Module GEOG3461: RIVER DYNAMICS

Department: Geography

GEOG3461: RIVER DYNAMICS

Prerequisites

• NONE

Corequisites

• NONE

Excluded Combination of Modules

• NONE

Aims

• To provide students with an understanding of the interrelations between form and process in rivers, and the implications for how channels adjust to various kinds of forcing

Content

• PROCESSES:
• Flow in river channels: fluid motion, turbulence, flow resistance, secondary circulation, forces on the bed, variation in space and time
• Sediment transport: characterisation of river sediments, entrainment, transport rates, selective transport and sorting
• RIVER CHANNEL ENVIRONMENTS AND REACH SCALE BEHAVIOUR:
• Case studies of variations in channel configuration (e.g. armouring, downstream fining, bedforms) and reach-scale behaviour (e.g. sediment budgets, aggradation & degradation) including effects of selected kinds of direct or indirect interference. Case studies can include: gravel-bed rivers, ‘big’ rivers, bedrock channels, mountain streams, laboratory flume models, numerical models, river ecology and rivers as habitats

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the basics of fluid motion and sediment transport.
• Distinguish characteristic types of channel morphology
• Understand how the dynamics of rivers can be modified by direct and indirect impacts

• Relate general principles to specific situations including case studies of channel change
• Be aware that river behaviour varies according to time and space scales, and can affect & be affected by human activity

• Perform simple calculations explained in lectures/practicals and extract patterns from data
• Present logical written and oral arguments
• Learn basic field skills for monitoring the flow and sediment transport in rivers

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

• Lectures will help students understand basic principles and get to grips with the recommended reading selected from the multidisciplinary scientific literature. Some will be case studies, to reinforce students' understanding of basic principles and show how they can be applied. Reading lists, handouts, and PowerPoint lectures will be posted on DUO to assist student learning
• Fieldwork will reinforce understanding whilst also showing the complexity of real-world situations. Fieldwork will involve prior briefing, group work, and individual follow-up. Students will be required to submit a report on the fieldwork for summative assessment
• The written examination will complement the practical-based assessment by testing student understanding of basic principles and generic types of channel behaviour, and their ability to explain things clearly and support their argument with appropriate reference to the general literature and case studies

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Discussions during lectures and formative field visit. Discussion in data analysis clinics. Reading assignment and formative tutorial.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University