Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis In three themes, this subject provides students with understandings of important aspects of the Australian physical environment within a global environmental context. The first theme considers `late Cainozoic physical environments'. Following a brief review of tectonic processes which gave rise to present-day distributions of land and sea, the impact of past and present geomorphic processes upon desert landscapes, humid landscapes and glacial and periglacial landscapes is considered, along with the influence of humans in the area of land degradation and desertification. The second theme, `Australia's biogeographical heritage', provides a broad geographical perspective on `Australia's vegetational environments, emphasising the present distribution and diversity of community types. The final theme `Australia's atmospheric environment begins with a broad introduction to the global atmosphere, its structure and basic meterological processes. The focus then narrows to a more detailed consideration of the weather and climate of the Australian region, with particular attention to broad-scale controls on Australian weather and climate (eg the El-Nino Southern Oscillation phenomenon) and to a discussion of characteristic seasonal weather patterns.
Assessment Written (2000 words): 35% + Examinations (2 hours): 50% + Practical work: 15%