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# Introduction

We begin this course by looking at an estuary, a place where sea, land and sky meet. We have chosen a particular estuary: the Blackwater estuary on the Essex coast in eastern England. Although the Blackwater has its own unique characteristics, it is used here as a setting, a device for approaching the study of environments. Like any other estuary, the Blackwater brings together a diverse range of processes, elements and issues that constitute the environment. It offers us a way into thinking about how to approach the study of environments and why environmental questions are so pressing. By drawing on a variety of examples from the estuary we intend to convey how broad the study of environments can be; rather than focusing on a particular issue, this course is an introduction to the study of environments.

This OpenLearn course provides a sample of Level 1 study in Enviromental Science.

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OpenLearn - Managing coastal environments
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