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 (Practical excecices): students independently deepen selected parts with the selection of an important present-day topics and sub-topics to be treated by group of 2 people. 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 on the project

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:

• 40 % based on report and oral presentations (outside exam session)
  
  
• 60 % written exam during the exam session.
  
  

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

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Contacts

aurelia.ferrari@uliege.be

Association of one or more MOOCs

Items online