Undergraduate Catalogue of Courses 2012/2013
GEOGRAPHY
GG 3025
COASTAL AND ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENTS
CREDIT POINTS 15
Course Co-ordinator: Dr D R Green
Pre-requisite(s): GG 2010. Available only to students in Programme Year 3 or above.
- Pure and applied coastal geomorphology, reading materials and the project.
- The basic factors of coastal geomorphology, terrestrial, marine and biological.
- Low energy coastal environments.
- Wadden and salt marshes & their biology, food web and management strategies.
- High energy coastal environments. Shore platforms, the processes in play, rates of change and their ageing.
- Sea level change, the driving mechanisms including isostasy, eustasy, hydro-isostasy and the forebulge effect.
- Holocene sea level changes, the landform and sedimentological evidence.
- Deltas, including delta switching, hurricane frequency, and the effects of delta switching on beach sediment supply.
- Medium energy coastal environments, sand and shingle beaches.
- The causes of beach erosion.
- Short term sea level change and its effects on rates and directions of coastal evolution.
- Barrier island coasts and barrier inlets. Coral coasts.
- Coastal sand dunes, their origins, form, evolution, dune history and management.
- Machair and its land use, prehistory and history.
- Estuaries.
- Coastal management, policies and planning.
- Coastal protection, sea walls, groynes, beach nourishment, beach dewatering and nearshore structures.
- Environmental Impact Assessment of proposed developments on the coast.
10 x 2 hour lecture/discussion classes (weekly).
1st Attempt: A two-hour examination involving answering two questions from a choice of six (67% of the assessment).
A term paper which involves the production of a written paper with appropriate referencing on a topic appropriate to the course. A selection of possible topics, together with starter journal references, will be provided (25% of the assessment). A mid-term quiz (8% of the assessment).
Resit: One 2-hour written examination (67%) plus original coursework carried forward (33%).