Coastal Environments

Course aim

To provide students with the necessary background to appreciate and understand the variability, sensitivity and dynamism of selected coastal environments, the organisms that inhabit those environments, and the processes that fashion them and continue to modify them, so as to make informed decisions about living in harmony with the physical environment and managing coastal environments.

Course content

Coastal processes : waves, tides, storm surges, tsunamis, aeolian sand drift. Various coastal environments - cliffed coastlines, shore platforms, estuaries, coral reefs, cold coasts (permafrost, glaciers, sea ice and fiords), coastal wetlands (mudflats, marshes, salt flats, deltas), coastal barriers, sandy coastlines, peritidal environments (sea grass, inter-tidal, mangrove, samphire and supra-tidal environments). Climatic and sea level changes past and future and the causes of these changes. Coastal erosion and accretion. Coastal ecology. Vegetation characteristic of different coastal environments. Terrestrial impacts on coastlines. Human impacts on coastal areas through industrial, transport, residential and recreational activities. Application of knowledge of coastal forms and systems directed towards the more sensitive treatment of the coastal environment.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Nil but it is expected that students attempting this course will have completed at least two years of university study.

Corequisite(s)

Nil

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Field component, Project report, Quiz first component, Quiz, second component

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 2)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
How to determine your Commonwealth Supported course fee. (Opens new window)

Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
How to determine the relevant non award tuition fee. (Opens new window)

Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.