Guia docente 2023_24 Facultad de Ciencias del Mar

Contents

Topic	Sub-topic
1. Geological risks associated with the marine and coastal environment. (6 hours).	Introduction 1.1. Definition and types of geological risks. 1.2. Coastal and submarine risks linked to internal geodynamics. 1.3. Coastal and submarine risks linked to external geodynamics. 1.4. Sea level changes.
2. Seawater as a source of resources and environmental control. (4 hours).	2.1. Physicochemical and compositional characteristics of seawater. 2.2. Urey's equation: the terrestrial thermostat and the stability of the ocean's pH. 2.3 Processes for obtaining salts: sequential evaporation of seawater. Desalination and brine recovery plants. 2.4. Practical example: Recovery of lithium from seawater: reality or utopia?
3. Genesis, exploration and exploitation of marine geological resources (8 hours).	3.1 Fossil hydrocarbons: oil, gas and gas hydrates. 3.2 Submarine mining: manganese nodules and crusts. Metallic polisulfides. 3.3 Exploration of the ocean floor: geohabitats. 3.4 Exploration of the oceanic subsoil in IODP expeditions.
Seminars. Field trips. Laboratory practices.	Seminar I. Stratigraphic control in oil exploration wells (6 hours). Seminar II. Geological capture of atmospheric CO2. (2 hours). Seminar III. Techniques for mineralogical and geochemical analysis of marine sediments. (2 hours). Seminar IV. Practical case: aquifer salinization models on the coast of Almería (4 hours). Two field trips to analyse flood risk and anthropic effects along different Galician coastal areas (16 hours). Laboratory practices: Crystallization processes applied to the formation of marine mineral resources. (4 hours.).