Coastal Ecology and Sustainability Introduction and Welcome Lecture 1

Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

Introduction and Welcome

Lecture 1


• Introduction• Course Outline• Reading Materials• Assignments• Attendance• Guest Lecturers• Definitions• Context


• Introduction to the Course

• Aims

• Objectives


Introduction

• Code: MR2505• Title: Coastal Ecology

and Sustainability• Place: Geography G3• Time: 12.00-14.00• Day: Thursday• Weeks: 1-6 7-8 9-12


Contact Details

• Department of Geography & Environment

• Rona Kennedy / Yvonne Buckingham

• David R. Green• Room G12 (pale blue corridor)• Tel. 2324 / 2328• Email. [email protected]


Course Outline

• A combination of ….• Lectures, Tutorials,

Seminars, and a Field Visit

• Geography and Ecology in the Coastal (& Marine) Environment

Coastal Ecology and SustainabilityReading Materials• Books, Journals, Magazines &

Internet• Some examples are:• Doody, J.P., 2001. Coastal Conservation and

Management: An Ecological Perspective. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

• Fish, J.D., and Fish, S., 1996. A Students Guide to the Seashore. Cambridge University Press.

• Gibson, R., Hextall, B., and Rogers, A., 2001. Photographic Guide to the Sea & Shore Life of Britain & North-west Europe. Oxford University Press.

• Raffaelli, D., and Hawkins, S., 1996. Intertidal Ecology. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

• Little, C., 2000. The Biology of Soft Shores and Estuaries. Oxford University Press.

• Little, C., and Kitching, J.A., 2000. The Biology of Rocky Shores. Oxford University Press.

Coastal Ecology and SustainabilityCoverage

Context

• Definitions• Geography, Coastal Zone, Coastal Ecosystems• Wind, Waves, Tides and Currents

Physical Aspects

• Rocky Shores• Sandy Shores• Estuarine Environments• Saltmarshes

• Issues

• Coastal Management• Coastal Conservation• Biodiversity• Marine Protected Areas

Data, Information, Tools

• Environmental Data Sources• Survey, Monitoring, Mapping and Modelling• Information Systems


Assignments

• Two (2)• Comprising

• (1) Module Paper• (2) Project Report• (3) Duly Completed Work


Attendance

• Compulsory• Record of Attendance• Medical Certificates

(MCs)• Hand in to Geography

and Environment Office


Guest Lecturers


Coastal Ecology examines the ecological processes interface between land and sea in order to understand how human perturbations impact both marine and terrestrial systems. The watershed concept can be used to explore nutrient flow, energy cycling, coastal circulation, productivity and biotic interactions. Provides the basis for resource managers to move toward ecologically sound and sustainable decisions. Fieldwork involves techniques of surveying, monitoring and the study of biotic interactions in a complex physical/chemical milieu.


Coastal ecologists have extensive experience in both pelagic and benthic systems from estuaries and inlets to the open expanses on continental shelves. Their research ranges from uncovering and modeling fundamental processes to developing and implementing scientifically validated management practices and restoration techniques to maintain or improve the health of coastal ecosystems. Significant progress has been made in understanding and modeling scale-effects in coastal systems, predicting how changes in sediment regime affect the composition and function of estuaries and inlets, determining how coastal fish populations are affected by changes in nearshore habitats, and modeling how coastal reef ecosystems and their fisheries respond to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Novel environmental performance indicators and effective fisheries management practices and tools have been developed to sustain both productive fisheries and healthy and diverse coastal environments. Work on the sustainability and enhancement of cultured and wild shellfisheries has resulted in highly sophisticated models of primary production and coastal hydrodynamics being used to estimate sustainable levels of shellfish production and harvest.

Coastal Ecology and SustainabilityDefinitions to Provide Context

• Geography• Coast

• Landscape• Ecology• Landscape Ecology• Ecosystem• Biodiversity• Sustainable

• Conservation• Management


•Geography:The study of the earth and its features and of the distribution of life on the earth, including human life and the effects of human activity.

•Coast:: Land next to the sea; the seashore.

•Landscape: An expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view

•Ecology: The science of the relationships between organisms and their environments.

•Landscape Ecology: Causes and consequences of spatial heterogeneity and pattern: how to characterize it, where it comes from, how it changes through time, and why this matters:

• Ecosystem: An ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit.

•Biodiversity: The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.

•Sustainable: To keep in existence; maintain.

•Conservation: The protection, preservation, management, or restoration of wildlife and of natural resources such as forests, soil, and water.

•Management: The act, manner, or practice of managing; handling, supervision, or control

Coastal Landscapes

Coastal Landscapes

Defining the Coastal Zone

• Land and sea perspective• Marine Biologist: sea and all

the areas covered by tide• Coastal Ecologist: landward

to the limits of tidal movement or influence of salt spray on soils and vegetation

• Coastal Geomorphologist: area in which agents of erosion and deposition

• Many others…..

Defining the Coastal Zone• Or all of these….• Tidal areas (mudflats,

sandflats, saltmarshes, brackish marsh, swamps, and salt influenced grasslands)

• Rocky shores, shingle beaches and cliffs subject to salt spray

• Terrestrial habitats include sand dunes and shingle structures derived from marine processes

• Estuaries, deltas and lagoons• Excluded are the sub-tidal

waters, plant and animal communities

Coastal Landscapes• Classification into hard and soft• Hard rock (high and low relief)• Steep cliffs, rocky shores, small

embayments, pocket dunes, and deep clear offshore marine waters

• Soft landscapes include soft rock cliffs and sedimentary habitats (discussed later)

• The latter include intertidal mud and sandflats, saltmarshes, coastal wetlands and sand dunes

• Tidal movement, wave energy and river discharge all influence the nature of the sedimentary system

• Two regimes: meso- macro-tidal and micro- meso-tidal

• Estuarine and barrier island coastal plains

• Deltaic coastal plains

Coastal Landscapes

• Questions? ?

Documents

Coastal Ecology and Sustainability Introduction and Welcome Lecture 1