LANDSCAPE PROCESSES AND EVOLUTION
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- PAOLO CIAVOLA
- Credits
- 6
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- GEO/04
Training objectives
- The course represents the first and only teaching of Geomorphology within the bachelor degree and it gives to the students the opportunity to approach for the first time applied aspects of Earth Sciences which will be further deepened in the following years of their university career.
The main aim of the course is to provide the students with the fundamental knowledge of Physical Geography and Geomorphology and to favour the comprehension of the processes that shape landforms. Specifically, the primary scope of the course is to favour the learning of the mechanisms of exogenous processes and how they are able to shape the landscape, major natural risks and the climate change. Theoretic information will always be introduced side by side to examples. Examples are useful to understand the theory that was, in fact, derived from direct observations of natural processes and/or of their effects on the territory and, therefore, they are important to learn the complexity and interconnection of natural phenomena.
The main achievements will be:
Basic knowledge of interpretation of geomorphological maps and remotely sensed images to undertand landforms;
Main methods for the macroscopic identification of landforms;
Knowledge of major natural processes that shaped the landscape in the past and how nowadays they are able to model the territory, on the land surface and in the underground, at the boundary between the land and the sea and, finally, on the ocean floor.
Knowledge of the key techniques and technologies to study, observe and monitor earth-surface phenomena and the processes that occur on the Earth surface;
Basic information to deal with climate change topics.
The key skills (i.e. how to apply the obtained knowledge) will be:
Capability to identify landforms, how they are related to the paleo-environment of formation of rocks and to the present endogenous and exogenous processes;
Understanding the interconnection between the numerous phenomena that are responsible of the Earth formation. Comprehension of the present natural processes that are capable to influence the environment we live in;
Capability to observe the territory from a point of view that is competent and critical at the same time, to deeply understand natural processes and how much they are in close relation to each other;
Acquire a better awareness of which are the drivers of political decisions with respect to environmental themes;
Comprehend the main natural risks and how much they are linked to human actions. Prerequisites
- To have attended the exam of Geology I
Course programme
- The course provides 48 hours of class teaching
Elements of cartography and remote sensing (8 hours of lectures): revision of the main concepts of geodesy and cartography. Definitions of the key remote sensing techniques, examples of practical applications in different environmental contexts and for different purposes. Specific examples of application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
Glaciers (2 hours of lectures): definitions, movement of glaciers and their capability of shaping the territory, observation of landscape forms to reconstruct the movements of the glaciers at the time of the glaciations.
Landscape evolution (6 hours of lectures): the landscape and mass movements Definition of landslides and triggering mechanisms, classification of landslides (Varnes), presentation of some examples, methods for slope monitoring and stabilization, description of landslides in the marine environment, both in the deep sea and on the coast. The thematic mapping, examples of thematic maps of the Emilia-Romagna region.
Fluvial geomorphology (5 hours of lectures): definition and formation of rivers, sediment transport operated by rivers, landscape evolution determined by the rivers and landforms associated with them. Soil erosion.
Groundwater resources (5 hours hours of lectures): elements of hydrogeology, main definitions and methods for the monitoring and study of groundwater. Effects of the over-exploitation of groundwater. The karst. Groundwater pollution. Hydrothermalism.
Coastal geomorphology (6 hours of lectures): definition of low-sandy coasts, the morphodynamic classification and definition of the main parameters associated with the waves and the characteristics of the beach. The tides. Spits and barrier islands, salt marshes. Deltas and estuaries.
Marine geology (4 hours of lectures): marine geology, with particular reference to the mechanisms of formation of submerged landforms, slope and submarine canyons. Elements of Oceanography.
The climate (2 hours of lectures): components of the "Earth System" that affect the climate, el Nino and La Nina, the ice ages, human action that control the climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain and the carbon cycle. Sea level rise and estimates of the last IPCC report. The risks associated with climate change.
Subsidence (2 hours of lectures): natural and man-made subsidence, regional and local scales, direct and indirect methods for subsidence monitoring, case studies from the Mississippi Delta, the Po Delta and the Emilia-Romagna coastline.
Geomorphological surveying (8 hours of lectures): examples of geomorphological maps of hillslopes, alluvial plains and coastal areas.
PRACTICAL FIELDWORK ACTIVITIES (3 CFU-30 HOURS)-These will be defined in detail only at the beginning of the course considering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic
A fieldtrip will be organized along the local coastline (6 hours of practicals). The aim of the fieldtrip is to give to the student and overview of the issues when dealing with a coastal area where conflicts between human pressure and natural values have to be resolved. During the fieldtrip the main methods for topographic and bathymetric surveying will also be demonstrated.
A field trip (6 hours of practicals) will be organized to learn about inland geomorphology. The aim of the field trips is give to the student and overview of the main processes including slope instability as well as mass movements and riverine processes. The examples will be used as a case study to understand the role between human action and landscape also in view of the understanding of a complex geological setting. Didactic methods
- The course is organized as follows:
• lectures on all subjects;
• exercises to recognize landscapes on topographic maps and aerial photographs.
At the end of the course there are a number of compulsory fieldtrips. One fieldtrip lasts one day on nearby littorals. One daily trip looks at the morphologies of the Apennine.
The teaching is shared with students from the bachelor degree in Manager of cultural itineraries. Learning assessment procedures
- The scope of the examination is to test the level of achievement of the learning objectives described above. The exam aims also at verifying the student's ability to relate the acquired information into an overview.
The exam consists of a written test and, if necessary (see below) an oral exam.
The written test is divided into two parts:
A part of recognition of landscapes on a map or aerial photograph (point 1 of the "course contents" section). The maximum grade is 30/30. The test is passed if the student achieves the minimum grade of 18/30.
The second part consists of five questions, worth 6 points each, on the remaining topics.. The maximum grade is 30/30. The test is passed if the student achieves the minimum grade of 18/30.
If the exam is done remotely the lecturer may decide to replace part 2 with an oral examination.
Conditions to pass the exam
The final grade is the average of the two previous scores.
To pass the exam the student must obtain a minimum score of 18 out of 30 in both parts of the written test.
In the correction phase, the professor will assign the laude if, and only if, the student gets 30/30 in both parts of the written test and, simultaneously, demonstrates that he/she fully understands the course topics and how they are in relation to each other. Therefore, it will be rewarded with the laude the student who, in addition to demonstrating the acquisition of the basic knowledge, will be able to provide examples and reasoning to make cross-connections between the topics covered during the course, as highlighted in the “learning objectives” section.
If the student refuses the grade obtained in the written test, or a part of it, albeit sufficient, he/she will have to take again the exam on the whole program of the course. Reference texts
- Strahler (2013). Introducing Physical Geography, 6th Edition. Wiley and Sons
