Credits
This is a 3-credit course.
Description
This course will introduce students to principles of environmental forensic science. In particular, you will learn about the transport and fate of chemicals in the environment. The environmental “crime scene,” where pollution first occurs, is often hundreds of kilometers away from the area most impacted by the pollution. Along the way, pollutants undergo changes as they interact with the environment. Linking a pollutant to its source involves understanding and quantifying these changes.
NOTE: This course requires some basic knowledge of mathematics and chemistry to a first-year university level. Some of the concepts in this course will be illustrated through the use of spreadsheets. You will need to have a copy of the spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel (2003 or later) on your computer to open these spreadsheets. You will be directed how to download these files. Some of the spreadsheets run sub-programs called “Macros”. When you open these files, you may see a message warning you that the program contains Macros. You will be asked to either Disable Macros or Enable Macros. Make sure you choose Enable Macros.
This course is taught by Western Sydney University as part of a collaborative venture between the University of Florida and Western Sydney University, Australia.
Prerequisites
Please review our recommended course order.
Table Caption
| Module | Topic |
|---|---|
| Section 1 | Introduction |
| Module 1 | What is Environmental Forensic Science? |
| Section 2 | Environmental pollutants |
| Module 2 | Toxicity of environmental contaminants |
| Module 3 | Oil contamination: Hydrocarbon fingerprinting |
| Section 3 | Fate of chemicals in the environment |
| Module 4 | Environmental partitioning |
| Module 5 | Biological transformations |
| Section 4 | Contaminant transport by groundwater |
| Module 6 | Environmental Transport Models |
| Module 7 | Groundwater Transport |
| Section 4 | Transport of Atmospheric pollutants |
| Module 8 | Atmospheric Dispersion |
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Describe what an environmental forensic scientist does
- Describe legal processes involving environmental forensic science
- Understand the relationship between dose and toxicity
- Formulate measures of toxicity
- Perform calculations related to toxicity
- Understand the concepts of bioconcentration, bio-accumulation and biomagnification
- Describe various classes of toxic compounds
- Understand how the genesis of crude oil relates to its composition
- Interpret oil “fingerprints” from gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS)
- Apply biomarker metrics to identify hydrocarbons
- Describe the principles of chemical partitioning in the environment
- Describe the types of biological transformations that impact on organic compounds in the environment
- Understand the basic principles of analytical and numerical environmental transport models
- Understand the process of groundwater contamination
- Describe analytical and numerical models used for groundwater contamination
- Understand the principles of atmospheric dispersion of pollutants
- Describe models of atmospheric pollution
Recommended Materials
The following text is recommended but not compulsory. You will be able to complete the course without it, but it is a good companion.
Introduction to Environmental Forensics
Brian L. Murphy & Robert D. Morrison
Elsevier (Academic Press): 3rd edition (2015)
ISBN: 9780124046962 (print)
ISBN: 9780124047075 (ebook)
Library Access
Distance Education and UF Online Students enjoy the same library privileges as on-campus students.
To utilize the University of Florida Library System, click here!