Handbook

Australia has a very long coastline and more than 85% of our population is living along the coast. The coastal zone, where the land, sea and atmosphere meet, plays a fundamental role in human settlement, activity and development physically and economically. This course provides an introduction to coastal geography, which examines the development and evolution of coastal landforms and the processes which create and modify the coast. It deals with three components: coastal oceanography, sediment transport dynamics, and landform features. Special emphasis is given to the interaction and feedbacks between these three components plus human activities. Finally this course considers the response of the coastal zone to contemporary climate and sea-level changes and socio-economic development.