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.

EAE1011 - Earth, atmosphere and environment 1

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Undergraduate - Unit

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

Faculty

Science

Organisational Unit

School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment

Coordinator(s)

Ms Marion Anderson

Offered

Clayton

First semester 2016 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit is a core unit for further studies in Geology, Atmospheric Science, Climate Studies, Earth Science, Environmental Earth Science and Geographical Science.
The Earth is a constantly changing complex system involving many physical, chemical, and biological processes. This unit is an introduction to the science used to understand the Earth system, how it changes over time, and its future. We will look at the Earth's place in the Universe and Solar System, the formation and structure of the Earth, and its changing environment. Fieldwork, practical exercises, simple models, and state of the art satellite data will be used to read the planet's history, and model and predict its future. We will also study the processes that drive change within our planet and its environmental systems: from the formation of the Earth's core to its crust; to the systems driving and sustaining the planet's living surface; to the forces and processes involved in the formation of mountains and oceans; and our changing atmosphere and climate.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

Describe the formation and history of the Earth System and the Universe as we currently understand it, as well as how our understanding of these has changed over time.
Describe the physical, chemical and biological processes involved in the formation and evolution of a planet, and the formation of, and changes to, the Earth's crust, oceans and atmosphere over time.
Understand and outline the energy, water and biogeochemical cycles that drive movement, feedback, and environmental change in the Earth - from its atmosphere to its core.
Describe how scientists collect and record data, and model future trends in the Earth's climate and surface processes.

Assessment

Continuous assessment - prac quizzes, prac reports, field trip: 50%
Final exam: 50%

Workload requirements

Three 1-hour lectures and one 2-hour practical per week

Chief examiner(s)

Ms Marion Anderson

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Atmospheric science
Geosciences

Prohibitions

ENV1011, ESC1011