This unit provides students with an overview of current debates and approaches to understanding and quantifying interactions between the biosphere, oceans and atmosphere, as used around the world, and the consequences of those interactions for climate. The unit considers climate change on a variety of timescales. This unit will include a weekend field trip to Snowy Mountains field sites managed by the University of Sydney where students will be introduced to cutting edge, ongoing climate change research.

The objectives of this unit of study are to develop an understanding of the processes occurring in lakes, reservoirs, streams and coastal seas, an introduction to transport and mixing in inland waters, and to the design the design of marine structures. The unit will cover the mass and heat budget in stored water bodies, mixing, and the implications for water quality. In streams, natural river systems will be discussed, and the principles of sediment transport and scour, monitoring and management will be introduced. The basic equations for linear and nonlinear wave theories in coastal seas will be introduced, and wave forces on structures and an introduction to design of offshore structures will be discussed.

This unit of study aims to provide an understanding of the conservation of mass and momentum in differential forms for viscous fluid flows. It provides the foundation for advanced study of turbulence, flow around immersed bodies, open channel flow, pipe flow and pump design.

This unit of study introduces fundamental concepts of modern ecology for environmental scientists through a series of modules focussing on applied questions. Using case studies from Australia, students are exposed to the challenges of doing ecology and how cutting edge research is being applied to environmental management using evidence-based approaches. Meetings and discussions with people working in the field give students an insight into the ways that ecologists address ecological problems and how way they generate an understanding of natural systems. Students have the opportunity to consider different ways of doing science and ways of dealing with different kinds of data, including qualitative, quantitative, anecdotal and experimental approaches

This unit of study introduces participants to the power of simulation modelling in understanding and predicting behaviour of natural systems. It covers fundamental concepts, logic, and techniques (including sensitivity analysis), and develops skills in application to environmental problems such as catchment management and population dynamics.

This unit of study constitutes an international field-based experience held in Southeast Asia during the July semester break. It explores the contested notions of sustainable development and sustainability through exposure to real world development dilemmas in Southeast Asia. We explore fundamental issues such as urbanization, sustainable livelihood, resource scarcity and economic globalization. The unit of study involves lectures, in-situ readings and discussion groups, introduction to field methods, stakeholder meetings and experiential learning. Students interested in this unit should confirm their interest to the Unit Coordinators by the end of March of the year the field school will be held. There will be additional costs associated with this unit to cover food, accommodation, local transport and field assistance of about $1,200. Students will also be required to arrange their own international travel to the starting point (either Vientiane or Jakarta depending on the specific location of the course).

No assessment of potential environmental impacts is possible without relevant information about the ecological consequences. This unit is for those without a quantitative ecology background, to explain the need to quantify and what are relevant measures. Describing and understanding uncertainty will be explained in the context of precautionary principles. Issues about measuring biodiversity and the spatial and temporal problems of ecological systems will be introduced. Field experience will also be available (up to two of six hour sessions) subject to weather, tides and available staffing; please note that these sessions are voluntary.

This unit of study gives an overview of basic spatial data models, and enables students to understand the use of data from a variety of sources within a geographical information system (GIS). The analysis of spatial data, and its manipulation to address questions appropriate to planning or locational applications, will be addressed, as will the development of thematic maps from diverse data layers.

The unit introduces methods associated with acquiring data in the field and examines issues associated with application of spatial data to environmental monitoring, terrain mapping and geocomputing. Students will learn both theoretically and practically how environmental data is collected using different remote sensing techniques, (pre)processing methods of integrating data in a GIS environment and the role of spatial data in understanding landscape processes and quantifying environmental change.

This unit of study explains the major coastal processes and systems of relevance to coastal zone management. These include beaches, barriers and dunes; estuaries and inlets; and coral reefs. The interactions between these processes and systems that are of most relevance to coastal management are highlighted, including coastal hazards such as beach erosion. Anthropogenic impacts are also analysed. This unit includes an introduction to numerical modeling of coastal processes and systems using state-of-the-art modeling tools. The unit is presented in lectures and field excursions, the latter enabling each system to be examined first hand.

The field school will be based around visits to a series of coastal sites along the NSW coast. The unit will include a series of introductory lectures followed by visits to the sites where both unit staff and local coastal managers and stakeholders will address the students on the nature of the site, its historical development and contemporary coastal management issues and solutions. Sites will be selected to the representative of both the range of coastal systems present along the NSW coast, as well as the range of management issues presented by the sites.

