Soil erosion and landslide risks : prediction and prevention

Duration

40h Th, 20h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Aurelia Hubert, Matthias Vanmaercke

Coordinator

Matthias Vanmaercke

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course is divided in two parts :
-Part I focuses on landslides with Prof. A. Hubert-Ferrari (20h Th, 10h Pr)
-Part II focuses on soil erosion with Prof. M. Vanmaercke (20h Th, 10h Pr)
Part I: The theoritical lectures (20h) focuses in the characterisation on the different onland mass movements, their geometry, distribution, mapping, 2) the particularity of submarine mass movements, 3) their dynamics and the factor of safety, 4) factors controling sliding, 5) monitoring. These parts allow to tackle landslide risk analyses and prediction as well as the possible methods of prevention.  The practical exercices (10h) of Part I focus on real cases examples of landslide and how to analyze them using a GIS software.
Part II focusses on the prediction and prevention of hillslope erosion processes, in particular, sheet & rill and gully erosion. In the theoretical part, we will discuss how to predict and quantify soil erosion processes on hillslopes in relation to their controlling factors like topography, soil characteristics, land use and rainfall conditions (e.g. the RUSLE-equation and its derivatives, slope-area thresholds and runoff curve number approaches). Furthermore, we will elaborate on soil and water conservation techniques to prevent soil erosion (principles, pitfalls, design and implementation, how to evaluate their effectiveness). The course will be illustrated with various concrete examples, especially from the Global South. During the practical part, the students will apply the obtained knowledge and insight into a specific case study (e.g. quantifying the erosion of a specific area, identifying the most suitable erosion mitigation techniques, criticial review of certain techniques, ...). 

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

Part I : The students will master all processes related to landslides, and would know how the different ways to evaluate landslide hazard, and propose possible solutions.
Part II: At the end of this course, the students will:

• have an in-depth understanding of the processes of soil erosion due to water;
• understand the principles of the most commonly used models for erosion prediction and be able to critically reflect on them (e.g. uncertainties, pitfalls);
• be able to make first-order assessments of erosion risks for specific case studies
• understand the key principles of soil and water conservation and landslide prevention/mitigation techniques;
• be able to critically reflect on the effectiveness and efficiency of proposed/implemented measures.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Part I: Basics in geology, geomorphology and mechanics
Part II: Basic knowledge of geomorphology, hydrology and mechanics

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Part I: The course would be divided in:
- Courses (~20h) based on ex-cathedra théoretical courses (~10h), and an applied case study near Liege combining field observations and mapping (~4h), bibliography (~4h) and LIDAR terrain models (~3h). During this second part, students would have to use prior knowledge acquired in the theoretical courses.
-Practical exercises integrating two applied cases using a GIS software.
 
Part II: the course will be divided in theoretical courses (~20h) and an individual exercise (~10h). For the exercise, the students will have regular opportunity to ask feedback and discuss their progress.  The exact division between the numbers of hours allocated to the theoretical part and the practical part, may vary in function of the number of students following the course, the content of the practical exercise, the interest of the students and/or the speed with which the theoretical part of the course can be apprehended.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Part I: Theoretical courses  (10h) and applied course on a case study in interaction with the professor using prior knowledge (10h comprising the study of the bibliography on the case study with active presentation of the students, study of the available terrain models before the half-day field work) and practical exercises on GIS software (10 h)
Part II: Theoretical courses  (~20h) and an individual case study/task in interaction with the professor (~10h). The individual task will built on the theoretical concepts taught and involve a range of activities (literature review, geomorphic mapping, statistical analyses, simple geomorphic/hydrological modelling)

Organisational adjustments related to the current health context

Goal of the course:
*To obtain more insight into two key hillslope geomorphology processes: soil erosion by water and landsliding *Focus on how to simulate (predict), prevent and mitigate them. Nonetheless:
*Specialized topics *Low number of students (i.e. 2 MSc and 2 PhD level) *COVID-19 context => Classical lectures will be replaced by a more individual hands-on approach
Content of the course:
*A "crash course" lecture on landslides (~3 hours) *A guided, individual task on which you will be asked to report regularly. *More specifically: -Ca. short, individual discussion with Prof. Hubert and Prof. Vanmaercke every 2 weeks à Coaching, but short summary of progress will be asked -A mid-term seminar where you present your progress to all students (10% of grade) -A final presentation  where you present and defend your (nearly) final results (20% of grade) -A written report (10-15 pages + accompanying data) discussing the findings (70% of grade)   Task topics: -Predicting gully head occurrence using a spatially distributed Curve Number approach -Soil and water conservation: is it worth the effort? -Downscaling landslide susceptibility: a case study for Zimbabwe and Mozambique - Terraces: when are they a good idea?    For individual Taks topics: background and reminder will be specified, the case study will be laid down as well as key questions, detailed required tasks will be explained

Recommended or required readings

Assessment methods and criteria

Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.

Part I- Evaluation:
Ø 60%: based on the practical part of the course for which the students would do an oral presentation of the context using one of the papers published, and make a report about the mapping of the landslide based on the Terrain model and field observations.
 Ø 40% based on the practical exercises using GIS. It is mandatory to give a quoted report on the practical exercises.
 
Part 2- Evaluation:
50% of the points will be based on the students knowledge and comprehension of the theoretical part. This will be evaluated based on an oral exam with written preparation. The remaining 50% of the points will be based on an evaluation of the exercises (presence and active participation in the exercises, written final report, presentation of the case study).
Depending on practical circumstances, the oral exam may be replaced by a written exam during the third exam session (August/September). In this case, students will be notified beforehand about this.
 

Work placement(s)

Organizational remarks

The course will take place only if 3 students are registered
In the case that less than three students are registered, an alternative will be proposed and discussed with the students.

Contacts

Part I: aurelia.ferrari@uliege.be
Part II: matthias.vanmaercke@uliege.be

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