INGLESE

English

1) Ecology and the Earth system: basic concept on the structure and functioning of the biosphere.
2) Case studies.
3) Global and climate change: basic concepts, mitigation and Adaptation Policies, new challenges.
4) Methodological physics application in ecology

Principles of terrestrial ecosystem ecology- Author: F. Stuart Chapin III, Pamela A. Matson, Harold A. Mooney. Springer
- Ecological Climatology: Concepts and Applications -
Author: Gordon Bonan, Cambridge University Press
- Scientific articles from peer reviewed journals to review case studies
- IPCC, 2018: Global Warming of 1.5°C. [Masson-Delmotte, V., et al.
(eds.)]. © 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The course is aimed at providing basic knowledge and understanding of the structure of the ecosystems and the biomes, the factors which regulate their structure and their equilibrium, the main drivers of global and climatic change, the analysis of their causes and impacts on the planet earth.
The course is therefore finalized to widen the perspective of the physic students on the possible fields of application of their knowledge, in particular those finalized to ecological monitoring and process understanding
The course should increase the ability of the students to learn, understand, judge and communicate environmental related issues with a physic perspective.

None

The course is structured in 48 hours of frontal lectures organized in a core set of lessons on the basics of ecology, global and climate change, a set of case study analysis on the most recent advancement of knowledge to the course topics and reported in highly cited peer reviewed journals, thematic seminars and open discussion on physic methodologies applied to the study of the environment.

The examination is oral interview based on the discussion of the arguments illustrated during the course, including the possibility to illustrate an example of case studies where physics approaches have been used to solve ecological and environmental problems.

Slides, scientific articles, materials presented during the lessons will be shared with students on the institutional platforms

1)1st Part: Ecology and the Earth system (3CFU)
The Ecosystem Concept
Earth Climate system
Geology and soil
Surface energy balance and terrestrial water
The driver of earth life: C input and cycling in ecosystems Biogeochemical cycles
Natural and anthropic drivers of biomes
2) Case studies: (1CFU) most recent advancements on environmental issues reported in Science and Nature journals.
3) Global and climate change (2 CFU): basic concepts, from Kyoto to Paris, the role of IPCC, the Global carbon budget, the global CH4 budget, the Global N2O budget, Mitigation and Adaptation Policies, global warming 1.5°C and new challenges.
4) Methodological physics application in the environmental field (1CFU): set of seminars on widely diffused and/or cutting edge science techniques.