mar490 Current Topics and Methods in Marine Environmental Sciences

Students deepen their specialist knowledge in current areas of marine environmental sciences. They become familiar with modern investigation and research methods in marine environmental sciences. They acquire knowledge about the conception and implementation of environmental science research. You will be able to identify environmental science issues and problems and will be able to critically analyze and discuss results and topics from various areas of environmental science. They deepen their acquired knowledge through research and critically examine specialist literature.

SE Wetlands Conservation in the Anthropocene:

· Students will gain an understanding of current conservation challenges facing coastal wetlands from an interdisciplinary perspective

· Students will gain new insights into the relationship between conservation, science and society.

· Students will sharpen and apply their critical thinking skills through engagement with key contemporary debates on nature, naturalness, conservation and restoration.

The content is based on current developments in various areas of marine environmental science.

LE/SE Discussions on aquatic microbiology

Early Earth and diversification of life, Exploring the Microbial World, Metabolic diversity of microorganisms, Carbon cycle, Ecological diversity of phototrophic bacteria, Diversity of microbial Eukarya, Photosynthesis through evolution, Diversity of Archaea, Nitrogen cycle, Microbial Symbiosis, and Fate of Microorganisms in the aquatic environments.

LE Coastal Biology and Conservation

Coastal Conservation is a lecture course with a seminar designed to introduce participants to the conservation of coral reefs, and other near-shore environments such as rocky shores, mangroves and seagrass beds. Students will learn through theoretical and practical exercises how environmental and biological factors interact to sustain near-shore ecosystems. We will discover and describe the amazing diversity of coastal systems, explore the physiological and behavioral adaptations that enable organisms to live in this environment and deduct the basic ecological principles that underlie the function of near-shore ecosystems. This knowledge will build the basis for applying modern concepts of conservation, including the use of molecular tools and data to nearshore ecosystem. A focus of the course is the conception and writing of convincing research project proposals, a skill that translates to careers well beyond science. The course requires strong participation and thus is most suited for highly motivated students.

SE Coastal Biology and Conservation

We will be reading primary literature throughout the course to support and deepen the concepts addressed in the lecture.

EX Coastal Biology and Conservation

We will visit the Burger’s Zoo, Netherlands which harbors the largest living coral reef in Europe to connect theoretical insights from the lecture and seminar to real-world conservation efforts. Trip duration: 1-2 days.

SE Wadden Sea 2050: Nature Conservation and Social-Ecological Transformation

The Wadden Sea is recognised internationally as an exemplar of transboundary cooperation in nature conservation. The World Heritage Site designation has been awarded to the Wadden Sea in recognition of its outstanding universal values. These unique qualities make the Wadden Sea stand out on a global scale and occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of countless visitors and residents.Yet, the outstanding universal values continue to be at risk due to the impacts of human activities on land and at sea. The Wadden Sea is flanked by a coastline that has been massively transformed through coastal defence, land drainage and reclamation, industrial agriculture, harbour activity and mass tourism. On the seaside, the Wadden Sea transitions seamlessly into the North Sea, one of the most intensively used and heavily impacted sea spaces in the world. In order to safeguard the integrity of the Wadden Sea and secure good environmental status for the North Sea as a whole, we will, of necessity, see increased emphasis on nature restoration in the coming years and decades. 

In this seminar, we will examine how the conservation of the Wadden Sea ecosystem can be supported and complemented by the social-ecological transformation of the wider coastal region. In the first half of the seminar, participating students will progress their understanding of current practices in both nature conservation and coastal protection at the Wadden Sea coast. In the second half of the seminar, participating students will work in groups to develop a joint future vision and strategy for the Wadden Sea and its coastal hinterland.

Will be announced in the courses.

SE Wetlands Conservation in the Anthropocene (key literature to be completed):

Green, A.J. (2017) Creating a safe operating space for wetlands in a changing climate, Front Ecol Environ2017; 15(2): 99–107, doi:10.1002/fee.1459.

Kaden, U-S. et al (2026) European riverine and coastal wetlands under pressure: biodiversity and climate change, Nature Conservation, 62, 13-45, DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.62.163636.

Mose, I. Liburd, J., Walsh, C., Trell, E-M., Sijtsma, F. (2025) Crossing Borders, Blending Perspectives: Trilateral Wadden Sea Explorations, University of Groningen Press, https://books.ugp.rug.nl/ugp/catalog/book/225

Reise, K. (2014) A Natural History of the Wadden Sea: Riddled by Contingencies. Wilhelmshaven Common Wadden Sea Secretariat.

Walsh, C. (2018) Metageographies of Coastal Management: Negotiating Spaces of Nature and Culture at the Wadden Sea, Area, 50, (2), 177-185, https://doi.org/10.1111/area.12404.

Walsh, C. (2021) Protected area management in a post-natural world: negotiated governance at the Danish Wadden Sea, Maritime Studies 20(3), 255-266.

Module Capacity:
unrestricted