Fluvial and Coastal Systems

Recommended Prerequisites

The student must have academic knowledge in the area of Geosciences given by attendance, with approval, in curricular units of the 1st cycle in Geology or of 1st cycles from the Geosciences areas and he/she must understand the Portuguese language. 

Teaching Methods

Presentation of themes using the expositive methodology in the classroom or on-line, laboratory activities at the Earth Sciences Department-FCTUC and field work. Bibliographic research. Tutorial follow-up of the works performed by the student.

Learning Outcomes

The objectives of this curricular unit are: 1) to increase and develop student’s knowledge about the processes operating in fluvial and coastal systems, but also the mechanisms that control their natural evolution or induced by human activities; 2) to develop capacities in acquisition, systematization, interrelation, treatment, interpretation and presentation data concerning fluvial and coastal systems.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Fluvial systems

Drainage Basins and equilibrium longitudinal profile

Classifications and external controls

2. Fluvial processes

Hydrodynamics

Hydric regime and sedimentary transport

Morphosedimentary components

3. Planning and Management of drainage basins

Management of natural resources

Fluvial hazards

4. Marine processes

Waves, tides and currents

Coriolis and Ekman effects

Ecology and bioproductivity

Atmospheric circulation

Oceanic circulation

5. Estuaries. Lagoons and deltas

Tides and tidal prism

Fluvial discharge

Water mixture

Morphosedimentary elements

6. Beaches, aeolian dunes and rocky coasts

Morphosedimentary elements of a beach

Reflective and dissipative beach transverse profiles

Longitudinal beach profile and reflux currents

Littoral drift and sedimentary budget

Evolution of rocky shores

7. Planning and Management of coastal zones

Coastline changes

Human impacts in the coastal zone

Coastal susceptibility and hazards

Management plans.

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Report of a seminar or field trip: 20.0%
Laboratory work or Field work: 30.0%
Exam: 50.0%

Bibliography

Pinet, P. (2003) Invitation to Oceanography. 3rd Ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 556p.

 Thorne, C.R., Hey, R.D. & Newson, M.D. (1997) Applied fluvial geomorphology for river engineering and management. John Wiley & Sons, 376p.