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A2.2VP2 Environmental Practical 2

A2.2VP2 Environmental Practical 2. The Module. Presenters: Dr Bev Barras Mr Hugh Barras Timetable ……. Assessment. Report on coastal change exercise 40% - due Thursday of week 3. Report on soil excavation and associated labs 60% - due Thursday week 8.

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A2.2VP2 Environmental Practical 2

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  1. A2.2VP2Environmental Practical 2

  2. The Module • Presenters: Dr Bev Barras Mr Hugh Barras • Timetable ……...

  3. Assessment • Report on coastal change exercise 40% - due Thursday of week 3. • Report on soil excavation and associated labs 60% - due Thursday week 8. Submit to School Office (JM F6 School of Life Sciences) (See separate assessment sheet)

  4. Course Materials • Powerpoint lectures, handouts, module outline and assessment details • Available on the School of Life Sciences website www.sls.hw.ac.uk/ • (Link) = modules • (Link) = level 2 • Username/password = venice/venice • Module A2.2VP2 Environmental Practical 2 • Additional lab sheets will be available in practical classes

  5. Requirements on your part • Punctuality and attendance • Field notebook • Laboratory notebook (A4) • Lab coat • Pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, coloured pencils

  6. Suggested reading • White, I.D., Mottershead, D.N. and Harrison, S.J., (1992) Environmental Systems: An introductory text. Chapman & Hall, London. Chapters 11, 21 and 22 have relevant information) • A.Jones, R.Duck and J.Weyers (2000) Practical Skills in Environmental Science. Prentice Hall. (Chapters 18, 26 & 33) • Other texts may be added to this list during the course of the module.

  7. Suggested reading In particular, for tomorrow, look at the following: • Powerpoint presentations/course notes from module A2.2IE1 (Introduction to Environmental Processes) in particular: • week 6 Shallow Tidal Seas (lecture 12) and • week 7 Open Coasts - Processes; and Open Coasts - Sediments and Landforms

  8. THE END

  9. A2.2VP2Environmental Practical 2 Modern Coastal Change and Sediment Transport

  10. The Exercise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Timetable (see detailed timetable) Monday 10.15 - 17.15 and Tuesday 10.15 - 1.15 (weeks 1 & 2)

  11. Assessment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Report on coastal change exercise 40% Due: 12 noon Thursday Week 3 Submit to School Office (JM F6 School of Life Sciences)

  12. Suggested reading In particular, for tomorrow, look at the following: • Powerpoint presentations/course notes from module A2.2IE1 (Introduction to Environmental Processes) in particular: • week 6 Shallow Tidal Seas (lecture 12) and • week 7 Open Coasts - Processes; and Open Coasts - Sediments and Landforms

  13. Modern Coastal Change and Sediment Transport

  14. Introduction~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Aims • to show how environmental data can be used to predict sediment transport • The example chosen is the dredging that is required to keep open a channel across a longshore sediment transport path • to predict the requirement for sediment dredging near a platform construction yard which requires an open channel across the end of a spit into the Moray Firth • the spit is growing over time and will extend into the channel, so blocking it unless the incoming material is dredged out again • the practical problem is to estimate the so-called dredging requirement (the mass in tonnes to be removed annually) and to decide what to do with it once it has been removed

  15. The Study Area~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • The detailed study area for this exercise lies at the western end of the case study area that we will look at next term on our field trip. • It comprises a short section of coast along the Ardersier peninsula.

  16. Location of study area

  17. OS map of Ardersier-Whiteness area

  18. Background~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Along all of this coastline, at the present day there is considerable erosion and re-deposition due to wave attack. • This, combined with wave-driven longshore transport has produced a shingle/sand spit (Whiteness) with an area of tidal flats behind it. • The coastline was redeveloped in 1975 when the McDermott oil platform yard (now Barmac) was built behind the spit. • Completed structures are removed from the yard by barge, using a deep channel that must be kept open by dredging.

  19. Location of ground truth photographs

  20. Background information~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • This spit is formed from shingle and sand • that has been transported ??? in which direction? • by wave action • from storms ??? winds from which direction? • not necessarily the dominant wind direction • direction that the Moray Firth is most open to waves • The spit has built up in a succession of stages, each of which is recorded by a curved shingle and sand ridge.

  21. Background information~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Successive aerial photos (1946 & 1988) show that these have extended westwards at a rate of around ___??____m per year over the past 42 years. • Evidence of earlier maps suggests that this rate has been maintained over a historical period of around 200 years: the earlier history of the spit (which may show cyclic growth and decay) is unclear. • At the present time the area behind the spit is used as a steel construction yard and the further growth of the spit has been arrested by dredging.

  22. The Practical Class ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Identify the general pattern of coastal change in this area. • Estimate the historical rate of longshore sediment movement based on changes in the coastline over the period 1946-88. • Make an independent estimate of the theoretical rate of sediment movement along the coast. • Compare your two sets of results. • Estimate the dredging required annually to keep the channel into the yard from silting up.

  23. The Practical Class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • You will be using two very different types of data and it instructive to compare the results obtained from them, since the methods you use in the two cases are also very different • On the one hand, the series of aerial photographs [taken at different scales and on different dates] gives an actual history of visible change • On the other hand Meteorological Office weather data can be used to calculate the theoretical rate of sediment transport along the coast by estimating first the wave climate and then the sediment movement.

  24. The Practical Class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • In addition to these data, there are OS maps and Admiralty charts that provide additional information about the configuration of the coastline, both above and below sea-level. • Some assumptions and approximations need to be made but valid answers can be obtained. • One of the main purposes of this exercise is to ask you to think about these assumptions and to try to explain why the two methods may give different values.

  25. Exercise Materials~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Aerial photographs (1946 and 1988) • OS maps • Admiralty charts • Don’t forget to reference these in the text of your report and in the reference list at the end. See feedback sheet from Term 1 module A2.2NP1 for referencing conventions. • Wave height chart and wind strength data

  26. Exercise Materials~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Instructions to help you calculate sediment volumes

  27. 1.5m a HWST Tidal range h h LWST b 1.5m = the average height of the spit above HWST. This was measured in the field. h = the tidal range. i.e. the difference between HWST and LWST at McDermott yard (see table at bottom of Admiralty Chart) a = average width of spit at HWST. Take a number of measurements along the spit from OS Map or chart and calculate average. b = average width of spit at LWST. Area of trapezium = 1/2 (a + b) h

  28. The Practical Class - how to proceed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • In summary, there are three separate aspects that you will need to consider: 1. Historical estimates based on aerial photographs 2. Theoretical estimates based on environmental data 3. Discussion on comparison between results from 1 & 2 above, identification of the dredging requirement and suggestions (and discussion of the implications env. Impact) on what to do with the dredged material.

  29. The Practical Class - how to proceed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ • Next • read the Env. Processes module lectures (as specified earlier) • read the instruction sheet • get started • don’t panic! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  30. THE END

  31. 1.5m a HWST Tidal range h h LWST b 1.5m = the average height of the spit above HWST. This was measured in the field. h = the tidal range. i.e. the difference between HWST and LWST at McDermott yard (see table at bottom of Admiralty Chart) a = average width of spit at HWST. Take a number of measurements along the spit from OS Map or chart and calculate average. b = average width of spit at LWST. Area of trapezium = 1/2 (a + b) h

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