GEO 433/533: Winter 2009 Coastal Geomorphology Instructor: Office Hrs: Lectures/Credits: Peter Ruggiero 541-737-1239 Wilkinson 134 ruggierp@geo.oregonstate.edu Flexible email for an appointment The course is offered for 3 credits MWF 2:00-2:50 Wilkinson 235 Course Goal: Develop a morphodynamic approach to coastal landforms, processes, and evolution including the impacts and response of humans to coastal change. Coastal morphodynamics can be thought of as the mutual adjustment of topography and fluid dynamics involving sediment transport. This course will apply this paradigm by giving equal attention to coastal processes and the associated morphological responses to coastal evolution in a wide variety of coastal systems. Required Text: Komar, P., 1998. Beach Processes and Sedimentation, 2 nd Edition, Prentice Hall. Readings from: Masselink, G. and Hughes, M.G., 2003. Introduction to Coastal Processes & Geomorphology, Hodder Arnold. Other current literature as assigned. Field trips: There will be one mandatory field trip to the Oregon coast date and itinerary TBD; possible dates include ruary 7 and ruary 21. Grading: Undergraduate students Graduate students Problem sets 30% 20% One take home exam 30% 20% In-class presentations N/A 20% Final Report N/A 15% Final Exam (in class) 30% 20% Participation 10% 5%
Additional work for graduate students: As indicated, all graduate students will give in class presentations (described below). In addition, exams and problem sets for graduate students will have extra problems beyond those required of undergraduates, adding approximately 20-25% to the effort required for each. Graduate Student Presentations: Graduate students will be required to make a short presentation at some point during the term leading a group discussion on a journal article given by the instructor. Graduate students will also be expected to deliver a report and a presentation during the last week of the term on a research topic chosen from a list the instructor provides. Topics will be based on current themes in coastal morphodynamics. Handouts (Powerpoint slides) should be made available to the entire class prior to the presentation Brief Course Outline: I. Coastal Geomorphology Overview and Introduction II. III. IV. Coastal Processes a. Forcing: Sea Level, Waves, Tides, Currents, Wind, Ice, Tectonics b. Response: Coastal Sediment Transport c. Feedbacks: Morphodynamics Wave Dominated Depositional Environments a. Beaches b. Dunes c. Barriers Geomorphology of various coastal landforms a. River Dominated Coasts b. Tide Dominated Coastal Environments (Estuaries and Lagoons) c. Rocky Coasts d. Carbonate Coasts e. High latitude Coasts V. Impacts and Responses of Humans to Coastal Evolution a. Anthropogenic influences on coastal evolution b. Impacts of sea level rise to coastal systems c. Assessing/mitigating coastal vulnerability
Approximate Schedule (Subject to Change): Date Week Day Subject Readings 5 th Jan 1 M Introduction to Coastal Morphodynamics Komar Chapters 1 and 2; MH Chapter 1; (Wright and Thom, 1977. Coastal depositional landforms: a morphodynamic approach.) W Sea Levels Past, Komar Chapter 4; MH Chapter 2 present, and future F Tides, tidal currents, and tidal Datums MH Chapter 3 12 th Jan 2 M Waves I Komar Chapter 5; MH Chapter 4; (Holman, 1995. Nearshore Processes) W Waves II Komar Chapter 6 F Morphodynamic measurements techniques (beach buggies, jet-skis, and eyeballs ) 19 th Jan 26 th Jan 2 nd 3 M MLK day No Class W F Sediments (Paul Komar guest lecture) Sediment Transport 4 M Wave Dominated Coasts I Shoreface Processes W Wave Dominated Coasts II Surf zone Processes F Wave Dominated Coasts III Beach Face Processes 5 M Wave Dominated Coasts IV Backshore (Dunes) Processes Komar Chapter 3; MH Chapter 5; (Li and Komar, 1991. Longshore grain sorting and beach placer formation adjacent to the Columbia River) MH Chapter 8; (Coco and Murray, 2007, Patterns in the sand...) Komar Chapter 8 and 9 Komar Chapter 7 Komar Chapter 11; (Hesp, 2002. Foredunes and blowouts: initiation, geomorphology and dynamics W F Wave Dominated Coasts V - Oregon Coast; local issues of importance Wave Dominated Coasts VI Nearshore Morphology Hand out take home midterm
Schedule (Subject to Change) Cont d: Date Week Day Subject Readings 9 th 6 M Wave Dominated Coasts VII Classification schemes (Masselink and Short, 1993. The effect of tides on beaches) W Wave Dominated Coasts VIII (Sediment Budgets - SWCES) F Mixed sediment transport and morphodynamics issues 16 th 7 M River Dominated Coasts I - Deltas MH Chapter 6; (Wright and Coleman, 1973) W Tide dominated Coasts I Estuaries MH Chapter 7 and Lagoons F Tide dominated Coasts II Tidal Flats, fine sediment issues 21 st Sat Possible date for 1-day FIELD TRIP to Oregon Coast?? 23 rd 2 nd Mar 9 th Mar 8 M Rock Coasts/Sea Cliffs I MH Chapter 9; (Richmond et al.,2001. Islands at Risk: Coastal hazards assessment and mapping in the Hawaiian Islands) W Coral Reefs and Islands I MH Chapter 10 F High Latitude coasts I 9 M Impacts and Responses of Humans I Komar Chapter 12; MH Chapter 11; (Pilkey and Cooper, 2004. Zhang et al., 2004; Stive, 2004) W Impacts and Responses of Humans II F Impacts and Responses of Humans III 10 M Graduate Student Presentations W F Graduate Student Presentations Graduate Student Presentations/Evaluation/Review Measurable Student Learning Outcomes (Additional Graduate Outcomes and Assessments in italics) Topic Expected Outcome (what the Assessment Method student should be able to do) Coastal Landforms Interpret the physical systems of the coastal zone. Define and distinguish between various coastal classification schemes Demonstrate knowledge of nomenclature used to describe features of coasts