This unit provides an in - depth overview of the key biological and non-biological processes that make up coral reef ecosystems. There is a focus on the biogeographic, oceanographic and physiological processes underlying the integrity of global tropical reef systems. The Great Barrier Reef is used as a case study to explore emerging concepts on the influence of natural and anthropogenic processes on the integrity of global coral reef ecosystems. Learning activities will include a series of background lectures and research seminars and tutorials in the development of a major research project. A major aspect of this unit is an independent research project conducted under the supervision of the course instructors. The unit concludes with a series of oral presentations based on student research. Assessment tasks will consist of one essay, essay topic presentation and a research project report and presentation. The curriculum in this unit is based on current research and course notes will be provided. This is a field intensive course held at One Tree Island Research Station. The course is ex-Gladstone Queensland and students are expected to make their own way there. The field component of the unit will be run over 4-6 days and there will be an additional course fee for transport, food and accommodation, expected to be $700.

This unit provides an in - depth understanding of the key geological, oceanographic, biological and economic factors effecting global climate change and coral reef response, with specific reference to the future and fate of the Great Barrier Reef. Predictions of worst and best case scenarios for the future of coral reef systems are discussed in the context of the latest science, and in light of how this science should underpin future management strategies and policy. On campus learning activities will include a series of background lectures and research seminars, and tutorials on the development of a major research project. A major aspect of this unit is the independent research project conducted in the field (Great Barrier Reef) under the supervision of the course instructors. The unit concludes with a series of oral presentations based on student research. Assessment tasks will consist of an essay, a research seminar, and a research project report and presentation. The field intensive component of the course is held at One Tree Island or Heron Island or Orpheus Island Research Stations and will run over 6-8 days and there will be an additional course fee for transport, food and accommodation, expected to be about $700 (ex. travel to and from Gladstone/Townsville).

This unit of study will introduce students to current research undertaken in various disciplines of marine science in Australia. It will be a multi-institutional unit taught at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) with contributions from the four University partners of SIMS. Lectures and tutorials will be taught by leading marine science researchers. Topics will cover physical and biological oceanography, climate change, molecular ecology, aquaculture, marine biology and marine geosciences. In practical classes, students will analyse and interpret remote-sensing data from the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), which provides comprehensive information on the biological and physical processes of Australia's coastal and oceanic waters.

This unit enables students who have completed earlier coursework to design and undertake a research project related to a marine science and/or management topic under the supervision of an appropriate member of staff. The unit is suitable for students who wish to learn how to undertake and complete an original research project, as well as students from industry and government organizations who wish to undertake a project that relates to their professional environment. The research topic should be arranged between the student and supervisor and must have a coastal or marine science and/or management focus. Potential topics range from modelling coastal impacts of predicted sea level rise, equilibrium shoreline profiles and reef microborer responses to environmental variables. The project topic may involve a field or lab component, or may be entirely literature-based. The project question and research design must be structured to be completed within one fulltime semester or two part-time semesters of study, including the literature review, field work, data analysis and report writing. MARS5505 and MARS5506 do not involve formal contact hours but students are required to work on the project in a continuous manner for the entire duration of the semester in which they are enrolled.

This unit enables students who have completed earlier coursework to design and undertake a research project related to a marine science and/or management topic under the supervision of an appropriate member of staff. The unit is suitable for students who wish to learn how to undertake and complete an original research project, as well as students from industry and government organizations who wish to undertake a project that relates to their professional environment. The research topic should be arranged between the student and supervisor and must have a coastal or marine science and/or management focus. Potential topics range from modelling coastal impacts of predicted sea level rise, equilibrium shoreline profiles and reef microborer responses to environmental variables. The project topic may involve a field or lab component, or may be entirely literature-based. The project question and research design must be structured to be completed within one fulltime semester or two part-time semesters of study, including the literature review, field work, data analysis and report writing. MARS5505 and MARS5506 do not involve formal contact hours but students are required to work on the project in a continuous manner for the entire duration of the semester in which they are enrolled.

This unit of study offers a practical introduction to quantitative analysis techniques including multiple regression, uncertainty analysis, integration, structural decomposition, and dynamic systems modelling, with a strong emphasis on demonstrating their usefulness for environmental problem-solving. This unit will show students how mathematics can be brought to life when utilised in powerful applications to deal with environmental and sustainability issues. Throughout the unit of study, example applications will be explained, including climate modelling, ecosystem trophic chain analysis, linking household consumption and environmental impact, identifying socio-demographic drivers of environmental change, and the uncovering the effect of land use patterns on threats to species.

