling of inorganic and organic carbon between land and the ocean and the surface and deep ocean, with emphasis on the solubility, carbonate and biological pumps.

(LO4) Students will gain hands-on experience in calculating the response of the ocean to increasing temperature and atmospheric CO2 using the internationally-applied software CO2sys, providing an opportunity for authentic assessment.

(LO5) Students will understand how environmental change is perturbing the global carbon cycle in the present day. Topics covered will include ocean acidification and changes in the surface temperature.

(S1) Numeracy (application of) manipulation of numbers, general mathematical awareness and its application in practical contexts (e.g. measuring, weighing, estimating and applying formulae)

(S2) Problem solving/ critical thinking/ creativity analysing facts and situations and applying creative thinking to develop appropriate solutions.

Understanding how carbon is cycled on Earth is fundamental to a wide variety of physical scientists, from ecologists, and geographers to ocean and atmospheric scientists. This module covers topics fundamental to the study of carbon in the earth system.

The following topics will be covered over a period of 10 weeks

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, fluxes between ocean, land and atmosphere;
Carbon and the terrestrial environment;
Carbon and transfer to the ocean environment;
pH, Revelle Buffer factor and alkalinity in the ocean;
Controls on temporal and spatial changes in oceanic pCO2;
Export production: measurement, magnitude and flaws;
Processes in the twilight zone in the ocean;
Burial of carbon and sedimentary processes;
The carbon cycle: a palaeo perspective;
Climate change and the carbon cycle;
Ocean acidification.

Teaching Method 1 - On-campus Lectures
Description: Attendance Recorded: Yes
Scheduled Directed Student Hours : 2 x 45 min lectures per week

Teaching Method 2 - Reading
Description: Knowledge from lectures is embedded and extended through guided reading of journals, book chapters and sections of IPCC reports relevant to the topic, providing a research-driven perspective on our current knowledge of the global carbon cycle.
Unscheduled Directed Student Hours: 1-2 hours per week for guided reading

Teaching Method 3 - Workshops
Description: Workshops are designed to introduce a challenging concept in the global carbon cycle, and through group work or whole class discussion, work through problems or calculations.
Attendance Recorded: Yes
Unscheduled Directed Student Hours (time spent away from the timetabled sessions but directed by the teaching staff): 0
Workshops have 20 hours of schedule direct learning. Workshops occur weekly and last 1 t o 2 hours.