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Hello Folks,
Welcome to Fluvial Geomorphology Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.). My name is Joe Wheaton (Links to an external site.) I am your instructor on this course.
I am a professor here in the Department of Watershed Sciences and I have been a fluvial geomorphologist since 2000. I have a background in civil engineering consulting (late 1990s), but my BS and MS degrees are in Hydrology and my doctorate is in Physical Geography (focused on fluvial geomorphology). I got into fluvial geomorphology as I was fascinated by rivers and watersheds, and didn't realize when I was an engineer that one could make a career out of studying rivers (and kayaking).
This is the third year I am teaching this revamped Fluvial Geomorphology course at USU solo. For decades, my colleague and friend Professor Jack Schmidt Links to an external site. (a renowned fluvial geomorphologist) taught Fluvial Geomorphogy at Utah State University as a 5 credit, field intensive course. The course was notorious for its workload, really challenging but awesome labs, and wonderful Jack stories. If you go on in this field, when you meet USU alumni many reminisce nostalgically about one of their most difficult and valuable experiences at USU - taking Fluvial from Jack. Jack left to run the Grand Canyon Monitoring Research Center for five years and when he got back, Jack and I co-taught a few versions of the class, but with more of a focus on graduate students as the audience and more focus on geomorphic change detection Links to an external site. and channel change from both our research areas. Jack has now retired. Moreover, the purpose and audience for the class have been revised. As such, I will be teaching Fluvial for the foreseeable future.
The new target audience is mixed, and will typically include a mix of:
- undergraduates from Watershed Sciences (Management and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems and/or Fisheries majors), taking Fluvial as an elective and follow up to GEO/WATS 3600 Geomorphology
- undergraduates from Earth Sciences (geology majors) taking Fluvial as an elective and follow up to GEO/WATS 3600 Geomorphology
- graduates from Watershed Sciences:
- 4+1 Management and Restoration of Ecosystems students
- MS/PhD students with a physical focus looking who have not taken a fluvial geomorphology class
- MS/PhD with an ecology focus looking for exposure to what shapes aquatic and riparian habitats in riverscapes
- graduate students from Geology and Civil Engineering seeking an introductory fluvial geomorphology class
- Professionals wanting to get an introductory course in fluvial geomorphology remotely or in person (CEUs for CEWA 6150)
In this class, we will focus on building your skills and confidence in reading landscapes with a particular focus on riverscapes. You will learn how to look at any riverscape and be able to map and interpret its character and form, while making informed inferences about its behavior and the processes shaping it. I have decided to organize the class around a textbook Links to an external site. my dear friends and collaborators, Kirstie Fryirs Links to an external site. and Gary Brierley Links to an external site. wrote. There are dozens of fluvial geomorphology text books out there, but I really like the conceptual clarity that Kirstie and Gary organize the book around. More traditional fluvial texts authored over the past 30 years struggle with physics-envy and a desperate need to show outsiders that they are quantitative by couching everything in simple physical conservation laws (conservation of mass, energy and momentum) and simple force balances. However elegant these derivations can be for those with a basic physics mechanics (e.g. statics and dynamics) background as well as some differential calculus, this very reductionist focus overlooks some more fundamental concepts on how fluvial systems are organized and operate. Moreover, such traditional treatments of fluvial inevitably focus heavily on understanding the hydrology and hydraulics (open channel flow) in grossly simplified ways that then set up a rather narrow range of analyses (e.g. sediment entrainment and transport analyses), which also have rather limited utility across the full spectrum of rivers you will encounter in the real world. There are more detailed courses and treatments of all of these topics available here at USU and we will highlight those during this course in case you wish to chase down those loose ends. Our focus will be on building a solid conceptual understanding of fluvial systems supported by quantitative analyses largely rooted in mapping, geospatial analysis and fieldwork. This foundation will then equip you to do more advanced analyses and use the plethora of emerging tools and technologies with an actual understanding of how to interpret such outputs.
Riverscapes are some of the most inspiring and amazing places on earth. I want to help you better understand and appreciate their nuances and be able to study, manage, protect and/or restore them in your future careers. The pandemic will present us some challenges in terms of the most effective ways to learn this material. We will do our best with virtual and self-led field trips, and I will encourage you to get out and see the amazing riverscapes that dissect this landscape we live in around Cache Valley I really want to see you succeed, not just in this courses, but in your careers. Please read all the getting started information below, and post any questions you have to the course discussion boards.
Cheers,
Joe Wheaton (Instructor)
Joseph M. Wheaton, Ph.D.
435-554-1247 | joe.wheaton@usu.edu | joewheaton.org (Links to an external site.)
Department of Watershed Sciences
5210 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322
Now, please follow the steps below to continue your orientation to this course.
Step 1: Read the course syllabus and course schedule
The course syllabus Links to an external site. will provide you with the course schedule, course objectives, explanations of assignments and assessments, grading policies, and instructor contact information. Please read it carefully. You should have a deep familiarity with the schedule and process of the course.
Step 2: Purchase your textbooks
Your textbook is:
Links to an external site.Fryirs KA, Brierley GA. 2013. Geomorphic Analysis of River Systems: An Approach to Reading the Landscape Links to an external site., First Edition. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.: Chichester, U.K
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The book is moderately priced and a great reference for you to have. Our library does provide free digital access to the entire book Links to an external site., so if you prefer to just look at digital or PDF versions of the chapters for free, you can.
Step 3: Library information and student support
Visit the library website Links to an external site. to learn what services are provided for online students. Links to an external site.
Step 4: Read the technical requirements page
The Technical Requirements page identifies the browsers, operating systems, and plugins that work best with Canvas. If you are new to Canvas quickly review the Canvas Student Orientation Links to an external site. materials. If you need technical assistance, you can find guides and contact information under the question mark icon in the main Canvas toolbar.
Step 5: Read about academic integrity and netiquette
All students at Utah State University agree on admission to abide by the university Honor Code. Please review this Academic Integrity tutorial to familiarize yourself with USU policies and procedures pertaining to the USU honor code. This tutorial links to an additional, in-depth review on how to avoid plagiarism and cite sources, which you are strongly encouraged to review. Also, please review the core rules of netiquette Links to an external site. for some guidelines and expectations on how to behave in an online learning environment.