Duration
14h Th, 31h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in environmental bioengineering (120 ECTS) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course aims at introducing basics of modelling the population dynamics and the matter (water, gaz, carbon compounds...) and energy transfers in the terrestrial ecosystems
During this course, the students will learn to code in Python and implement the different stages of the modeling methodology. This course allows also the student to improve their understanding of transfer processes (in porous media like in soils and between ecosystem components) and the principles of modelling. The exercices are based on situations related to the professionnal context of bioengineers, such as:
- temporal evolution of population in the ecosystems,
- heat and water transfers in the soil layers,
- exchanges of carbon in the crops and forests.
- Learning to code in Python,
- The general methodology of modelling,
- 1D modelling of water, solutes and heat transfers in variably saturated soils,
- Representation of tranfers and transformation/degradation of solutes,
- The study of computational tools allowing resolving 1D transfer problems in variably saturated soils,
- The study on the main model types for population dynamics (Malthus, Volterra) and for the energy and biochemical cycles in ecosystems,
- The achievement of all the model building phases to obtain some validated descriptive and predictive models simulating the evolution of the populations of a species, temperature or soil water content of different soil layers or carbone biomass of the vegetation elements
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, the student will have reached an intermediate level of skills in the different step of development:
- Writing efficient code in Python,
- Designing and modelling scientific and technical solutions to provide decision support for flows between soil, fauna, flora and the atmosphere,
- Be able to handle environmental remediation models in soil-water-plant and atmosphere systems,
- Compare and argue the choice of an appropriate model to make predictions, interpret results and draw conclusions from research.
Parameterise, calibrate and validate a model related to processes in terrestrial ecosystems, - Understand the basic principles of numerical schemes for solving equations representing processes related to transfers in terrestrial ecosystems.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- Algorithmics
- Environmental Physics
- General hydrology
- Plant and soil physiology
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Oral lecture sessionss and computer workshops
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
50% lectures
50% partical works
Recommended or required readings
Course slides and scientific articles (available on eCampus)
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Additional information:
The evaluation is based on a personnal work on numerical applications and oral discussion with teachers.
The course is divided into two parts. The final mark is the simple average of the marks obtained in these two parts but will be capped at 7/20 if the result in one of the parts is less than or equal to 7/20. Grade transfers will be awarded for those parts where a mark of 10/20 or more is obtained.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Attendance at practical sessions is strongly recommended. No make-up sessions will be organised.
Contacts
Benoît Mercatoris (benoit.mercatoris@uliege.be)
Bernard Longdoz (Bernard.Longdoz@uliege.be)