Coastal Landforms and Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours

General knowledge of physical geography or marine systems an advantage. Former students have either worked in, or had degrees in a wide range of areas including engineering, resource management, water chemistry, geology, etc.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject provides a detailed understanding about the dynamics of coastal landforms, the processes driving change and the impact on human occupation of the coastal zone. The coast is one of the most intensively utilised landscapes worldwide and Australia is no exception. Population densities and development pressures are all rapidly rising providing ever increasing stress on the landscape. Intense human development is however a relatively recent phenomena. Coastal landforms operate over much longer timescales than people. Beaches and dunes have natural cycles of erosion and deposition of decadal to centennial scales while cliffs may have a history of several thousand years. It is therefore impossible to successfully manage, or simply enjoy this environment without knowledge of how it evolved and operates. During this course we will explore the operation and management of the key landforms found at the shore.

At the completion of this subject students will have a sound understanding of:

• Coastal processes and functions
• Relationship between management & landform evolution
• Practical skills in the development of coastal management assessments from a physical geography perspective

• Theoretical Essay (1500 words) due Week 6 (20%)
• Beach Erosion Management Report (1500 words) due Week 10 (20%)
• Attendance at, and submission of all tasks completed within, eight practical and fieldwork exercises completed within the scheduled practicals throughout the semester (15%)
• Exam (2 hrs) during examination period (45%)

(1) Woodroffe C.D., 2002, Coasts: form, process and evolution, Cambridge, 623 pp.

(2) Davidson-Arnott R., 2010, Introduction to coastal processes and geomorphology, Cambridge, 442 pp.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• design, conduct and report on original research based on field and/or laboratory investigation;
• work effectively in projects which require team-work;
• articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations;