This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

APG4824 - Science of water

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Arts

Organisational Unit

South Africa School of Social Sciences

Coordinator(s)

Associate Professor Bimo Nkhata

Offered

South Africa

Term 3 2016 (Day)

Notes

The unit may be offered as part of the Winter Arts ProgramWinter Arts Program (http://www.monash.edu/students/courses/arts/winter-program.html).

Synopsis

This unit introduces students to some of the fundamental science which underpins the understanding of the whole of catchment water cycle, including ecosystem functioning and the water quality and quantity requirements of various user groups (e.g. domestic, agriculture, industry, mining). Throughout the unit there is an emphasis on the whole-of-water cycle. The unit also addresses the human uses of water and highlights the dynamic relationship between human and natural aquatic systems. Topics covered in this unit include;

Basic properties of water
Principles of aquatic ecology, including ecological structure and function, the finite nature of the resource base and significance of water quality and quantity to the environment and multiple water users.
Integrated water resources planning and management including principles of systematic conservation planning and spatial development planning
River health monitoring, assessment and reporting
Freshwater ecosystems as complex social-ecological systems including the concepts of ecosystem services, resilience and thresholds of change.

Outcomes

Specific objectives for this unit include:

Describe the physical and chemical properties of water and the processes that affect these physical and chemical properties with respect to water quality
Critically analyse given water quality data using correct analysis methods and statistics; present water quality data using correct tables and figures; interpret the outcomes of this analysis; write a meaningful report about the data and its implications for water quality, ecosystem health, or human use
Determine linkages between the terrestrial and aquatic environment and the influence of land-use change on aquatic systems and environmental flows
Measure key water quality and biological indicators for ecological health in an aquatic system and suggest monitoring and assessment criteria for healthy aquatic systems.
Understand the principles of water storage and treatment and its subsequent treatment for human use.
Provide comment on larger issues of water security, such as climate change.

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 100%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Chief examiner(s)

Associate Professor Bimo Nkhata

Co-requisites

APG4823, APG4825 and APG4826