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ESc 301.01 Syllabus-Spring 2024

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11 views

ESc 301.01 Syllabus-Spring 2024

Uploaded by

benkendiisikinda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ESc 301.

01
The Environmental Dimension
Instructor: Ferhan Çeçen, Professor, Boğaziçi University, Institute of Environmental Sciences
Hisar Campus, C-Wing (C309), Tel: 0212 359 72 56
e-mail: [email protected]

Course Goal:

The overall goal is to provide you with knowledge of the global environment and
environmental problems. Through taking this course, you will be introduced to current
environmental topics. However, to understand environmental problems, an understanding of
ecological principles and social issues such as human population growth is needed. Therefore,
the course will first deal with such subjects. By the end of the course, students should be
aware that environmental pollution, hazards and changes occur and can influence human
health and the environment.

Expected gains for students:

By the end of the semester, you will be able to:


• describe what environmental science is.
• have an idea about biological evolution, biodiversity and how they are related with
environmental pollution.
• identify various ecosystems, describe various ecosystem components and functions and their
impact on the environment.
• describe the major material cycles and see how their disturbance leads to environmental
degradation.
• have an idea about the impact of human population growth on the environment, learn the
relationship between population growth, food and agricultural practices.
• describe various sources of energy (nonrenewable and renewable) and learn how they lead
to environmental degradation, and learn about their advantages and disadvantages.
• learn how water bodies, atmosphere and land systems get polluted, identify various water,
air and soil pollutants, learn how the pollution of water, air and soil can be controlled.
• learn where our water comes from, where our wastewaters, gaseous effluents and solid
wastes etc. go to.
• learn about global atmospheric problems (greenhouse effect and ozone depletion) and how
they can be controlled.
• learn about the basics of sustainable development.

Attendance and Participation in class:

The course appeals to a wide spectrum of students with technical as well as social
background. Students are advised to attend the lectures, participate in the discussions and
ask questions.
Exams and Quizzes:

• 2 Midterm Exams (25 % each)


• 1 Final Exam (35 %)
• Quizzes (15 %) (During the course approximately 5 unannounced quizzes will be handed out).

Optional: Students are encouraged to give a 10-15 min. presentation on a topic they choose. This will
bring up to 4 extra points.

All exams will be in the form of multiple-choice questions.

Requirement to take the Final Exam: If the average of two Midterm Exams is lower than 35,
the student will not be allowed to take the Final Exam.

Course material: My Power Point slides are essential. I will put them into the MOODLE.

Office Hours: Students can contact the lecturer by e-mail.

Course Outline
Introduction to Ecology:
Evolution of Life, Biodiversity and Extinction (Evolution of life, species, natural selection,
adaptation; genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, benefits of biodiversity, threats to
biodiversity, extinction)
Populations and Communities (population growth, biotic potential, environmental resistance,
survivorship, age structure, ecological niche, ecotones, interspecific relationships)
Ecosystems and Biomes (producers, consumers, decomposers and detritivores, trophic level,
food chain; terrestrial and aquatic biomes; ecological succession)
Energy in Ecosystems (energy flow through ecosystems, energy budget, the law of 10 %,
pyramids of energy and biomass, primary productivity)
Material Cycles (material fluxes, residence time concepts; water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen
cycle, phosphorus cycle, sulfur cycle, human interferences disturbing the cycles and causing
environmental problems)
The Gaia Theory.

Introduction to Environmental Problems:


Population Growth, Agriculture and Pesticides (Human population growth, Industrial
revolution, population projections, population growth and age structures in Turkey,
population growth and environmental problems, agriculture, food supply, Green Revolution,
resource use in developed and developing countries; soil pollution; pest and weed control,
chemical pesticides, health effects, biomagnification, biological pest control, integrated pest
management (IPM))

Energy Problems (energy supplies, energy from fossil fuels, fossil fuel fired power plants,
nuclear energy, nuclear power plants, nuclear energy problems, exposure to radiation, nuclear
accidents, renewable energy sources, direct solar energy, indirect forms of solar energy (wind,
water, biomass), geothermal energy, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy)

Water Resources, Water Pollution and Control (water resources, water consumption, sources
of pollution, water quality problems, water pollutants, main water quality parameters (DO,
BOD, COD), surface water pollution, groundwater pollution, drinking water treatment,
wastewater treatment, water reclamation and reuse, coastal pollution, oil spills, water
pollution control regulations)

Air Pollution and Control (atmospheric structure, sources of air pollution, primary and
secondary air pollutants, health problems, acid rain, thermal inversion, winter smog,
photosmog, indoor air pollution, air pollution control technologies, air pollution control
regulations)

Noise Pollution (definition and unit of noise, sources and effects)

Global Atmospheric Pollution (solar energy balance, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases,
enhanced greenhouse effect, sources and emissions of greenhouse gases, global warming,
positive and negative feedbacks, solutions to global warming; ozone depletion, formation and
depletion of the ozone layer, ozone depleting substances (ODS), consequences of ozone
depletion, solutions to ozone depletion)

Solid Waste Generation and Disposal (generation and composition of solid waste, waste
management hierarchy, municipal waste landfilling, incineration, recycling, hazardous wastes,
hazardous waste landfilling, medical wastes, characteristics of plastics, life cycle assessment,
comparison of plastics and paper, solid waste regulations)

Sustainable Development (Earth’s carrying capacity, overview of environmental issues,


sustainable development, ecological industrial network)

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