Environmental science

This module spans biology, chemistry, earth science and physics, drawing them together in a holistic approach to studying the environment. You’ll investigate air, water, earth, life and cycles and explore the processes, interactions and feedback mechanisms operating within different environments. Practical experiences through interactive ‘virtual’ field trip activities and project work let you develop skills and apply your learning. By the end, you’ll be able to critically analyse environmental processes and structures, e.g. landforms, soils, water flows and habitats of flora and fauna, and comment on anthropogenic influences and their likely consequences.

What you will study

In this wide-ranging module you will learn about aspects of biology, chemistry, earth science and physics that can be applied to the study of the environment. But there is much more. The holistic nature of environmental science is stressed through studying the many links that operate between different environments.

To enrich and contextualise your studies, during each block you will apply what you have learnt to a series of topics which will allow you to explore specific environments, address environmental phenomena and processes or investigate environmental issues. These include: the oceans and ice, atmospheric chemistry, habitat conservation and eutrophication.

Online activities are used to support and reinforce your learning. Throughout your studies, you will take part in a virtual field trip to the catchment area of the River Teign in south Devon, in the UK. You will make observations and collect data about weather, landforms, rocks and soils, water flows and water analysis, and vegetation habitats, and assess the effect of human influences on the area.

The module centres on five subjects – Water, Air, Earth, Life and Cycles:

Block 1: Water
Water looks at the hydrological cycle, following the fate of rain as it falls, looking at different modes of interception and how they are measured. This is followed by a study of rivers: flows and changes in water composition as it moves from river source to ocean. Water also flows through and resides in the ground, and here you will investigate the interaction of this water with soils, at aquifers and springs. In this topic you will also look at water quality, water analysis and how we use water as a resource.

Block 2: Air
Air looks at the influence the atmosphere has on conditions at the earth’s surface. You’ll explore the components of air and how they interact with one another and with the earth, as well as the properties and phenomena that make up an everyday notion of the ‘weather’.

Block 3: Earth
Next you will look at aspects of earth: rocks, landforms and soils. The topic starts by seeing how rocks are formed with different compositions, in a variety of environments. This is followed by a study of weathering: rocks and the minerals of which they are composed undergo physical and chemical (and some biological) erosion, forming insoluble fragments and soluble ions. Natural environmental processes such as weathering and erosion are responsible for the evolution of landscapes and so this topic continues with an investigation of landforms. Finally, you will look at soils, which are more than simply a growing medium for plants; on land they are the critical interface between the organic and inorganic environments.

Block 4: Life
In this block you will study the variability of species distribution in different habitats, together with the fundamentals of sampling. In addition you will explore the requirements for growth for a variety of flora and fauna, along with the ability of an environment to supply these resources.

Block 5: Cycles
The last block widens the scope of the module to look at the earth’s overall systems. The rock cycle, biogeochemical cycles over short and long terms and the element cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus are some of the aspects you will cover in this block.

Practical work
This module has two practical projects. In one, you’ll undertake individual project work; in the other, you’ll undertake a virtual field trip to the desert of New Mexico, USA. You’ll predict the consequences of climate change on the region’s flora and fauna, drawing on the skills you’ve developed in the module, together with visual, numerical and other data.

A limited number of places may be available (at extra cost) for you to participate in outdoor exercises and follow-up laboratory work at a residential field school. Further details are in the Field school section below.

You may attend a residential field school instead of completing the practical projects. Satisfactory completion of the practical projects or the field schools or a combination of the two is required if you want to gain credit for this module.

Entry

There are no formal entry requirements for this module.

At The Open University, we believe education should be open to all, so we provide high-quality university education to anyone who wishes to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

Even though there are no entry requirements, you’ll need appropriate knowledge of science and basic mathematics to study the module successfully.

Are you ready for S206?

Preparatory work

Science: concepts and practice (S112) provides a broad foundation in the relevant science, mathematics and IT skills.
Questions in science (S111) and Environment: journeys through a changing world (U116) provide a broad foundation in the relevant science and IT skills (appropriate if you’re confident in your mathematics skills).
The oceans, a free OpenLearn course, provides a taster of the first block.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying S206 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Study materials

What's included

You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:

a week-by-week study planner
course-specific module materials
audio and video content
assessment details, instructions and guidance
online tutorial access
access to student and tutor group forums.

The materials are also available in other formats including pdf, EPUB, interactive ebook (EPUB83), Kindle ebook and Microsoft Word should you wish to study on mobile devices.

You will need

You may need to draw diagrams or to annotate by hand diagrams that you download, and then use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce files of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment.

Computing requirements

Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer. It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
Operating systems – Windows 11 or latest supported macOS. Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 as of 14 October 2025.
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended. Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Throughout your module studies, you’ll get help and support from your assigned module tutor. They’ll help you by:

Marking your assignments (TMAs) and providing detailed feedback for you to improve.
Guiding you to additional learning resources.
Providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content.
Facilitating online discussions between your fellow students, in the dedicated module and tutor group forums.

Module tutors also run online tutorials throughout the module. Where possible, recordings of online tutorials will be made available to students. While these tutorials won’t be compulsory for you to complete the module, you’re strongly encouraged to take part. If you want to participate, you’ll likely need a headset with a microphone.

Assessment

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

Field school

This module has an optional residential field school and a virtual school.

There is no additional cost for the virtual school. However, the residential school fee for 2023/2024 was £206; you must also pay for your travel.

The Field Studies Council run the residential field school Vegetation and soils in the field. This three-day programme (at FSC Preston Montford in Shropshire and FSC Nettlecombe Court in Somerset) includes outdoor exercises and follow-up laboratory work.

This optional residential field school is primarily for students on environmental science qualifications, so spaces for S206 students will depend on capacity.

Instructions for booking will be on the module website.

Future availability

Environmental science (S206) starts once a year – in October.

This page describes the module that will start in October 2024.

We’ll replace it with a new module, Environmental science (S226), in October 2025.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.