This unit of study will provide students with both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to carry out their own environmental footprint and impact analyses. This unit uses state of the art economic input-output theory and input-output analysis, and focuses on contemporary environmental applications such as carbon footprints and life-cycle assessment. The unit first explores national and global economic and environmental accounting systems and their relationships to organisational accounting. Second, it will present cutting-edge techniques enabling the global analysis of environmental impacts of international trade. Third, it offers hands-on instruction to master the basic input-output calculus conceived by Nobel Prize Laureate Wassily Leontief, and provide a step-by-step recipe for how to undertake boundary-free environmental footprinting by integrating economic and environmental accounts, and by applying Leontief's calculus to data published by statistical offices. Students will walk away from this unit equipped with all skills needed to calculate footprints, and prepare sustainability reports for any organisation, city, region, or nation, using organisational data, economic input-output tables and environmental accounts. Students will also benefit from also enrolling in PHYS5034 for a sound understanding of the role of input-output analysis within the field of Life-Cycle Assessment.

This unit examines how policy-makers engage with and implement policies and legal requirements for regulating ecologically sustainable development. Meeting the needs of a growing global population while at the same time maintaining the health of the environment, which provides the life support system for humanity, is the central policy challenge of the 21st century. Key sustainability challenges include: avoiding dangerous climate change, safeguarding biological diversity, providing food security, coping with resource scarcity, and promoting green technology including low-carbon energy generation. These issues provide acute challenges for governments given that they cut across a range of policy areas, and require long-term planning rather than short-term decision-making. The unit examines how policy-makers at international, national and sub-national scales consider and respond to sustainability issues. Students will be introduced to: the role of analysis (economic, legal, political, scientific and social etc) in providing an evidence base for decisions; the variety of instruments and institutions available for policy delivery; how the lobbying process influences policy determination; and effectiveness of policy design and implementation. The unit also examines how decision-making is influenced by stakeholders, including industry, nongovernmental organisations and citizens. It will be seen that sustainability policy design and implementation in the real world involves reconciling competing agendas and interests, and that trade-offs are often made that may strengthen or weaken the effectiveness of sustainability policies. Offered through the Sydney Law School, this unit introduces students to the legal imperatives (both international and national) which inform and mandate policy choices.

This unit of study provides an introduction to the wildlife of Australasia, an overview of the present status of that wildlife, and an understanding of both conservation problems and management solutions. Issues in wildlife management are exemplified using a broad range of vertebrate species occupying different environments. Emphasis is placed on providing students with a coordinated and interdisciplinary approach to wildlife health and management, and on developing expertise in recognising and solving a broad range of problems in field populations. The unit integrates lectures, practical work and supervised study, and offers students the opportunity to work through real-world wildlife conservation problems relevant to their individual backgrounds.

This unit of study provides a first-hand introduction to the wildlife of Australasia, a practical overview of the present status of that wildlife, and an understanding of both conservation problems and management solutions. Issues in wildlife management are exemplified using sampling and diagnostic methods on a broad range of vertebrate species occupying different environments. The unit follows on from WILD5001 and provides practical experience via a seven day field trip, 5 days at Mt. Annan Botanical Gardens and two days "Arthursleigh" near Marulan NSW. Students stay overnight at both locations. Survey methods for frogs, reptiles, birds, small mammals, bats and macropods are introduced and all students participate in these activities. There are multiple opportunities to work with the staff at the Gardens and to see how a natural reserve serves to preserve biodiversity in the face of surrounding urbanization.

Wildlife populations are under a variety of threats, most of which result from human activities. Modern conservation biology seeks practical solutions to these problems using a wide range of options. These options can include captive breeding and re-introduction programs, provided that a range of biological, ethical and politico-economic issues are addressed. This unit of study provides students with the tools to evaluate the likely cost-effectiveness of such programs. It also develops knowledge of the technologies available to capture and translocate wildlife, and of the planning required to maximise the chance of success. The unit is taught in a full-time week at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, NSW. The unit integrates lectures, tutorials, practical work and site visits and offers students the opportunity to examine real problems in the conservation and management of threatened wildlife populations using relevant case studies.