ENVS2266 - Earth Surface Processes Assessment
- Subject Code :
ENVS2266
- Country :
Australia
Introduction
‘River recovery’ occurs in different ways in river systems with different valley settings, flood regimes, and human disturbance histories.
Your task is to review key literature describing river recovery in coastal rivers of NSW, and to link this to published accounts of channel and floodplain change in the lower Macdonald River valley. Inclusion of a hydrology record, your own geomorphic maps, and analysis and interpretation of topography and geomorphic units should help you tell a story for the Macdonald River.
Research question
In your individual report, you are required to provide written results and discussion supported by diagrams and tables derived from your desktop research to answer the following question:
“Has river recovery occurred in the lower Macdonald River valley in the last 50 years and, if so, is this type of recovery common in coastal rivers of eastern Australia?”
In answering this question, you should provide information on the following:
- Broadly, the historical anthropogenic factors and environmental conditions that precipitated fluvial change in the Macdonald River valley and other similar systems prior to and during the 1950s.
- Evidence of channel adjustment and change in the Macdonald River (e.g. channel size, shape, alignment, and geomorphic units in the reach near ‘Happy Apple’) due to flooding in the 1950s.
- Evidence of river recovery in the Macdonald River since the 1950s, including descriptions of the main geomorphic forms and processes.
General format and assessment criteria
This report is based on your own research and reading on the topic, as well as mapping and analysis undertaken during your practical classes. You will develop your own maps and topographic diagrams to support your assignment and you will answer the research question in the report, placing your findings and discussion points within a context revealed by your readings. The report should have a high standard of presentation (clarity and accuracy, not necessarily ‘pretty’), with maps, graphs and tables (as appropriate) and scientific citations and referencing.
The following general assessment criteria applies to Report 2:
| Developing | Functional | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lacks a clear explanation of research question; lacks a competent literature review; maps and results may not be presented completely or accurately and may not support argument; arguments lack support from suitable literature. | Able to explain the research question clearly; includes a competent (basic) literature review; maps and results are presented completely or accurately and support argument; arguments are supported by references to suitable literature. | As for Functional level but with greater insight into question; detailed literature review, excellent maps and results and discussion. Includes acknowledgement and/or discussion of limitations of available data and/or literature and/or interpretations. | As for Proficient but with a high degree of originality in approach and/or discussion of literature and core concepts. |
Literature review
You should survey peer-reviewed literature to develop an understanding of the previous research in the Macdonald River valley, and in other similar coastal rivers in eastern Australia. Focus on aspects of river recovery, but also consider different valley settings, flood regimes, and human disturbance histories and how they interact and/or affect river recovery. We expect wider reading than the papers we have provided, with appropriate citations in the introduction and discussion. Include in-text citations and a full reference list.
Data, methods and results
You are provided with essential GIS data for the Macdonald River, and you will create your own maps and derive topographic profiles using the GIS data. You should summaries the research approach and steps required (i.e. methods) to create your results. Your main results and discussion should be based on analysis of the following:
- GIS spatial data provided by us (e.g. imagery, DEM, etc.) and geomorphic maps created by you (i.e. catchment, geomorphic units, historical change, etc.).
- Hydrology data provided by us (i.e. discharge at St. Albans 1904-1973) and plotted by you.
- Topographic data extracted from the DEM and plotted by you (i.e. cross-sections and longitudinal profiles).
- River evolution diagram created by you.
Based on these data, your report should include:
- A lower catchment and reach location map (Figure 1).
- A hydrograph for the Macdonald River at St. Albans (Figure 2).
- Geomorphic maps of the reach near ‘Happy Apple’ for 1954 and 2009 (Figures 3a and 3b).
- Measurement and analysis (i.e. derivation of key metrics) of historical channel change at ‘Happy Apple’ (Table 1).
- Cross-section and/or longitudinal profile data processed and fully labelled with geomorphic features (Figure 4).
- Other results tables, graphs, photographs or figures that you feel add to your interpretation and explanation.
All figures (i.e. maps, graphs, photos, etc.) and tables must be explained and referred to in the text before being presented in the report and should be accompanied by informative captions so they can be read and understood without reading the text. Figures and tables should be presented clearly and accurately and should contain appropriate labels, when necessary. Do not include unmodified figures from published papers or other reports in your assignment. Do not include appendices of any sort (they will not be considered). All relevant data and information should appear in the main body of your report.
Sections of the report
You should develop and write your report to address the three research questions and major findings from your research. You should ensure coherence of the report using sections and headings/subheadings. You should use evidence-based scientific language, construct effective paragraphs and present text before figures and/or tables! A high-quality report will have evidence of collection of quality original data, original use and synthesis of data from the literature, clear and concise scientific language, and evidence-based writing.
As a guide, you should use 11 pt Times New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing and 2 cm page margins. Your report should include the following sections (14 pages total):
Page 1: Title – A report title, your name and student ID.
Pages 2-4: Introduction – An overview of the report topic, including a literature review, a summary of the major knowledge gaps, the research questions, and the specific aims of the report.
Pages 5-6: Regional Setting and Methods – Details of the Macdonald River research area (including a lower catchment/reach map and hydrology record) and the research approach, including desktop techniques. Enough information should be given for the reader to be able to replicate the research.
Pages 7-9: Results – Details of the major findings, including figures (i.e. Happy Apple maps and graphs) and/or tables to support the text. The results should be presented as factually as possible, without lengthy interpretation or discussion.
Pages 10-12: Discussion – Interpretation of the results, and discussion of what they mean in the context of literature on the topic (i.e. including elsewhere in eastern Australia) with further figures (i.e. conceptual diagram) and/or tables as appropriate.
