This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2006-2007 (archived)

Module GEOG2521: FLUVIAL SYSTEMS

Department: Geography

GEOG2521: FLUVIAL SYSTEMS

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	2	20	Available in 2006/2007	125.	Durham

Pre-requisites

Any Level 1 module in Geography or other appropriate evidence

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combinations

None.

Aims

To provide an overview of fluvial systems and understand water and sediment processes operating at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.
To prepare students for the skills and knowledge need in third year fluvial option courses and final year dissertation work.

Content

1.
Catchment processes: Hillslope hydrology.
Hillslope and channel coupling.
Drainage and networks.
Catchment sediment budgets and sediment yields.
2.
Flow and sediment transport: The channel sediment system.
Water flow - resistance and turbulence.
Erosion, transport and deposition of fluvial sediment.
Flow and sediment transfer in complex channel systems.
3.
Fluvial sedimentary environments: Bedfroms and basic sedimentary structures.
Alluvial channel processes and bar formation.
Floodplains.
Evolution of fluvial sedimentary systems.
4.
River management and engineering: Basic principles.
Erosion and sedimentation in floods.
Channel restoration.
Sediment problems in aquatic ecosystems.
5.
Quaternary fluvial history and evolution: Rivers in the geological record.
Response of rivers to environmental change.
Reconstructing river system evolution.
Fluvial archives of Quaternary environments and human history.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Students are expected to be able to: Demonstrate knowledge of the main processes governing flow and sediment transport in alluvial river channels.
Explain how basic sedimentary structures can build to form complex alluvial systems.
Understand the long-term dynamics of river systems.
critically analyse literature on fluvial sediment systems.
Identify the key processes that contribute to water and sediment delivery at a catchment scale.

Subject-specific Skills

Apply knowledge of fluvial systems to evaluate examples of river management/engineering

Key Skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Teaching: Basic facts are explained in the lecture sessions.
Concepts introduced in lectures are explored in greater depth in the practicals.
Application of concepts are demonstrated in practicals.
Independent learning in facilitated by asking students to prepare for the seminar sessions.
Assessment: Exam - tests factual knowledge and understanding of concepts.
Coursework essay examines deeper understanding of concepts and their practical application and capacity for independent research.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours
Lectures	16	weekly	10 x 1 hour; 6 x 1.5 hour;1 x 2hour	21
Practicals	9	3 per 4 weeks	2 x 0.5 hour; 6 x1 hour; 1 x 2 hour	9
Preparation and Reading				170
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Exam	67%	2-hour unseen exam		100%
Essay	33%	2000 word essay		100%

Formative Assessment

In line with Board of Studies policy for all level 2 optional modules, formative assessment is provided through formative feedback on summative coursework.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.