Earth Surface Dynamics and Anthropogenic Effects

Duration

20h Th, 20h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Aurelia Hubert

Language(s) of instruction

English language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The course comprises 6 parts:

General introduction

• Earth's spheres and their interactions (lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere).
• Internal and external energy sources, role of fluids, plate tectonics, climate and orbital cycles.

• Mechanical and chemical weathering, regolith and soil formation.
• Physical properties of materials: cohesion, friction, rheology.
• Balances of erosion, incision and denudation.

• Types of erosion: splash, sheet, rill, gully.
• Controlling factors: rainfall, soils, topography, vegetation, and land use.
• Measurement and modelling (USLE/RUSLE).
• Impacts on agriculture, ecosystem services, and sustainability.

• Global hydrological cycle, infiltration, runoff and groundwater flows.
• Water balance and unsaturated soil dynamics.
• Effects of human land use and engineering on water resources.

• Types of slopes (rock, regolith) and associated processes.
• Force balance, role of water, rheology and fracturing.
• Landslides, rockfalls, creep, and diffusive models.

• Hillslope-channel transition, types of rivers (bedrock, alluvial).
• Incision processes, sediment transport, floods and confluences.
• Climatic and anthropogenic impacts (dams, levees, urbanisation).

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Integrated understanding: acquire a global vision of the Earth's surface and its properties, providing an essential foundation for further studies in geosciences.
• Process formalisation: express simple geomorphological processes in mathematical terms (e.g. diffusion law) to understand and quantify landform evolution.
• Autonomous learning: develop the ability to deepen their knowledge through guided personal work (flipped learning), supported by the reading of scientific publications.
• Scientific communication: present and share their findings with peers through oral presentations and a structured synthesis report.
• Critical analysis: apply theoretical and personal knowledge to analyse a concrete case where natural processes and human pressures interact.
  
   

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Lectures (face-to-face): presentation of theoretical foundations on Earth surface dynamics and its interactions with human activities.

Personal work (equivalent to practicals): students independently deepen selected parts of the course through critical reading of scientific publications and the analysis of a concrete case. This constitutes a central component of the course.

Feedback sessions: two dedicated sessions led by the instructor allow students to discuss their progress, receive methodological guidance, and prepare their presentations.

Active restitution: each student/group delivers an oral presentation and a synthesis report integrating theoretical knowledge, scientific readings, and case study analysis.

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

Face-to-face course


Further information:

In-person teaching, use of podcasts for independent listening, student oral presentations in person.

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège


Further information:

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège


Further information:

Podcast and pwp files on MYUliege

Book:
Anderson, R. S., & Anderson, S. P. (2010). Geomorphology: the mechanics and chemistry of landscapes. Cambridge University Press.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam

Written work / report

Other : Oral presentation


Further information:

Evaluation methods:

• 50 % based on report and oral presentations (outside exam session)
  
  
• 50 % written exam during the exam session.
  
  

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Proposed Theme for 2025-2026 "Soil erosion and land degradation under global change"

This theme is both classical (soils, erosion) and highly topical, as it brings together climate change, anthropogenic pressures, societal impacts, and management approaches. The sub-themes on which students will focus are:

Climate change and soil erosion Description: Study how climate change (extreme rainfall, droughts, seasonal snowmelt) modifies hydrological erosion processes and sediment budgets.
Suggested references:

• Nearing, M. A. et al. (2004). Modeling climate change effects on soil erosion and water conservation. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 29, 1189-1204.
• Panagos, P. et al. (2017). Climate change impacts on soil erosion in Europe. Nature Climate Change, 7, 713-717.
• Borrelli, P. et al. (2020). Land use and climate change impacts on global soil erosion by water (2015-2070). PNAS, 117(36), 21994-22001.

• Montgomery, D. R. (2007). Soil erosion and agricultural sustainability. PNAS, 104(33), 13268-13272.
• Vanwalleghem, T. et al. (2017). Quantifying the anthropogenic acceleration of soil erosion during the Anthropocene. Anthropocene, 17, 13-29.
• Cerdan, O. et al. (2010). Rates and spatial variations of soil erosion in Europe: A study based on erosion plot data. Geomorphology, 122(1-2), 167-177.

• Renard, K. G. et al. (1997). Predicting soil erosion by water: The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). USDA Handbook 703.
• Panagos, P. et al. (2015). The new assessment of soil loss by water erosion in Europe. Environmental Science & Policy, 54, 438-447.
• Borrelli, P. et al. (2017). An assessment of the global impact of 21st century land use change on soil erosion. Nature Communications, 8, 2013.

• Lal, R. (2001). Soil degradation by erosion. Land Degradation & Development, 12(6), 519-539.
• Pimentel, D. & Burgess, M. (2013). Soil erosion threatens food production. Agriculture, 3(3), 443-463.
• Borrelli, P. et al. (2015). The effect of rainfall and land use change on soil erosion in Africa. Environmental Research Letters, 10, 124002.

• Montgomery, D. R. (2008). Dreams of natural streams and visions of sustainability. Science, 319(5861), 291-292.
• Panagos, P. et al. (2016). Cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion in the European Union. Advances in Agronomy, 142, 1-14.
• Kassam, A. et al. (2009). The spread of conservation agriculture: justification, sustainability and uptake. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 7(4), 292-320.

• FAO & ITPS (2015). Status of the World's Soil Resources (SWSR). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
• Montanarella, L., Pennock, D. J., McKenzie, N., et al. (2016). World's soils are under threat. SOIL, 2, 79-82.
• Keesstra, S. D. et al. (2016). Soil-related sustainable development goals: Four concepts to make land degradation neutrality and restoration work. Land, 5(3), 38.
  
  

Contacts

aurelia.ferrari@uliege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online