BIOL3791 Ecology and Geomorphology of Coastal Environments

This topic provides an overview of Australian and international coastal environments. The formation, ecology, geomorphology, dynamics and evolution of the major coastal landforms including surfzones, beaches, coastal barriers, dunes, deltas, estuaries and rocky coasts will be examined. Students will also explore some practical coastal management methods and processes.

This topic aims for students to:

• Understand the variation of coastal environments in the world, and particularly Australia, and the major driving factors creating those environments - waves, tides and winds
• Develop a deeper understanding of coastal ecology and morphodynamics, and in particular, the evolution and ecology of coastal landforms
• Understand the eco-geomorphological dynamics of coastal systems
• Explore Quaternary climates, sea level change, and coastal barrier dynamics and histories
• Relate this knowledge to the better management of coastal environments

1. Identify the main factors that produce the global variation in coastal types
2. Understand the dynamics operating to produce the major coastal landforms (e.g. cliffs, estuaries, beaches, dunefields, barrier systems), and the initiation, evolution, ecology and geomorphology of the landforms
3. Understand how Quaternary climate and sea level changes operate to drive large scale coastal change