Mediterranean Quaternary Landscapes

GEOG30131 Mediterranean Quaternary Landscapes 20 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 3 William Fletcher Unit coordinator Jamie Woodward Unit coordinator Philip Hughes Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Last part of a Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 Aims• To appreciate the significance of the Mediterranean region for understanding the impacts of environmental change• To provide a detailed understanding of the nature, causes and impacts of Mediterranean environmental change during the Quaternary• To assess, critically, the evidence for environmental change preserved in a range of Mediterranean environments• To consider Quaternary environments and landscape dynamics in the Mediterranean region within the broader context of long-term changes in global geography  Aims• To appreciate the significance of the Mediterranean region for understanding the impacts of environmental change• To provide a detailed understanding of the nature, causes and impacts of Mediterranean environmental change during the Quaternary• To assess, critically, the evidence for environmental change preserved in a range of Mediterranean environments• To consider Quaternary environments and landscape dynamics in the Mediterranean region within the broader context of long-term changes in global geography  • To appreciate the significance of the Mediterranean region for understanding the impacts of environmental change• To provide a detailed understanding of the nature, causes and impacts of Mediterranean environmental change during the Quaternary• To assess, critically, the evidence for environmental change preserved in a range of Mediterranean environments• To consider Quaternary environments and landscape dynamics in the Mediterranean region within the broader context of long-term changes in global geography  On completion of this course students should be able to:• Critically evaluate the main ideas which seek to explain the causes of Mediterranean landscape change during the Quaternary;• Appreciate the diversity and complexity of long-term records of environmental and landscape change and their contribution to our understanding of Quaternary environments;• Understand the major linkages between long-term climate change (including abrupt climate change) and the response of ecosystems and landscapes with reference to case studies from the Mediterranean region.   Understanding context of global climate change; climate science; geomorphology; sedimentology; geological hazards; data analysis; critical thinking Knowledge from this course is directly relevant for positions at a wide range of institutions in the private and public sector, including: major sand and gravel aggregate companies; environmental consultancies; major global consultancies (in climate risk departments); in the water resources sector; the oil and mineral sector; education at a range of levels.     Course Outline (the lecture order is subject to change and the order will be confirmed early in Semester 2): - Mediterranean Quaternary Landscapes: An Introduction - The Mediterranean marine record - Explosive volcanism in the Mediterranean - Long vegetation records in the Mediterranean region- Little Ice Age and Modern Mediterranean Glaciers- Pleistocene Mediterranean Glaciations - Mass movements (landslides and rock avalanches) in the Mediterranean mountains - Pleistocene rivers in the Mediterranean- The last glacial cycle in the Mediterranean- Revision session and feedback  Teaching will comprise a weekly 2 hour lecture with a 1 hour seminar.  The course will be delivered via lectures and seminar discussions with a wide range of case studies. The style will be interactive with class discussion, consolidation sessions and revision exercises. The web pages for the Quaternary Environments and Geoarchaeology research group provide a valuable list of online resources: <a href="http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/geography/research/research-groups/qeg/">http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/geography/research/research-groups/qeg/</a>  1 Written exam 67% 2 Written assignment (inc essay) 33% Feedback will be provided in the following ways:<ul> <li> verbal feedback through discussion in lecture classes and seminars</li> <li> verbal feedback on any course unit issue through consultation hours or by appointment;</li> <li> detailed written feedback on coursework</li></ul>  Y Woodward, J.C. (2009) (Editor) The Physical Geography of the Mediterranean. Oxford, OUP. Hughes, P.D. & Woodward, J.C. (2017) (Editors) Quaternary Glaciation in the Mediterranean Mountains. Geological Society of London. Available online here: <a href="http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/433/1">http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/433/1</a>  Recommended reading will be provided for each topic via Blackboard from a range of sources including: Geology, Science, Nature, Journal of Quaternary Science, Quaternary Research, Quaternary Science Reviews, Global and Planetary Change, and others  Lectures 3 0 197