Field Work in Physical Geography
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Course code
MLG6043.LT
old course code
MLG6043
Course title in Estonian
Loodusgeograafia komplekspraktika
Course title in English
Field Work in Physical Geography
ECTS credits
6.0
Assessment form
assessment
lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
lecturer of 2024/2025 Spring semester
Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.
Course aims
To support the development of skills for preparing independent research in geosciences and choosing proper research methods.
To enable the students to apply theoretical knowledge in practice.
To support the development of skills for conducting field works and field experiments.
To create prerequisites for the development of skills to formulate a research report.
Brief description of the course
The first half of the course covers research methods used in geosciences: cartographic methods, positioning, surveying, basics of sample collection, collecting, preserving and analysing water-, snow-, soil-, plant-, etc samples; research methods of water bodies and wetlands; dating possibilities and methods for various objects; landscape transect; research methods of soils; granulometry, geomorphology.
At the end of the semester a 3-4 days long field practice takes place, where the students can apply most of the previously learned methods: measurements of distance, height and area in nature and on maps. Surveying. Simple mapping and orienteering. Measuring parameters of water bodies: dimensions, area, depth, volume. Movement of water through the landscape. Temperature an oxygen regime, water transparency and colour. Sample collection methods and devices for sediments in water bodies. Describing and dating sediments. Biological, lithological and chemical analysis of sediments. Mires: vegetation, microrelief, hydrological regime. Peat: growth, decomposition rate, botanical and chemical composition. Landscape transect.
Learning outcomes in the course
Upon completing the course the student:
- has knowledge of basic geoecological field methods and ability to use them;
- has ability to choose an optimal method for solving a geoecological problem;
- has ability to analyse research data and formulate it as a report;
- has ability to position oneself in space and to solve the posed problems spatially.
Teacher
Reimo Rivis, PhD, dots.
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