SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY Spring 2013 College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University 3 credits T Th 8:00 9:20 am, Wlkn 210 Stephen Lancaster Wlkn 142, 7-9258, lancasts@geo.oregonstate.edu Office hours: Tue. 9:30 am, Wed. 11:30 am 1. Course Description and Overview Effect of landform processes upon human activity; consequences of resource management strategies on erosional balance within landscape; identification of mitigation of natural hazards; role of geomorphic process studies in environmental planning. Taught as seminar, themes TBA. Field trip(s) may be required; transportation fee charged. PREREQS: GEO 322 The course has focused on Applied Fluvial Geomorphology since 2005. Up to 2011, the course included substantial material specifically addressing river management and restoration, but much of that material became redundant with respect to BEE 549 River Engineering, taught by Desiree Tullos. This course will still supply knowledge vital to the art and practice of river restoration and management more than before, really but will devote less direct attention to management and restoration issues. Leaving explicit consideration of human issues aside allows us to spend more time on the development and application of the technical aspects of fluvial geomorphology and actually makes it far more likely that you, the student, will at least comprehend the application of these concepts at the end of the course. This course will address the processes actively shaping streams and their immediately adjacent landscapes. Where possible, we will start from first principles, such as conservation of mass and momentum, and proceed to their logical outcomes. I will expect students to have a knowledge of geomorphology amounting to the residual knowledge from having taken GEO 322 Surface Processes within the past year. I will assume some familiarity with calculus and calculus-based physics. I will use some ordinary and partial differential equations, but I do not expect you to know how to solve them. Rather, they will serve as parts of the structure upon which we build our understanding. The course necessarily includes material covered in other classes, such as Sediment Transport and Open-Channel Hydraulics, but where those courses have hefty prerequisites and deal with technical solutions to engineering problems, this course will start closer to the ground floor and emphasize understanding of natural fluvial systems. 1
2 SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 2. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes This course s goal is to provide some answers to the following questions: What processes determine the form and evolution of river channels? How are form and process linked in river channels? How do river forms and processes vary in space and time? How can we use our knowledge of fluvial geomorphology to make predictions, e.g., about the effects of management practices? Some might say that fluvial geomorphology can be reduced to the following two axioms: (1) Water flows downhill, and (2) It carries some rocks, sand, and mud as it goes. The water and the downhill parts are formally known as boundary conditions, i.e., a specified flow rate at an upstream point and a specified distance and elevation drop over a specified material substrate before exiting the domain or reaching a fixed base level. The flows and carries parts are governed by the laws of physics, namely conservation of mass and momentum and, if we re feeling particularly ambitious, energy. For example, conservation of momentum governs the effect of the resistance imparted by the bed on the flow and, thus, how deeply and quickly the water flows. Conservation of mass ensures that we account for every drop of water fed in at the top. If you find yourself becoming lost in the technical jargon, just remember that almost any problem in fluvial geomorphology can be reduced to those two axioms, especially if we add the fact that the water is usually already carrying some amount of rocks, sand, and mud when it enters our area of interest. The following learning outcomes generally come down to understanding the logical results of our two basic axioms. 