Here below you can find all master courses the University Centre offers. All courses are taught in 1-3 week modules running from August through June. See how the courses are organised in the teaching schedule for both programs. Usually 2-3 courses are taught at the same time, but students may only enroll in one course at a time.
The master courses are available to you whether you plan to pursue a degree or just take a course or courses. Please review the options for guest studies to determine how you can apply.
For further information, contact the Administrative Director of Education and Teaching.
Pollution in the Coastal Arctic
- Summer 2025
- Instructor: Dr. Kristine Bondo Pedersen
About the course
The course introduces students to contamination in the coastal zone. Chemical interactions in the interface of the sea, land and air will be explained along with the transport of pollutants. The state of the coastal zones in the world are discussed, as well as regional, national and international monitoring practices and programs. An introduction to designing a monitoring program is presented. Further, insight into own lifestyle and effects on the environment will be discussed. A focus is placed on the effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals on living organisms. Emphasis is also placed on environmental chemistry, where students gain insights into chemical analyses and ecotoxicology. Marine litter is discussed, and if weather allows, practical exercises will be conducted.
Instructor
Dr. Kristine Bondo Pedersen is a Danish scientist for environmental impacts at the Norwegian research institute AkvaplanNiva. Her work includes environmental investigations on land and sea, from environmental due diligence to environmental site investigations, environmental risk assessment, action plans, monitoring of mitigation and environmental monitoring. Her tasks include mapping of polluting activities, sampling plans, fieldwork, data processing, environmental risk assessment, multivariate statistics, assessment of measures, monitoring of measures and reporting.
Learning outcome
On completion of the course a student:
- has a broad overview of the main environmental hazards in coastal zones, both natural and manmade.
- can recognize major pollutants and understands their source, transport and effects on the ecosystem.
- has a general understanding of the main methods for detecting environmental hazards and means of monitoring.
- understands how natural processes and human activities can affect the coastal environment.
- has the basic know-how to design monitoring programs and assess the results obtained.
- has insight in field work and sampling strategies for litter and contaminants.
- has familiarity with the variety of coastal issues which are important in different parts of the world and international efforts and conventions relating to coastal water quality management.
Prerequisites: No prerequisites registered for the course
Assessment: 20% Oral presentation, 35% group assignment, 45% written assignment
Final Exam: Assignment