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Unit of study_

ENVI5708: Introduction to Environmental Chemistry

2024 unit information

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major physical and chemical processes that control the concentration and dispersion of chemical pollutants in natural and impacted environments. The course will demonstrate how to use contaminant data effectively and how to judge the quality of chemical data. This knowledge will be used to design and to assess environmental projects, and to judge the magnitude of impact by human activity on environments and the risk posed by contaminants to ecosystem functioning. The course aims to provide present and future managers employed in environmental professions with the skills to use data with confidence and to make management decisions knowing the risks inherent in variable data quality. A field trip will be undertaken early in the semester.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations

Code ENVI5708
Academic unit Life and Environmental Sciences Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. describe the major processes controlling the concentration and distribution of chemical pollutants in natural and managed environments
  • LO2. describe techniques for evaluating and interpreting chemical data in environmental assessment and monitoring programs and for determining pre-anthropogenic, or background concentrations
  • LO3. provide techniques for evaluating functioning of estuarine and terrestrial ecosystems
  • LO4. identify and evaluate relevant environmental information from written and spoken presentations
  • LO5. design sampling strategies to assess the risk of specific sites to human and environmental health
  • LO6. carry out sampling and analyses of air, water and soil samples
  • LO7. communicate assessment and monitoring results of chemical pollutants in the environment to a range of audiences.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.