Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Rationale: Rivers are a major component of the hydrological cycle and are important global agents of erosion, sediment transport and long-term landscape evolution. Over shorter timescales, rivers constitute important natural resources and powerful natural hazards. Where rivers meet the coast, deltaic and other coastal landscapes form. These landscapes are important providers of ecosystem services, livelihoods and productive agricultural land. While physical processes that sculpt rivers, deltas and other coastal system create dynamic environments, human activities increasingly threaten their future sustainability and resilience. This module explores all of these themes.

Aims: This module aims (1) to provide detailed insight into fluvial, deltaic and associated coastal geomorphological processes and forms, and (2) to show how this knowledge can be applied to tackle global challenges.

In order to fulfil the above aims you will:

(1) be introduced to a range of geomorphological processes operating in fluvial, deltaic and coastal environments;
(2) understand how these process create and alter landforms and landscapes in a range of environments;
(3) use field data sets to gain understanding of process-form relationships;
(4) be introduced to a range of cutting-edge techniques and data sources for characterising processes and landscapes in fluvial, deltaic and coastal systems
(5) engage with how humans have altered and degraded these systems, and with policy approaches designed to strategically manage them for more sustainable futures.

Outline Of Syllabus

Part 1 introduces the foundations of fluvial geomorphology, examining how rivers move sediment and continually reshape their channels. Students explore key controls on river behaviour and the processes that drive change. We consider the formation of bedforms and bars, the causes of channel adjustment, and their implications for river management. Using data from the River Coquet, theory is linked to real examples, culminating in a one-day field trip to observe fluvial processes, river responses, and management challenges.

Part 2 will consider both the physical processes but also explore the complexities involved in managing low elevation coastal landscapes. Deltas are integral to global food supplies, fish stocks, water supply, industry, trade and cultural heritage, but are under increasing under threat from e.g., biodiversity loss, agricultural change, pollution, population rise, urbanisation and migration, all of which effects are exacerbated by climate change and rising sea levels. Drawing on experience from the transdisciplinary GCRF Living Deltas Hub led by Newcastle University, this section of the module explores threats to delta systems globally, and what needs to be done to prevent these highly vulnerable systems from collapsing.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the module students will:

• Appreciate better the role that water and sediment play in shaping dynamic landscapes.
• Have greater knowledge of appropriate data sets and data acquisition techniques for fluvial geomorphology.
• Better understand geomorphological processes and the relationship between process and form in rivers, deltas and coasts.
• Have greater knowledge of the controls on geomorphic change over a range of timescales in a range of systems created and maintained by the interaction between hydrology and sediments.
• Have been introduced to and applied knowledge gained regarding societal implications of fluvial, deltaic and coastal geomorphological processes.

Intended Skill Outcomes

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

• Read critically to support independent research.
• Analyse data sets using ArcGIS/QGIS.
• Write an industry-style report.
• Plan and deliver policy-oriented briefs designed to translate science to policy makers
• Communicate key challenges associated with managing fluvial, deltaic and coastal environments in the face the threats outlined above.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Students will use a mixture of lectures, practicals, seminars and field trip in this module. Computer practicals are used as a means of getting hands-on experience of industry-standard software so that students can gain key employability skills.

Lectures provide an overview of geomorphological processes and the relationship between process and form in rivers, deltas and coasts, as well as providing the background content that scaffolds discussion in the module as a whole.

Practicals and fieldwork will introduce students to a suite of primary and secondary data sets, as well as the techniques and methodologies to detect and measure geomorphologic change.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Both assessments are geared towards employability/consultancy skills. The 2000-word report assesses the use of data analysis skills and geomorphological theory in understanding processes and form. Converting this scientific output to something useful for policy makers is a key transferable skill, and so the second assessment is centred on a 3-page policy brief combing text and succinct infographics. This assesses the student’s ability to summarise science to policy makers and stakeholders. The assessment is designed to allow they engage meaningfully not just with the physical processes but also translate this effectively into useful management approaches.

General Notes

N/A