# AESC30230

**Source**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=MODULE&MODULE=AESC30230&TERMCODE=202500&ACYR=2026
**Parent**: https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=COURSE&MAJR=ESS1&AUDIENCE=

Academic Year 2025/2026

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#### Climate, Carbon and Soil (AESC30230)

Subject:
:   Agricultural&Environmental Sci

College:
:   Health & Agricultural Sciences

School:
:   Agriculture & Food Science

Level:
:   3 (Degree)

Credits:
:   5

Module Coordinator:
:   Assoc Professor Paul Murphy

Trimester:
:   Spring

Mode of Delivery:
:   On Campus

Internship Module:
:   No

How will I be graded?
:   Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module provides an overview of the challenges that climate change presents to agriculture and other land uses. An initial introduction to agro-meteorology will provide an illustrated overview of the influence of weather on agricultural systems and productivity. Topics such as the measurement of major climatic variables, the influence of these variables on crop growth and animal production, and the role of weather forecasting, and agrometeorology, will be covered. The current evidence for climate change and its likely consequences at global, EU and Irish scales will be explored. The major anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by agriculture and other forms of land use will be covered. The importance of soils as both potential sources and sinks of GHGs will be explained. Options to mitigate GHG emissions from agriculture and other land uses, and for climate change adaptation, will be explored. The relevant international and national policies will be considered. Note that this module runs over the first 7 weeks of Spring (mid-January to early March). This module includes an on-campus fieldwork session at the meteorology station at Rosemount.\
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## About this Module

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### What will I learn?

###### Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to (i) understand the basis and value of agro-meteorological forecasting, (ii) describe the major trends in global climate change in relation to available evidence, (iii) understand the importance and implications of soil management and land use for climate change, (iv) identify the likely consequences of climate change on agriculture systems within an EU and Irish context, and (v) be familiar with current climate change legislation and policy designed to mitigate the contribution of agriculture to greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon sequestration. In addition students should have improved transferable skills such as (i) ability to critically review and summarise scientific information, (ii) work effectively in a group, and (iii) communicate results effectively to an audience.

### How will I learn?

###### Student Effort Hours:

| Student Effort Type | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 75 |
| Lectures | 21 |
| Seminar (or Webinar) | 4 |
| Field Trip/External Visits | 2 |
|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Total | 102 |

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###### Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

The main teaching and learning approaches used in this module are: \
- lectures\
- student-driven learning\
- field-based exercises\
- report writing\
- essay writing\
- group work\
- group presentations.\

### Am I eligible to take this module?

###### Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

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###### Module Requisites and Incompatibles

**Required:**\
AESC20060 - Soil Science Basics\
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### How will I be assessed?

###### Assessment Strategy

| Description | Timing | Component Scale | Must Pass Component | % of Final Grade | In Module Component Repeat Offered |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Assignment(Including Essay): An essay on a key topic in soils and climate change will be assigned | Week 7 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 60 | No |
| Group Work Assignment: Assignment involving group work on assigned topics in climate change and group presentation in-class. | Week 5 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 25 | No |
| Report(s): A Report based on a field practical session | Week 4 | Standard conversion grade scale 40% | No | 15 | No |

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###### Carry forward of passed components

Yes

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### What happens if I fail?

| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
| --- | --- |
| Summer | No |

*Please see [Student Jargon Buster](https://www.ucd.ie/students/services/ucdstudentjargonbuster/) for more information about remediation types and timing.* \

### Assessment feedback

###### Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment\

###### How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

### Associated Staff

| Name | Role |
| --- | --- |
| Dr Thomas Cummins | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |
| Dr Magdalena Necpalova | Lecturer / Co-Lecturer |

### When is this module offered?

**Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.**

|  |  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 | Fri 09:00 - 10:50 |
| Spring | Lecture | Offering 1 | Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 | Fri 14:00 - 15:50 |

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