MATSEC IM Environmental Science case studies
MATSEC IM Environmental Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
MATSEC Intermediate Environmental Science is an intermediate-level subject within the Maltese matriculation framework, examined under the MATSEC Examinations Board, which appears among the Study pages of the University of Malta website. It is typically taken by post-secondary students who want a broad science subject alongside A-levels or other intermediates, and by mature or part-time candidates who need a working understanding of environmental systems without committing to a single science specialism. The MATSEC IM Environmental Science case studies are 5 cases and about 3,423 words.
1Leachate plume beneath a quarry landfill
A closed non-hazardous landfill occupies an exhausted limestone quarry in a Maltese valley. The quarry floor lies 8 m above a Blue Clay layer, but two palaeokarst solution pipes breach the clay and connect directly to the underlying Globigerina Limestone aquifer.
716 words, about 4 min2Marina dredging across a Posidonia meadow
A 250-berth marina is proposed on a Maltese coast. Construction requires dredging 120,000 m3 of sediment and a 600 m breakwater across the seaward edge of a Posidonia oceanica meadow.
713 words, about 4 min3Drought-year water balance on a Mediterranean island
On a Mediterranean island, annual water demand is 45 hm3. Public supply accounts for 25 hm3, agriculture 12 hm3 and tourism 8 hm3.
673 words, about 3 min4Screening a photovoltaic farm on garigue
A 12 ha photovoltaic farm is proposed on a plateau in Malta. The site is mapped as degraded garigue, but a field survey records 14% cover of intact low garigue with the endemic Maltese rock-centaury and several orchid species; the rest is dominated by invasive Acacia saligna and rubble.
661 words, about 3 min5Construction and demolition waste strategy
An island generates about 800,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste each year. Only 45% is recycled; the rest goes to landfill or is dumped illegally in valleys.
660 words, about 3 min