Module Information

Module Identifier
GG30420
Module Title
River Systems and Global Environmental Change
Academic Year
2016/2017
Co-ordinator
Professor Paul Brewer
Semester
Semester 1
Pre-Requisite
GG22610 or DA22510
Pre-Requisite
GG22420 or DA22420
Pre-Requisite
GG21110
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Lecture 10 x 3 Hour Lectures
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Exam 2 Hours   Written examination.  50%
Semester Assessment ESSAY  10 minute seminar presentation.  50%
Supplementary Assessment Resubmission of failed CA component.  50%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   Re-sit: written examination  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

  • Describe the process-response relationships between environmental change and river dynamics at a global scale.
  • Critically assess the relative importance of natural and anthropogenic factors responsible for catchment disturbance and river instability at a global scale.
  • Forecast the likely impacts of changes in climate, land-use and pollution on river and catchment systems at a global scale.

Aims

This module is designed for students to develop a conceptual, factual and practical knowledge of channel, floodplain and catchment response to environmental change over the last 20,000 years resulting from natural and anthropogenic perturbations.

Content

River systems and Pleistocene environmental change
Lecture 1: UK and Northern Europe
Lectures 2 and 3: Mediterranean

River systems and Holocene environmental change
Lectures 4 and 5 : UK and Northern Europe
Lecture 6: Mediterranean
Lecture 7: North America
Lecture 8: Africa

River systems and historical environmental change
Lecture 9: Flood histories in UK and North America
Lecture 10: Metal mining impacts on rivers

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6