CVEN 9640: Coastal Hazard Line Mapping Template Assessment 2

Recommendations to the Client Written Brief 

To be Submitted in Moodle as a single PDF document. The document should be no more than 3 pages in length.

Combine all your knowledge of the 100yr ARI design storm erosion (Part 2), long-term recession/accretion rate (Part 3) and SLR recession (Part 4) at PF4 to provide your client advice on where the present (2025), 2050 and 2100 Coastal Erosion Hazard Lines should be at this location. 

Notes:
1. You may adjust the size of each section in this template to include your figures, calculations and comments/discussion (and remove this text when completed).
2. When you are ready to submit, don’t forget to first convert this document to a single pdf before uploading through Turnitin in Moodle.

Any additional appendices can be included here, appropriately labelled.

Please ensure that you present all your answers in the respective section of the template. Any additional appendices (if you feel you really need to include them) should only be used for background information, or a place to document your intermediate calculations (e.g. a screenshot of a spreadsheet you might have set up to assist you to make some calculations) and must NOT be used to present any results, figures or comments/discussion. The Marker will ONLY be looking at the figures, calculations and discussion in the template section, so please keep this in mind.

• 1) Calculate and explain how you have determined the location of each of these three hazard lines (2025, 2050, 2100). This should include representative equations for EACH of the hazard lines and indicate what of the above components you considered and WHY. Provide your answer as x = so that is relative to the x-axis in your storm demand plots. (this should be no more than 1 page)
• 2) Indicate these three hazard lines on an aerial image (e.g. using a screenshot of Google Earth or other GIS software) in the area of interest. This should be done on 1 (one) clearly labelled figure that takes up about ½ of a page. 
• 3) Briefly discuss two limitations of the methodology you have used to establish these hazard lines. (2-3 sentences)
• 4)Briefly discuss any limitations from the SBeach modelling done in class as part of the demonstration. How well did the model calibrate to the training data done in the workshop? How confident are you in your Storm-demand results? (2-3 sentences)
• 5)Considering the 2 methods used to determine long term recession at this beach. How similar were they? Which did you choose to use in your hazard calculations and justify why? (2-3 sentences)
• 6)Consider the Nielsen et al., 1992 paper and the description of the various coastal hazard zone provided, including the ‘zone of slope adjustment’, and ‘zone of reduced foundation capacity’. Provide 1 sentence for your justification for each of the 3 options (total 3 sentences). In words, answer the following:
• a) if you were building a temporary structure, such as lifeguard tower, what landward extent would you choose to represent your storm demand? Why?
• b) Would your decision change if this was a house on piles? Why?
• c) Or for the proposed development described above? Why?
• 7)Based on the methods you used above in (1) and your answer to (6) along with the building type being planned, have you included all the necessary setback distances? Why/Why not? 
• 8)The proposed developer has determined that your company is doing the hazard line assessment for local council and has asked you to reconsider your estimates – they are too conservative in their mind and will mean they can’t maximize their profits as they would like to. Referring to the Engineers Australia code ofethics; what should you do, and why? Refer to at least 3 of the dot points in the ethics document as part of your reasoning.

Brief of Assessment Requirements 

Purpose: Combine results from the 100-yr ARI design-storm erosion (Part 2), long-term recession/accretion rate (Part 3), and sea-level-rise (SLR) recession (Part 4) at profile PF4 to produce professional recommendations for the Coastal Erosion Hazard Lines for 2025 (present), 2050, and 2100. Deliverable is a single PDF no more than 3 pages (plus optional appendices), submitted via Moodle/Turnitin.

Key requirements to cover (must appear in the template sections):

• Short, clear explanation of how each hazard line (2025, 2050, 2100) was calculated — present representative equations and state which components were considered and why. Provide results as x = … relative to the x-axis on the storm-demand plots. (≤ 1 page)

• One labelled aerial figure showing all three hazard lines at PF4 (about ½ page).

• Two brief limitations of the methodology (2–3 sentences).

• Two brief limitations and calibration commentary on the SBeach modelling performed in the workshop (2–3 sentences) — calibration quality and confidence in storm-demand results.

• Brief comparison of the two long-term recession methods used for this beach; state which was chosen for hazard calculations and justify (2–3 sentences).

• Three one-sentence justifications (Nielsen et al., 1992 hazard zones): for (a) temporary structure (lifeguard tower), (b) house on piles, and (c) proposed development.

• Confirmation whether all necessary setback distances were included and why/why not (short).