Coastal Processes Sediment Transport Coastal Morphodynamics Describe the relative importance of various processes as waves propagate and transform from deep water through the surf zone to the beach Understand the basic principals of linear wave theory Understand non-linear wave properties derivable from linear theory Understand the basic principals of the Equilibrium and Dynamic Theory of tides Describe sediment properties important to sediment transport Understand the basic principals of coastal sediment transport Explain the importance of the bottom boundary layer to sediment transport Describe the various time and space scales involved in coastal evolution Interpret various coastal bed forms and forcing mechanisms Explain how coastal morphology develops and changes in response to changes in coastal processes such as waves, currents and tides Calculate various wave and water particle properties from given input conditions on problem set Calculate longshore current velocities from given input conditions on problem set Written descriptions on exams Calculate tidal harmonics from tidal records on a problem set Calculate sediment properties from given grain size distribution on problem set Calculate sediment transport rates for varying conditions in problem set Calculate bottom stress and bottom boundary layer reference height from given velocity profile Responses to hypothetical questions on exams and problem sets. Sketch various beach forms on exam Classify various beach types on problem set and/or exam Provide examples of positive and negative feedbacks in coastal morphodynamics. Written descriptions of the principal
of self-organization and examples from coastal morphodynamics Anthropogenic Impacts and responses Interpret statigraphic record of barrier accumulation Investigate and critically evaluate research advances in coastal morphodynamics. Integrate knowledge obtained from a range of sources to understand key concepts of coastal morphodynamics Understand the impetus for and impacts of coastal engineering structures at multiple scales Identify problems of resources, hazards, and development in the coastal zone Investigate the impacts of relative sea level rise to a variety of coastal systems Quantify barrier progradation rates from various data sets Presentation to the class on recent developments in coastal morphodynamics Calculate a multi-scale system sediment budget Describe various qualitative assessments of coastal hazards Calculate quantitative assessments of coastal change hazards on problem set Calculate coastal change induced by relative sea level rise on exam University and Departmental Policies Students with Disabilities Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty and Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Students with accommodations approved through SSD are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through SSD should contact SSD immediately at 737-4098, or T.D.D. 737-3666 or e-mail Disability.services@orst.edu. Academic Integrity: The goal of Oregon State University is to provide students with the knowledge, skill and wisdom they need to contribute to society. Our rules are formulated to guarantee each student's freedom to learn and to protect the fundamental rights of others. Students are
expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty is defined as an intentional act of deception in one of the following areas: Cheating- use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information or study aids Fabrication- falsification or invention of any information Assisting- helping another commit an act of academic dishonesty Tampering- altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and documents Plagiarism- representing the words or ideas of another person as one's own Cheating or plagiarism by students is subject to the disciplinary process outlined in the Student Conduct Regulations. Behaviors that create a hostile, offensive or intimidating environment based on gender, race, ethnicity, color, religion, age, disability, marital status or sexual orientation will be referred to the Affirmative Action Office. For more information about the University s policies and procedures in this area see the Student Conduct web site at: http://oregonstate.edu/admin/stucon/achon.htm