Module Identifier EAM1920  
Module Title GEOMORPHOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO RIVER BASIN MANAGEMENT  
Academic Year 2004/2005  
Co-ordinator Professor Mark G Macklin  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Lecture   16 Hours  
  Seminars / Tutorials   2 Hours  
  Practical   2 Hours  
  Other   Group base project work  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment Project report of 3000 words40%
Semester Assessment Oral presentation10%
Semester Assessment2 Hours Seen examination50%
Supplementary Assessment2 Hours Seen examination and re-submission of failed coursework100%

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of changing climate and land-use on river basin dynamics.

2. Demonstrate an understaning of the procedures used in geomorphological assessment of river basins.

3. Evaluate and explain the causes of river instability and identify what steps can be taken to alleviate it.

4. Perform a desk study, using GIS, identifying the safest route of a pipeline accross a river valley.

Brief description

The module begins with an introduction to river basin sediment systems drawing on case studies from around the world in areas including, Europe, New Zealand, the Mediterranean and South America. It will then consider geomorphological procedures that can be used to identify causes of instability in river catchments and steps that can be taken to remedy these problems. One of the central and distinctive themes of this module is assessing and understanding the impact that envrionemental change has on river basin dynamics. This will be considered by examining the relationship between short-term climate fluctuations and flooding, as well as the effects that land-use change have on river instability. In the final part of the module new approaches to reducing the impact of mining operations on rivers will be reviewed using cse studies from the UK, Spain and Bolivia.

Content

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Lewin, J. and Macklin, M.G. (1987) Metal mining and floodplain sedimentation in Britain. In International Geomorphology, Part 1 (V. Gardiner, ed) Wiley New York
Maas, G.S., Macklin, M.G., Warburton, J., Woodward, J.C. and Meldrum, E.A. (2001) 300-year history of flooding in Andean mountain river system: the Rio Alizos, southern Bolivia. In Maddy, D., Macklin, M.G. and Woodward, J.C. (eds) River Basin Sediment Systems: Archives of Environmental Change Rotterdam, Balkema
Macklin, M.G. (1996) Fluxes and Storage of Sediment Associated Heavy metals in Floodplain Systems: Assessment and River Basin Management Issues at a time of Rapid Environemntal Change. In Floodplain Processes, Anderson, M.G., Wailing, D.E. and Bates, P.D. (eds) Wiley Chichester
Macklin, M.G., and Lewin, J. (1997) Channel, Floodplain and Drainage Basin Response to Environmental change, In Applied Fluvial Geomorphology for River Engineering and Management, Thorne, C.R., Hey, R.D. and Newson, M.D. (eds), 15-45 Wiley Chichester

Journals
Maas, G.S. and Maas, G.S., Macklin, M.G. (2002) The impact of recent cliamte change on flooding sediment supply within a Mediterranean mountain catchment, southwestern Crete, Greece. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 27, 1087-1105
Blum, M.D. and Tornquist, T.E. (2000) Fluvial responses to climate and sea-level change: a review and look forward, Sedimetology, 47 (Suppl. 1), 2-48
Coulthard, T.J. and Macklin, M.G. (2001) How sensitive are river systems to climate and lan-use changes? A model based evaluation. Journal of Quarternary Science, 16 (4), 347-351
Hudson-Edwards, K.A., Macklin, M.G., Miller, J.R. and Lechler, P.J (2001) Sources distribution of heavy metals in the Rio Pilcomayo, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 72, 229-250

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7