Water bodies are fundamental features of the landscape. Whether they are rivers, canals, wetlands, ponds, lakes, estuaries or the open coast, they are important habitats that support diverse ecological communities.

These water bodies are intimately tied to the surrounding terrestrial environment, and have their own internal processes and patterns, created by the interaction of the hydrological, morphological and biological attributes, which determine the ecological features evident at different scales within the aquatic landscape. Understanding the links and the causes and consequences of changes that occur spatially and through time both naturally and through human activity are fundamental to an integrated approach to aquatic ecology.

This short course specifically considers the basis for understanding how the landscape and the aquatic system interact. It covers topics related to ecological processes, species distribution and community structure, function and how they can change and it provides the necessary understanding of the appropriate methods to quantify aquatic ecological attributes which have become of central importance to environmental management of water bodies.

At a glance

  • Dates
    • Please enquire for course dates
  • DurationThree days
  • LocationCranfield campus
  • Cost£870

Course structure

This course is delivered via a mixture of lectures, workshops and practical sessions. During this short course, you will be joined by full-time and part-time students from our master's and PhD courses, creating a dynamic and interactive experience.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you should be able to:

  • Explain the key elements of aquatic ecosystems in the landscape,
  • Describe the linkage between biological, chemical and hydro-morphological attributes of a water body,
  • Discuss the ecological and hydromorphological processes that determine the ecological status of a water body,
  • Explain how aquatic related organism occurrence, distribution and movement are determined by the aquatic landscape,
  • Compare methods to determine ecological attributes and construct a monitoring plan relevant to the location, species and spatial temporal scale of investigation.

Core content

  • Fundamentals of lentic (still water) and lotic (running water) ecosystems,
  • Aquatic ecosystem elements within the landscape (e.g. rivers, lakes, floodplains, estuaries and coastal zones),
  • Spatial and temporal scale in aquatic systems,
  • Energy movement through the ecosystem (e.g. food web and trophic dynamics),
  • Methods to quantify aquatic systems and their attributes (e.g. river hydromorphology; lake community structure),
  • How humans influence lentic and lotic ecosystems,
  • Field sampling techniques and design of survey/monitoring programmes for aquatic ecosystem status.

Accommodation options and prices

This is a non-residential course. If you would like to book accommodation on campus, please contact Mitchell Hall or Cranfield Management Development Centre directly. Further information regarding our accommodation on campus can be found here.

Alternatively you may wish to make your own arrangements at a nearby hotel.

Location and travel

Cranfield University is situated in Bedfordshire close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The University is located almost midway between the towns of Bedford and Milton Keynes and is conveniently situated between junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

London Luton, Stansted and Heathrow airports are 30, 90 and 90 minutes respectively by car, offering superb connections to and from just about anywhere in the world. 

Further location and travel details

Location address

Cranfield University
College Road
Cranfield
Bedford
MK43 0AL

Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.