Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

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Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

Rationale: Water is at the heart of many of the most pressing environmental and societal challenges of the 21st century. This module explores how a changing climate and human activity are transforming the movement, storage, and quality of water across the planet. From the meltwater from glaciers in mountain water towers that sustain billions of people, through the rivers that shape landscapes and support economies, to the coasts that sustain rich ecosystems. Each of these landscapes provide plentiful resources but their sustainability is under threat from pressures such as climate change, overexploitation, pollution, and sea-level rise. This module will explore the interconnected nature of water across these environments to understand current pressures, and consider how we might better inform sustainable and resilient approaches to water management in the future. This module invites students to think critically about water as both a physical and social resource in a rapidly changing world, combining the study of key physical processes that shape Earth’s hydrosphere with discussions of policy, management, and societal responses to water-related challenges.


Aims: This module aims to develop your understanding of how water interacts with environmental change across mountain, riverine, and coastal systems, and how these processes influence, and are influenced by, human societies, management, and policy responses.

In order to fulfil this aim you will:

(1) Explore the physical processes governing water storage and movement from mountain glaciers to coastal zones.
(2) Examine how climate change and human activity are altering water availability, flooding, and geomorphological dynamics.
(3) Consider the role of water as both a natural and managed resource, including its use, abstraction, and pollution challenges.
(4) Evaluate the societal, geopolitical, economic, and policy implications of changing water systems, including adaptation and resilience strategies.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module examines how water systems respond to environmental and societal change from mountain headwaters to coastal margins. It explores the role of glaciers and mountain regions as critical water sources, the ways in which rivers and catchments are shaped by and respond to climate, land-use, and management pressures, and how coastal environments are being transformed by rising sea levels, changing wave and surge activity, and human modifications to water and sediment flows. Throughout, the module emphasises the interconnected nature of these environments and the importance of understanding both physical processes and policy or management responses to support sustainable and resilient water futures. The module is organised around three themes, namely mountain, riverine, and coastal systems within the global water cycle. Within these themes we will explore a range of topics such as:

Mountain: Observations and impacts of climate change in mountains, and the role that glaciers play in mountain water resources and hazards.

Riverine: Impacts of climate change and human pressures on geomorphology, flood risk, resource availability, ecosystems, strategies for adaptation and building resilient systems.

Coastal: Impacts of sea level change, coastal flooding and storm surges, coastal resilience, adaptation and coastal management.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the course students will:

• Appreciate the interconnected role of mountain, riverine, and coastal systems within the global water cycle.
• Understand key processes governing water storage and movement across different environments.
• Have greater knowledge of how climate change and human activity influence water resource availability, flooding, and societal impacts.
• Recognise the societal, geopolitical, and policy relevance of water-related challenges, including resource management, hazards, and impacts.
• Have greater knowledge of data sources, observations, and techniques used to monitor and evaluate change within water systems.

Intended Skill Outcomes

By the end of the course students will be able to:

• Analyse and interpret data from a range of water-related environments, including glaciers, rivers, and coasts.
• Develop reports and briefs that communicate water-related challenges and management options to a range of audiences, including policy makers.
• Apply knowledge of physical processes and societal considerations to assess strategies for water management, adaptation, and resilience in a changing world.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module combines lectures and practical sessions to ensure that students develop both a strong theoretical understanding of water systems and practical skills in data analysis, and interpretation. Lectures introduce key concepts across mountain, riverine, and coastal environments, and use case studies from research and professional practice to illustrate how water processes interact with societal and management challenges.

Practicals allow students to apply lecture concepts to real-world scenarios. These may include activities such as assessing glacier loss, analysing hydrological flows, pollution or flood frequency, and modelling coastal inundation. This approach ensures that students develop technical skills in hydrological or geomorphological analysis, while simultaneously reinforcing their understanding of the physical processes and societal implications underpinning water management covered in the lectures.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Poster presentation (40% weighting) - This requires students to concisely summarise and prioritise the presentation of information and ideas. This will allow students to demonstrate understanding of the concepts presented in lectures and apply these to real-world scenarios. Students will be tasked with analysing and interpreting geographic datasets and will be required to present this in a visually effective way.

Government enquiry / policy brief (60% weighting) - Drawing upon their scientific understanding of challenges covered in this module, students are tasked with generating information to contribute towards a government enquiry / policy brief. Using an effective combination of text and infographics, this assessment requires students to convert their scientific knowledge into compelling evidence for governments / policy makers / stakeholders. This ensures meaningful engagement not just with the physical processes but also how this can be effectively translated into actionable insight for management purposes.

General Notes

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