Environmental Management of Inland and Coastal Systems

Learning Outcomes:

Α) Knowledge-based:

• Student introduction to the environmental management processes..
• Understanding the physical and chemical processes taking place in aquatic systems.
• Presentation of European and National legislation regarding inland and coastal aquatic systems.

Β) Skills/Competences acquired

• Capacity to classify aquatic systems according to their trophic status.
• Ability to design measures to prevent pollution and restore polluted aquatic systems.
• Capacity to develop numerical models and implement management scenarios.

General Skills:

Autonomous work
Teamwork
Respect for the natural environment
Project design and management
Working in an interdisciplinary environment

Course Content:

1. Introduction, useful definitions, environmental management.
2. Inland Waters and Coastal Zone Legislation.
3. Pollution sources and classification.
4. Mass (water and nutrients) and oxygen budget in aquatic systems. Basic limnologic principles, thermal stratification, solar radiation intrusion.
5. Nitrogen and Phosphorus cycling in aquatic systems, N:P ratio.
6. Eutrophication, systems classification based on trophic conditions, eutrophication treatment measures.
7. Water quality models: the SWAT model.
8. WASP model.
9. QUAL2E model.
10. Coastal zone and coastal systems.
11. Coastal zone erosion.
12. Pollution of the marine environment, pollution by heavy metals.
13. Management of the coastal zone.

Suggested Bibliography:

1. Antonopoulos, V. Ζ. 2010. «Environmental Hydraulics and Surface Water Quality», Eds. Α. TZIOLA (in Greek).
2. Poulos S. and Karditsa A., 2020. “Applied Environmental Oceanography: An Introduction to Coastal Zone Management”, Eds. Disigma (in Greek).
3. Chapra S.C., 1997, «Surface Water – Quality Modeling». McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
4. Eutrophication, 1982. «Eutophication of waters, monitoring, assessment and control», Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France.
5. Alder, J., 2003: Distribution of estuaries worldwide. Sea Around Us Project, UBC, Vancouver, B.C. (Canada).
6. Allee, R., M. Dethier, B. Brown, L. Deegan, R.G. Ford, et al. 2000: Marine and Estuarine Ecosystem and Habitat Classification. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-F/SPO-43, Silver Spring, MD (USA).
7. Beman J.M., K.R. Arrigo, and P.A. Matson, 2005: Agricultural runoff fuels large phytoplankton blooms in vulnerable areas of the ocean. Nature, 434:211–214.
8. Burke, L., Y. Kura, K. Kassem, C. Ravenga, M. Spalding, and D. McAllister, 2001: Pilot Assessment of Global Ecosystems: Coastal Ecosystems. World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington, D.C. (USA), 94 pp.