Coastal Processes for Archaeologists

Course Overview: The course focuses on providing students of archaeology with a basic understanding of the processes effecting the coastal environment and their connection to the morphology of the beach. The course addresses such issues as waves, tides, currents and coastal construction and examines the physical and geological processes which are involved with weathering, transportation and deposition of sediment along the coasts, as well as the role of sea level fluctuations as result of climate changes.

Topics:

1. Introduction to the coastal system

2. Waves – wave theory (Airy, Stokes equations, solitary wave theory)

3. Currents – shore-normal and longshore

4. Tides, their formation and role in the coastal system

5. Sediment – types, mechanism of transport

6. The beach – definitions, seasonal changes, cross-section and map view

7. Dunes, their construction and role in beach replenishment

8. Sea level and climate change

9. Models of the coastal environment – physical, numerical and combined

10. Coastal construction – failings and challenges

11. Student lectures

At the end of the course the students will be able to understand the system and variables controlling coastal erosion/deposition as well as being able to critically assess construction plans and professional reports pertaining to the wellbeing of the coast.