Coastal Landforms and Processes (GEOG30001)

The subject is designed to develop students’ understanding of the physical processes of coasts and rivers, and how these processes interact, over time, to shape catchments and landscapes. A focus is on processes of erosion and deposition that occur as we follow the movement of water and sediment from hillsides, down rivers, through estuaries, to meet wave and tidal processes at the coast. A theme of the subject is the impact of humans on these geomorphic systems, and how these impacts can be predicted and managed. The subject will address major questions and challenges that are facing the management and research communities alike. These challenges include the impact of past and present management activities on both the fluvial and coastal processes. Furthermore, the impact of a changing climate on the rates and types of processes occurring in these dynamic environments will be addressed both from a holistic catchment perspective and at the individual landform scale. Management of coasts and rivers is a growing area of employment. 

Using practicals and field-trips, students will develop their empirical and analytical skills including the use of ArcGIS (spatial mapping and geomorphic analysis), stratigraphic logging and interpretation, and topographic surveying. This subject includes a 3-day field trip to the Otways Ranges in western Victoria, occurring over a weekend during semester, where students will collect and interpret field data from coasts and rivers.