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Biogeochemistry and Sustainable Management
Last Updated: 2026-06-01 11:30:26
Abstract
This course focuses on the interactions between ecology, biogeochemistry and management of agro- and forest ecosystems, thus, coupled human-environmental systems. Students learn how human impacts on ecosystems via management or global change are mainly driven by effects on biogeochemical cycles and thus ecosystem functioning, but also about feedback mechanisms of terrestrial ecosystems.
Objective
Students will analyse and understand the complex and interacting processes of ecology, biogeochemistry and management of agroecosystems and forests. They will use their theoretical knowledge in two flipped classroom exercises, but also program a data logger to measure meteorological variables, analyze large meteorological and flux data sets, and evaluate the impacts of weather events and management practices on the ecosystem greenhouse gas exchange. Thus, students will expand their computational competences. Moreover, they will be able to coordinate and work successfully in small (interdisciplinary) teams.
Content
Agroecosystems and forests play a major role in all landscapes, either for production purposes, ecological areas or for recreation. The human impact of any management on the environment is mainly driven by effects on biogeochemical cycles. Effects of global change impacts will also act via biogeochemistry at the soil-biosphere-atmosphere-interface. Thus, ecosystem functioning, i.e., the interactions between ecology, biogeochemistry and management of terrestrial systems, is the science topic for this course. Students will gain profound knowledge about biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gas fluxes in managed grassland, cropland and forest ecosystems as well as expand their computational competences. Responses of these ecosystems to the environment, i.e., to climate and weather events, but also to management will be studied. Two flipped class-room exercises include the assessment of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems after a disturbance and the experimental design of an own study. Students will connect meteorological sensors to data loggers and program them to take measurements. Meteorological and greenhouse gas flux data will be analysed (using R) and assessed in terms of production, greenhouse gas budgets, and carbon sequestration. Thus, students will learn how to collect, analyse and interpret data about the complex interactions of a coupled human-environmental system. Students will work in groups (3-5 persons per group) with data from a small weather station (dedicated to the course), as well as data from long-term measurements collected within the network Swiss FluxNet and from global databases. Data from an intensively managed grassland site will be used to investigate the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of CO2, N2O and CH4. Functional relationships will be identified, greenhouse gas budgets will be calculated for different time periods and in relation to management events.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Handouts will be available in moodle.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise |
Biogeochemistry and Sustainable Management
In addition to the regular lecture, data and measurement tasks take place on following Mondays (08:15-12:00):
29.09.2025
06.10.2025
03.11.2025 excursion to Waldlabor
10.11.2025
On 03.11.2025, an excursion to the Waldlabor (
) will take place in the morning.
|
|
2 h weekly |