Theory and practice in higher education on environmental science and sustainability issues 

One of my main interests is student-centered learning activities in
courses, especially in education on environmental and sustainability issues. My research focus on soil and soil processes and more specifically on chlorinated compounds in terrestrial ecosystems.

 I am a teacher at Environmental Change and Programme director of the bachelor’s programme in Environmental Science.  I am and particular interested in integrating theory and practice in courses and curriculum, but also in student centered and student active learning, problem based learning, problem-oriented laboratory work, portfolio, interdisciplinary education, case studies, and quality assurance.

Chlorine cycling in terrestrial ecosystems

Soils are important for agriculture and forestry, for ecosystems functions and central in biogeochemical cycles. Understanding soil processes has broad implications for many fields in environmental sciences, including identifying potential sources and fates of compounds, risk assessment and management, and understanding soil-water-air processes and nutrient uptake. There is an ubiquitous and extensive natural chlorination of organic matter in terrestrial ecosystems which may have implications on potential sources and fates of organochlorines, soil organic matter turnover, risk assessments and management of radioactive waste (36Cl), catchment fluxes, nutrient uptake, and element cycling. Our research group have for instance recently investigated the importance of vegetation for chlorine cycling which can explain why local soil chlorine levels are frequently independent of atmospheric deposition (Montelius et al 2015).

We have also explored chloride retention processes in soil, Cl transport in soil and catchments subjected to forest management as well as VOCl measurements in water and air (t ex Montelius et al 2016, Svensson et al 2013). Catchment studies as well as experimental work show that chlorinated organic matter is not very mobile (Bastviken et al 2006, Svensson et al 2007), which question if chloride could be regarded as conservative in soil and in catchments (Svensson et al 2012).

Publications

2023

2022

Teresia Svensson, Yves Thiry, Bueno Maïté, Yvonne Oelmann (2022) Halogens in soil Elsevier Reference Collection in Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences Continue to DOI

2021

Research

News

CV

CV 

  • 2017
    Docent 
  • 2010-2011
    Post doc University of British Columbia, Water Air and Soil Laboratory at Faculty of Land and Food Systems and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Vancouver, Canada
  • 2006
    Guest researcher at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (Former Institute of Ecosystem Studies (IES), USA 
  • 2006
    Lecturer
    Department of Thematic studies/Environmental Change, Linköping University
  • 2006 
    Ph.D Biogeochemistry
    Department of Thematic studies - Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University, Thesis title: Chlorine transport in a small catchment

 

Mission

  • 2019-
    Programme director of the bachelor’s programme in Environmental Science, Linköping University

  • 2011-2018
    Programme director of the MSc program Science for Sustainable development, Linköping University, (2011-). This MSc program was in 2013 top-ranked by the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) and got the highest grade.


 

 

Teaching

  • Course responsibility for 20 courses in environmental science the last 8 years on both BSc and MSc level (ranging from 7.5-30 ECTS credits with 20-70 students per course).

Related Researcher

Environmental Change