Blog
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND TEACHING—THE NEXUS IS IT BROKEN?
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND TEACHING—THE NEXUS IS IT BROKEN? Emphasis in higher education funding overlooks the fundamental nexus between teaching and research. Academics are driven by their training and inclination to pursue research questions. This is where they receive...
Sandy beach morphodynamics – a new book
Sandy beach morphodynamics - a new book It is a delight to see a new book that so comprehensively covers the field of beach morphodynamics. Derek Jackson and Andy Short have edited 29 chapters on this topic: Sandy Beach Morphodynamics, Elsevier, Amstersdam,2020,...
Cliffs in the Narrabeen Group, Sydney
Cliffs in the Narrabeen Group, Sydney Cliffs form a magnificent front door for Sydney. A previous blog discussed those cut into Hawkesbury Sandstone to the south of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Here we describe those carved into an older set of Triassic age rocks,...
PROGNOSIS FOR A CHOKING MOUTH: THE RIVER MURRAY
PROGNOSIS FOR A CHOKING MOUTH: THE RIVER MURRAY Some of the world’s major rivers no longer flow to the ocean. They begin to die from the mouth upwards. Extraction of river water for irrigation has dramatically affected the Colorado in the USA, and the Yellow River in...
Geomorphologic Mapping
Geomorphologic Mapping Self-isolation has benefits; time is available to look at collected materials stretching back many years. In the words of the late lamented John Chappell, “I went digging deep into one’s stratigraphy”. It is a time of re-discovery, finding...
DOVER HEIGHTS CLIFFS, SYDNEY
DOVER HEIGHTS CLIFFS, SYDNEY Approaching Sydney from the east by sea or by air offers an experience rare for those entering a great city. Perhaps only San Francisco has comparable cliffs at its harbour gates. The majestic North and South Heads flank the entrance to...
Recent Coastal Legal Cases
Recent Coastal Legal Cases There have several recent court cases that relate to coastal management. We should be aware that decisions by courts can form a basis for future planning and actions in coastal management. While the legal process can be very time-consuming...
CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE—THE CURRENT CRISIS
CHALLENGE AND RESPONSE—THE CURRENT CRISIS Back in my undergraduate days, I was briefly fascinated by the work of a famous historian; well famous enough to get on the cover page of TIME magazine in the 1940s. His name is Arnold Toynbee. Over several decades he wrote a...
Recent papers in the journal Nature
Recent papers in the journal Nature Despite all the crises we currently face, the media has found space to highlight two papers published in NATURE in recent weeks that relate to the future of coastal conditions, in particular beaches. The first paper is concerned...
HOLOCENE SEA LEVELS AND COASTAL EVOLUTION
HOLOCENE SEA LEVELS AND COASTAL EVOLUTION I have long been interested in trying to unravel the driving forces that underpin the geomorphological and sedimentary record of coastal deposits. This has involved the study of sand barrier, river delta and coral reef...
Brian Caton ‘a coastal legend’- RIP 9 February 2020
Brian Caton ‘a coastal legend’- RIP 9 February 2020 A number of ACS members in Adelaide recently attended a wake for Brian Caton. Our condolences to Angela and his family. Brian’s wake had many ‘coastal’ people, representing a mark of respect and appreciation for...
NATIONAL COASTAL ADAPTATION AGENDA 2010: A RETROSPECTIVE
NATIONAL COASTAL ADAPTATION AGENDA 2010: A RETROSPECTIVE It is hard to believe that only 10 years ago on 18 February, 2010, around 180 coastal wonks gathered in Adelaide to discuss “developing a national coastal adaptation agenda”. It was a Forum sponsored by the then...