Course syllabus
Science of Environmental Change
FFR166, 7.5 credits (ECTS), 1st quarter 2026/2027
Course management
Examiner and course leader
Stefan Wirsenius, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
stefan.wirsenius@chalmers.se; 031-772 3146
Course co-leader
Daniel Johansson, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences daniel.johansson@chalmers.se; 031-772 2816
Additional teachers
Rickard Arvidsson, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
rickard.arvidsson@chalmers.se
Hans Chen, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
hans.chen@chalmers.se
Chandrakant Singh, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
chandrakant.singh@chalmers.se
Maximilian Forberg, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
maximilian.forberg@chalmers.se
Timon Renzelmann, Department of Environmental and Energy Sciences
timonr@chalmers.se
General information
The course is part of the Master’s program in Industrial Ecology at Chalmers University of Technology, but others who meet the course prerequisites can also take it as an elective.
Aim and learning objectives
The course aims at giving a natural science basis for the understanding of critical processes and mechanisms involved in major environmental problems and their solutions, in particular concerning:
- Processes involved in the responses and effects of human impacts on parts of the Earth system, such as the carbon cycle.
- Factors influencing the scale of human impacts on Earth systems, such as different emissions.
- Mechanisms that determine the biophysical potential to mitigate human impacts, for example, reductions in various emissions.
After the course, you shall be able to:
- explain and apply basic natural and environmental science concepts and models
- explain key properties and processes on Earth of importance for understanding environmental changes
- apply this knowledge to explain the processes involved in environmental disturbances caused by humans
- perform simple calculations related to Earth systems and environmental change
A complete list of learning objectives is provided in the file "Key learning objectives"; see the Files section.
Content
- Overview of environmental changes
The course starts with an overview of major environmental changes and the dangers they pose to humanity.
- Basic chemistry and physics for understanding environmental changes
Next, the course reviews basic chemical and physical concepts and models important for understanding and analyzing environmental changes.
- The Earth system and its components
Knowledge about the different components of the Earth system is another important basis for understanding environmental changes. The course reviews key properties of land and vegetation, the atmosphere, and the ocean, as well as in-depth descriptions of the climate system and the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
- Environmental changes caused by humanity
Interwoven in the description of the Earth system, the course gives in-depth accounts of different disturbances induced by human activities. This course focuses, in particular, on the problem of global warming. Other environmental changes covered in more detail include habitat and vegetation changes, ocean acidification, eutrophication, air pollution, and toxic pollution.
Structure
Lectures
The course includes 25 lectures: two cover basic chemistry and physics, and the rest cover Earth components and Environmental changes. After each lecture, slides and notes will be available on the course website.
As preparation for the written exam, a Q&A session is scheduled at the end of the course to allow you to ask questions about the course content.
Assignments
Two assignments are performed in groups of three students and handed in. The purpose of these hand-ins is to facilitate learning by studying important Earth system processes and mechanisms in depth. The hand-ins are optional but expected and add bonus points to the written exam result (see Examination and grading below). The course website will provide the assignments. The student groups must upload their hand-ins to the course website before the deadline.
There are two scheduled tutorials for each hand-in, where you can ask questions and receive guidance. These tutorials are optional, but they're a good chance to get help with the assignment.
The course management puts together the student groups, which will be announced on the course website by the end of the first study week. Please contact the course administrator if you have difficulty finding your group.
Calculation exercises
Although a minor part of the course, the ability to perform (simple) calculations related to Earth systems and environmental change is part of the course's learning goals. Also, by doing calculations on these topics, you will reflect on their mechanisms and magnitudes, which will improve your learning.
Teachers will present solutions to exercises on two scheduled occasions. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions about exercises you have tried to solve by yourself. Attendance is optional.
Please note that some exam questions will be selected from the calculation exercise sheet.
The compendium of exercises will be made available on the course website.
Practicing quizzes
Practicing quizzes are available for each part of the course (except basic chemistry and physics). They are intended to help you learn the course content and prepare for the exam. However, because of the quiz format, they are designed somewhat differently from the exam questions.
General supporting materials
Dictionaries that define and explain English terms in Swedish and other languages are available; see the Files section.
Readings
Purpose
Reading assignments are an important part of the course and provide depth and knowledge about environmental changes. Lecture content is limited to the most important matters, and you need to learn the rest of the materials on your own through the readings (as well as hand-ins and calculations). The readings will deepen your knowledge and help you understand environmental changes more deeply and theoretically.
List
Archer, 2012. Global Warming, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Breitburg et al., 2018. Declining oxygen in the global ocean and coastal waters. Science
Cousins et al 2018, Why is high persistence alone a major cause of concern? Environmental Science
Doney et al., 2020. The Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Marine Ecosystems. Annual Review of Environment and Resources.
Erb et al 2018. Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass. Nature
Flores and Staal 2022. Feedback in tropical forests of the Anthropocene. Global Change Biology
Goosse et al., 2010. Introduction to climate dynamics and climate modelling (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Hansen et al, 2023. Uh-Oh. Now What
IPCC, 2013, Technical summary. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Jackson & Jackson, 2000. Environmental Science, 2nd edition, Pearson Education (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Jacobson, 2012. Air Pollution and Global Warming, Cambridge University Press (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Peters and Svanström 2019, Introduction to Toxicology
Rogelj et al 2019, Estimating and tracking the remaining carbon budget for stringent climate targets. Nature
Ricklefs & Miller, 2000. Pathways of elements in the ecosystem, In: Ricklefs & Miller, Ecology, 4th ed, WH Freeman. (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Rodhe, 2000. Modeling biogeochemical cycles, In: Jacobson et al., Earth system science, AP (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Sutton et al 2011. European nitrogen assessment - Technical Summary. Cambridge UP
Vallis, 2012. Climate and the oceans, Princeton University Press. (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Williams & Follows, 2011. Ocean Dynamics and the Carbon Cycle. Cambridge University Press (selected pages, see under "Modules")
Availability
All readings are available for download at the course website.
Examination and grading
General information
To pass the course, you must pass the written exam.
Points and grades:
- The written exam can give a maximum of 60 exam points.
Grades are: Fail (< 30), 3 (≥ 30 p), 4 (≥ 39 p), or 5 (≥ 48 p).
- Each assignment can give a maximum of 20 bonus points, which are scaled and added to the exam result.
The bonus points obtained for assignments are scaled, i.e. converted to equivalent exam points, using the ratio 9/40. This means that, for example, 10 bonus points obtained for a hand-in are worth 2.3 exam points. Please note, however, that these exam points obtained from bonus points are counted towards your exam result only if your exam score alone is at or above the level for passing (i.e. 30 exam points). Also note that they are valid for one year only, i.e., you have three exam opportunities to use them (the regular exam by the end of the course and two re-exams).
Some details about the written exam
Duration: 5 hours
Aids:
- i) Pocket calculator of any type
- ii) Language dictionaries (not technical dictionaries)
Calculation exercises earn about 15 points out of a total of 60 points. Formulas and equations needed will be given in an accompanying data and formula sheet.
Teacher support outside the scheduled lectures and tutorials
If you have questions, please post under the Discussions section. You can post questions anonymously.
You are also always welcome to contact me or any of the other lecturers or tutors. If you want to meet with any of the teachers, please send an email and book an appointment.
Evaluation
Student evaluation of the course follows current Chalmers practices. A student evaluation contact group (three persons) will be appointed at the introduction class and subsequently announced on the course website. The course management will hold two meetings with the student group during the course. After the course, all participants are invited to take an online evaluation survey.
Schedule