2.1. GEO 432 Learning Outcomes. I expect students registered for undergraduate credit to demonstrate the following learning outcomes: 1. An intermediate understanding of stream morphologies as the logical consequences of conservation of mass and momentum; 2. An intermediate knowledge of one-dimensional morphodynamic spreadsheet-based models sufficient to perform directed virtual experiments illustrating the logical consequences of conservation of mass and momentum and specific boundary conditions; 3. An intermediate knowledge of field methods used to study fluvial systems; 4. An intermediate level of skill in assimilating morphodynamic model results and geomorphic field data in written scientific reports; 5. The satisfaction of knowing what makes a river tick. 2.2. GEO 532. I expect students registered for graduate credit to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 3 1. An advanced understanding of stream morphologies as the logical consequences of conservation of mass and momentum; 2. An advanced knowledge of one-dimensional morphodynamic spreadsheet-based models sufficient to perform directed virtual experiments illustrating the logical consequences of conservation of mass and momentum and specific boundary conditions; 3. An advanced knowledge of field methods used to study fluvial systems; 4. An intermediate level of skill in designing modeling and data collection protocols sufficient to answer non-trivial questions relevant to fluvial geomorphology; 5. An advanced level of skill in assimilating morphodynamic model results and geomorphic field data in written scientific reports; 6. The satisfaction of knowing what makes a river tick. 3. Learning Resources 3.1. Texts. The most essential text is the e-book by Gary Parker (2004). This e-book has the advantages of (a) breaking new ground as a cross-over (Earth science and engineering) text rigorously treating natural streams, (b) providing integrated explicatory modeling exercises, and (c) being free. I supplement the Parker (2004) e-book with some additional readings, as well as my own exercises, field trip guides, and course notes. Although I do not make specific reading assignments from textbooks, you may find those of Bridge (2003), Dingman (2009), and Robert (2003)useful for filling out your understanding and supplementing this course s relatively narrow focus on one-dimensional fluvial morphodynamics. 3.2. Blackboard. Most of the course materials will be posted on Blackboard (the 432X site). A link to the Parker (2004) e-book (and local copies of the e-book s many files) and excerpts from other texts will be posted under Readings. Field trip guides, handouts explaining the major assignments, and lecture notes will also be posted (though I will mostly use the Parker (2004) PowerPoint files directly). I have decided to leave the lecture notes and readings from the 2011-version of the course on the Blackboard site, just in case you might find any of those materials useful. 3.3. Computers. I will not teach this course by walking you through computer exercises and looking over your shoulder at your computer monitor; rather, I will teach most of the course in a relatively traditional lecture format. So why is the course taught in the Digital Earth (Wlkn 210) classroom? Students must be able to work together on shared data and documents and have access to MS Office software, and Digital Earth satisfies these needs. 3.4. Field Trips. There will be three field trips. During the first two, students will receive instruction on field methods and collect data necessary for completion of assignments. For the third field trip, you will implement student-designed study plans.
4 SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 4. Requirements Tables 1 and 2 outline the requirements for students enrolled in GEO 432 and 532, respectively. Table 1. Requirements for GEO 432 Item Number Percentage Modeling exercises 2 3 15% Field reports 2 30% Group project 1 30% Quiz (maybe) 1 5% Final exam 1 20% Table 2. Requirements for GEO 532 Item Number Percentage Modeling exercises 2 3 12% Field reports 2 28% Group project proposal 1 10% Group project 1 28% Quiz (maybe) 1 4% Final exam 1 18% 4.1. Modeling Exercises. Assignments will draw on Gary Parker s online e-book (Parker, 2004), which only requires you to use Microsoft Excel with embedded Visual Basic (note that some versions of Excel for Mac prior to the most recent release are not compatible with Visual Basic). The Parker e-book will also be a useful reference for much of what we will cover in class. 4.2. Field Reports. The individual field reports will be based on data that you will collect in the field during the first two field trips. Scoring will be based on the quality of the writing, the correctness and completeness of the assigned calculations, and the use of maps, figures, and tables. Note: Both individual field trip reports must be turned in to receive a passing grade in the class. (See handout on field trip reports.) 4.3. Group Project Proposal (532 only). Students enrolled for graduate credit will present proposals prior to the third field trip. All students will then vote for the best proposals, and the top vote-winners will serve as the bases for the group projects and data collection during the third and final field trip. Proposal guidelines, including the field site location and description, will be provided. 4.4. Group Project Report and Presentation. Graduate student authors of the top vote-winners among the project proposals will serve as group leaders. The groups will collect data together in the field during the third field trip and will produce presentations for the class.
SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 5 5. Subject Outline The following is an outline of the material that will be covered during the term. 1. Introduction a. Geomorphic issues associated with channel restoration and dam removal b. Felix Exner and river morphodynamics (Parker (2004), Ch. 1) 2. Sediment (Parker (2004), Ch. 2) a. Grain-size distributions b. Fall velocity c. Modes of transport 3. Bankfull channel characteristics (Parker (2004), Ch. 3) a. Bankfull concept b. Gravel and sand beds c. Characteristic parameters 4. Sediment and mass conservation (Parker (2004), Ch. 4) a. Bedload b. Suspended load c. Subsidence and uplift d. Active layer concept e. Mixtures 5. River hydraulics (Parker (2004), Ch. 5) a. Boundary resistance and steady, uniform flow b. Normal flow c. St. Venant shallow water equations (conservation of mass and momentum) d. Gradually varied flow and backwater curves 6. Initiation of motion (Parker (2004), Ch. 6) a. Angle of repose b. Critical shear stress c. Law of the wall d. Large slope e. Mixtures f. Significant suspension
6 SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 7. Bedload transport, gravel on plane beds (Parker (2004), Ch. 7) a. Einstein bedload number and alternative dimensionless bedload transport b. Meyer-Peter and Müller and similar bedload transport relations c. Mechanistic derivations d. Surface-based transport formulations for mixtures 8. Bedforms (Parker (2004), Ch. 8) a. Ripples b. Dunes c. Antidunes d. Potential flow formulation 9. Form drag and sand transport (Parker (2004), Ch. 9) a. Skin friction and form drag b. Einstein decomposition c. Computations for dunes Suspended load transport (if time allows; Parker (2004), Ch. 10) a. Entrainment b. Transport (without stratification) Total bed material load (if time allows; ) a. Bedload, suspended load, and total load calculation (Parker (2004), Ch. 11) b. Total bed material load (Parker (2004), Ch. 12) c. Quasi-steady approximation (Parker (2004), Ch. 13) 10. Morphodynamic evolution of alluvial streams a. Channel degradation with floodplain deposition and bank erosion (Parker (2004), Ch. 15) b. Aggradation and channel shift (Parker (2004), Ch. 15) c. Longitudinal profile shape (Parker (2004), Ch. 25) 11. Meandering and alluvial planform morphology (Lancaster and Bras, 2002) (see http: //www.geo.oregonstate.edu/~lancasts/publications.html) a. Process and mechanism b. Transverse bedslope c. General approach to modeling lateral migration
SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY 7 6. Field Trips There will be three weekend one-day field trips during the term. In the first two, you will focus on learning data collection methods, and the two individual reports will be based in part on these field trips. The third field trip will focus on problem solving by using the methods learned in the previous trips. The (likely) schedule is shown in Table 3. 7. Course Schedule Table 3. Schedule of lectures, assignments, tests, and field trips Date Topic Activity 4/2 Introduction 4/4 Sediment 4/9 Bankfull channel 4/11 4/16 Sediment conservation 4/18 Exercise #1 due 4/20 Field trip #1: Channel roughness and bankfull discharge 4/23 River hydraulics 4/25 4/30 Initiation of motion 5/2 Report #1 due 5/4 Field trip #2: Channel hydraulics and sediment transport 5/7 Bedload transport 5/9 5/14 Bedforms 5/16 Group project proposals (532 only) FT2 Report due 5/18 Field trip #3: Data collection for group projects 5/21 Form drag, sand transport 5/23 5/28 Alluvial aggradation/degradation 5/30 Longitudinal profile shape 6/4 Alluvial planform morphology Exercise #2 due 6/6 Group presentations, supplements posted 6/10 Final exam, Wlkn 210, Mon., 9:30-11:20 am
8 SYLLABUS, GEO 432/532 APPLIED GEOMORPHOLOGY References Bridge, J. S. (2003), Rivers and Floodplains: Forms, Processes, and Sedimentary Record, 491 pp., Blackwell, Oxford. Dingman, S. L. (2009), Fluvial Hydraulics, 559 pp., Oxford University Press, Oxford. Lancaster, S. T., and R. L. Bras (2002), A simple model of river meandering and its comparison to natural channels, Hydrological Processes, 16 (1), 1 26. Parker, G. (2004), 1D Sediment Transport Morphodynamics with Applications to Rivers and Turbidity Currents, University of Illinois, http://hydrolab.illinois.edu/people/ parkerg//morphodynamics_e-book.htm, visited April, 2012. Robert, A. (2003), River Processes: An Introduction to Fluvial Dynamics, 214 pp., Arnold, London.