Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability
Introduction and Welcome
Lecture 1
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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

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

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Introduction to the Course
• Aims
• Objectives

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• 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

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Contact Details
• Department of Geography Environment
• Rona Kennedy / Yvonne Buckingham
• David R. Green
• Room G12 (pale blue corridor)
• Tel. 2324 / 2328
• Email. d.r.green_at_abdn.ac.uk

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Course Outline
• A combination of .
• Lectures, Tutorials, Seminars, and a Field Visit
• Geography and Ecology in the Coastal ( Marine)
  Environment

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Reading 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.

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Coverage
• 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

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

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

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Attendance
• Compulsory
• Record of Attendance
• Medical Certificates (MCs)
• Hand in to Geography and Environment Office

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Guest Lecturers

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

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.
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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

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.
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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• Definitions to Provide Context
• Geography
• Coast
• Landscape
• Ecology
• Landscape Ecology
• Ecosystem
• Biodiversity
• Sustainable
• Conservation
• Management

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Coastal Ecology and Sustainability

• GeographyThe 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

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Coastal Landscapes
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Coastal Landscapes
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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..

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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

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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

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Coastal Landscapes
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• Questions?