Impacts of fluvial land form evolution and global change in urban environments

Abstract

Understanding of the character of urban environments, which have been increasingly embraced by geomorphological research in the last four decades, has progressed to the way in which they are currently perceived. For fluvial geomorphology it is necessary to understand the palimpsest inherited from long-term evolution under pre-urban conditions. This includes understanding the way urban hazards arise, appreciating the diverse consequences of short-term land form changes influenced by human activity, and contemplating the nature and implications of management methods in relation to future global changes including those instigated by changed urban hazards.