This course will provide students with the basics of physical, chemical, biological and ecological processes whose integration is necessary to understand the response of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to climate change. Emphasis will be placed on how biogeochemical cycles and, in general, ecosystem functioning and services are affected by climate change through complex interactions, as well as on possible management responses. The social and economic implications of ecological processes and their changes will also be explored.
- Teacher: Alberto Barausse
- Teacher: Paolo Comandini
The course Evolution of Coastal Systems explores the long-term development and dynamics of coastal environments. Students will be introduced to key concepts such as morphodynamics, biogeomorphodynamics, and the influence of sea-level variations. The program covers a range of coastal systems—including barrier islands, tidal flats, estuaries, lagoons, and deltas—highlighting the role of waves, tides, geology, and sediment transport processes in shaping them. Particular attention is given to the impacts of climate change, sea-level rise, and human activities, as well as the challenges posed by coastal hazards. By the end of the course, participants will gain a comprehensive, quantitative understanding of the drivers and processes that govern coastal evolution and resilience over time.
- Teacher: Alvise Finotello
- Teacher: Alice Puppin
- Teacher: Simone Bizzi
- Teacher: Francesco Marra
- Teacher: Nicola Surian
- Teacher: Charles Galdies
- Teacher: Elena Ghezzo
- Teacher: Francesco Sauro
- Teacher: Claudia Agnini
- Teacher: Katinka Bellomo Repetto
This course provides the fundamental concepts needed to understand the dynamics of the solid Earth. It will cover the main deformation structures found in rocks, such as mylonites, faults, fractures, and folds, and explain how they form as a result of tectonic stress. Part of the course will focus on understanding Plate Tectonics and its underlying mechanisms. Within this context, will be introduced the mechanics and phenomenology of earthquakes, principles of seismology, and the role of the volatile cycle in geodynamic systems.
- Teacher: Manuele Faccenda
- Teacher: Piero Poli
- Teacher: Giacomo Pozzi