• Ethical response when a developer pressures you to reduce conservative estimates — reference Engineers Australia Code of Ethics (identify ≥ 3 relevant principles/dot points and explain action).

Formatting & submission notes:

• Place figures, calculations and discussion inside the template sections — markers will only look there.

• Appendices allowed only for background or intermediate calculations (not for presenting results).

• Convert to a single PDF before submission.

Mentor-Guided Approach 

Below is the stepwise approach the academic mentor used to guide the student through each part of the assessment, including the reasoning that produced the final 3-page submission.

1. Clarify objectives & data (initial briefing)

• Mentor action: Reviewed the assessment brief and data available for PF4 (storm demand plots, SBeach outputs, historical shoreline rates, SLR scenarios).

• Student task: Compile relevant inputs: 100-yr ARI erosion estimate, long-term recession rates from both methods, SLR increments for 2050 and 2100.

• Outcome: Clear mapping of which numbers feed each hazard line calculation.

2. Construct representative equations (Requirement 1)

• Mentor action: Showed the general equation formats used in class and how to combine components:

• Student task: Populate these forms with PF4 numbers and explicitly report x = … relative to the storm-demand x-axis.

• Outcome: Concise, one-page explanation with the representative equations and numeric x answers.

3. Prepare the aerial figure (Requirement 2)

• Mentor action: Demonstrated best practices for creating a clear aerial overlay (Google Earth/GIS screenshot, consistent scale, legend, north arrow, labels for 2025/2050/2100).

• Student task: Produce one high-resolution labelled figure showing all three lines and location markers for PF4.

• Outcome: Single figure occupying about half a page in the template.

4. Document limitations (Requirements 3–5)

• Mentor action: Discussed common methodological limitations (e.g., uncertainty in wave climate projections, SLR sensitivity factors, extrapolation of recession rates; SBeach simplifications and calibration constraints).

• Student task: Write concise 2–3 sentence bullets for methodology limitations and SBeach calibration confidence; compare the two long-term methods and justify the chosen one.

• Outcome: Crisp, balanced limitations and selection rationale placed in template.

5. Apply Nielsen et al. hazard zone logic (Requirement 6)

• Mentor action: Reviewed Nielsen et al. (1992) zones and mapped practical choices to building types.

• Student task: Write three single-sentence justifications for the landward extent of storm demand for each structure type.

• Outcome: Short, defensible statements that feed into setbacks.

6. Check setbacks and produce compliance statement 

• Mentor action: Advised on translating hazard lines into setback distances given the planned building type and on stating whether additional buffer distances were considered (e.g., factor of safety).

• Student task: State whether all necessary setbacks were included and justify.

• Outcome: Explicit statement in template.

7. Ethical considerations & final statement (Requirement 8)

• Mentor action: Walked through Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and highlighted relevant points: (1) priority of public safety and wellbeing, (2) honesty and integrity in reporting, (3) professional accountability and competence. Explained how to respond when a client requests less-conservative estimates.

• Student task: Draft a short paragraph referencing at least three code points and the professional action to take (refuse to alter results unscientifically; document rationale; seek peer review if needed).

• Outcome: Ethical justification included in the template.

8. Review, condense, and produce final PDF

• Mentor action: Performed iterative reviews to ensure the final document fit the 3-page limit and that figures/equations were clear and correctly labelled.

• Student task: Final edits for clarity, brevity and formatting; convert to PDF and submit.

• Outcome: A compliant, concise 3-page submission with appendices (if used) kept strictly to background material.

Final outcome & learning objectives achieved

Final outcome: A single, professionally formatted PDF (≤ 3 pages) containing:

• Representative equations and numeric x = … hazard line locations for 2025, 2050 and 2100;

• One aerial map with all three lines;

• Short, clear limitations, SBeach calibration commentary, comparison of long-term recession methods, Nielsen-zone justifications, setback confirmation, and an ethics paragraph tied to Engineers Australia Code of Ethics.

Learning objectives covered

1. Integrate storm-demand, long-term recession and SLR components into defensible hazard line calculations.

2. Translate modelling outputs and empirical rates into practical, spatially referenced hazard lines on aerial maps.

3. Critically evaluate model limitations, calibration quality and uncertainty.

4. Apply coastal hazard zone theory (Nielsen et al., 1992) to engineering decisions for different building types.

5. Communicate technical results concisely for clients and regulators within strict page limits.

6. Demonstrate professional and ethical decision-making in response to client pressure, referencing Engineers Australia professional standards.

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