MATSEC IM Environmental Science study plan

Describe the layered internal structure of the Earth and relate convergent, divergent and transform boundaries to the earthquake and volcano patterns of the African–Eurasian collision zone.

Classify the three Maltese sedimentary formations (Lower Coralline Limestone, Globigerina Limestone, Blue Clay) by porosity and permeability, and explain how each controls aquifer storage, spring location and landslide risk.

Sketch the atmospheric layers and explain how lapse rate, albedo, insolation angle and the natural greenhouse effect together set surface temperature.

Define soil texture, pH and cation exchange capacity, then link each to erosion vulnerability and agricultural capability on Maltese slopes.

Trace the hydrological cycle through evaporation, evapotranspiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff and groundwater flow, quantifying each store in relative terms.

Construct a carbon cycle diagram with at least six named reservoirs and four named fluxes, and annotate the two largest anthropogenic perturbations.

Explain the nitrogen cycle including fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification and denitrification, and link nitrate leaching to the status of Maltese groundwater bodies.

Contrast the phosphorus and sulphur cycles with the carbon and nitrogen cycles in terms of whether a significant atmospheric gas phase exists, and state one management consequence of each.

Quantify Malta's water budget by comparing annual precipitation, abstraction from the mean sea-level aquifer, reverse-osmosis production and leakage losses, and explain why demand exceeds renewable supply.

Analyse the demographic transition model and interpret contrasting population pyramids, then relate Malta's ageing population and net migration to service and housing demand.

Compare Malta's electricity sources (Sicily interconnector, Delimara LNG plant, utility-scale and domestic solar PV) on carbon intensity, dispatchability and land-use cost.

Explain the waste hierarchy and apply it in order to a named Maltese waste stream, identifying which tier current national policy targets most strongly.

Distinguish point-source from diffuse pollution and classify named pollutants by medium (air, water, soil, noise, light) with one Maltese example each.

Explain the formation and health effects of tropospheric ozone and fine particulate matter, and describe how transboundary transport complicates local air-quality management.

Evaluate land-use conflicts in Malta by comparing urban sprawl, designated development zones, outside-development-zone designations and agricultural land take.

Calculate an ecological footprint and a carrying-capacity estimate from supplied per-capita consumption data, and interpret the overshoot result.

Distinguish gross primary productivity, net primary productivity and secondary productivity, and calculate the efficiency of energy transfer between two named trophic levels.

Apply mark–recapture (Lincoln index), quadrat sampling and life-table methods to estimate population size, density and survivorship, stating the assumptions that can fail in the field.

Compare r-selected and K-selected life histories and predict how each responds to habitat disturbance such as fire or tourist trampling.

Describe succession from bare rock colonisation through garrigue to maquis, identifying the abiotic changes that drive each transition and the climax community type for the Maltese climate.

Characterise the main Maltese terrestrial habitats - garrigue, maquis, steppe, rupestral cliff communities, valley systems, sand dunes and salt marsh - by their abiotic conditions, dominant species and successional position.

Identify endemic and protected Maltese species, including the Maltese rock-centaury, Maltese freshwater crab and the seabird colonies of the cliffs, and state why each is vulnerable.

Explain how the Natura 2000 network, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas operate in Malta, citing named sites and the habitats they protect.

Evaluate the main threats to Maltese biodiversity, including invasive alien species, coastal development, recreational trampling, marine litter and Posidonia oceanica meadow degradation.

Explain why Posidonia oceanica meadows and their banquettes are ecologically and economically valuable, and how their loss affects coastal protection and fisheries.

Outline the structure of the Environment Protection Act and describe the regulatory role of the Environment and Resources Authority in permitting, enforcement and monitoring.

Describe the environmental impact assessment process step by step - screening, scoping, environmental impact statement, public consultation, decision and post-decision monitoring - and state who is consulted at each stage.

Map key EU directives (EIA, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Water Framework, Habitats, Birds, Waste Framework) onto the corresponding Maltese transposing legislation and name the responsible authority for each.

Compare regulatory, economic and voluntary policy instruments, applying the polluter-pays and precautionary principles to a named Maltese environmental problem.

Define sustainable development and appraise weak versus strong sustainability using Maltese examples such as outside-development-zone construction and tourism carrying capacity.

Evaluate Malta's progress on Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 11 and 14 using at least three measurable indicators and their likely direction of travel.

Revise the three weakest sub-topics named in earlier corrections logs, re-testing each with ten new exam-style questions.

Practise a full-length paper under strict timing and allocate marks per minute according to the paper's structure.