Water Pollution

Catalog description

This course is designed to present students with a comprehensive introduction to the sources and impacts of pollution in marine and freshwater environments. Fundamental concepts and principles of aquatic biogeochemistry will be introduced first, including marine and freshwater chemistry, primary production and food webs. Specific pollution topics will include biological (e.g., pathogens, invasive species), physical (e.g., thermal, plastics), and chemical (e.g., nutrient loading, oil, pesticides, metals) pollutants. Recent case studies will be discussed in class such as the Fukushima disaster and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A field trip will be organized to visit a local sewage treatment plant in Kunshan. 001775