MSc Applied Catchment Science & Management

Water is one of the critical natural resources that is essential for life and is key to most of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Especially to Goal 2: Zero Hunger; Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, in particular Target 3.9; Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation; Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production; Goal 13: Climate Action; Goal 14: Life Below Water; and Goal 15: Life on Land.
Hydrology aims captures the occurrence, distribution and movement of water on earth, i.e. the hydrological cycle while applied hydrology use scientific understand to solve water related problems in society, especially related to quantity and quality.
This module will explore the concepts of hydrology and the varying methods and techniques to analyse the hydrological cycle from precipitation to discharge.

This module introduces students to research design as related to their Masters dissertation. It requires significant independent reading, writing and thinking. The training will allow students to initiate and progress work toward the MA/MSc dissertation. Successful completion of this module will be a requirement to proceed to the thesis component of the Masters programmes.

The aim of this module is to facilitate the development of the theoretical background, policy context and practical skills to carry out water quality assessment in freshwater ecosystems, particularly in relation to human activities. Main focus of the module is on biological assessment, exemplified by the use of freshwater invertebrates as bioindicators, and there is a strong emphasis on developing practical skills.

This module builds upon the skills gained in the 'Introduction to ArcGIS' module and will further develop your theoretical and practical knowledge of GIS while enhancing your spatial thinking capabilities. The module further explores geoprocessing methods and tools, cartographic enhancement and online data visualisation and sharing. It will apply the suite of ArcGIS Desktop packages and contemporary ArcGIS interfaces such as ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online.

It will cover advanced principles of data acquisition, management and analysis when working with GIS, including advanced editing, geoprocessing and thematic mapping techniques, and 3D visualisation. The module will also cover automating ArcGIS workflows, using the application ModelBuilder and creating online WebApps and Story Maps. You will be introduced to ongoing technological advancements and capacitate them for lifelong self-directed learning in GIS.

Remote Sensing is a core focus of modern GIS applications in research and professional / business contexts. This course aims to provide adequate knowledge of the concepts, principles and utility of Remote Sensing technology and to prepare you to apply it to your research interests. It will also provide a sound understanding of remotely sensed digital image processing principles and applications. The specification and use of digital imagery for investigating Earth resources and environmental applications will be discussed. Digital image processing of aerial/space-borne sensors, including radiometric and geometric correction, image enhancement and interpretation, mosaicking, segmentation, and classification techniques and their integration with GIS, will be covered.

This module has three broad aims: firstly, to introduce students to the coastal zone, its varying characteristics and processes; secondly, to identify the most pressing issues faced by both the natural and human systems supported by the coastal zone; and; thirdly, to introduce students to the integrated strategies being developed in coastal zone management, in an era of accelerating climate change and environmental sensitivity.