Interplay of Landscape, Tectonics and Climate Change in the Mediterranean context

CIVIS focus area: Climate, environment and energy
Open to: Bachelor's

Master's

PhD candidates/ students
Field of studies: Environmental sciences, Urbanism, Geography
Type: Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
Course dates: 20 May - 20 July 2025

The BIP is hosted by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The physical activities of the BIP will be field based, training students on climate change effects on Mediterranean tectonically active landscape, including:

geomorphic processes connecting tectonic, coastal, karstic landscape,
geomorphological risks in coastal zone such as storm flood, landslides, coastal erosion,
nature based solutions (NBS),
sea level rise,
adaptation and mitigation strategies

and will also address human-induced impacts. Additionally, students will be introduced to various methods and techniques which will increase their skills.

The BIP will be focused on field activities and new field methods and techniques. In this way, students will be trained more fully, will be exposed to the academic and cultural experience of different universities and countries, will learn new techniques and will acquire more qualifications for the job market.

The virtual part of the BIP will combine online pre-recorded lectures and activities with online instructor-led discussions. The virtual component will give students both the theoretical background about this course, but also will introduce them, virtually, to the study area of the physical mobility.

The 5-day field part will be held on the island of Kefalonia in Ionian Sea, Greece. The entire area is already affected by climate change, which is obvious from the climate change driven hazards such as the flash flood events, landslides and coastal erosion. The area is also affected by earthquakes and tectonic has played a crucial role to the landscape.

The anthropogenic pressures because of the increase of the touristic activity together with the climate crisis play an important role in the environment. The active geomorphology, the processes including tectonics are amazingly self-explanatory and is a unique example for our students to better understand the landscape evolution and the effect of climate change to landscape response.

The area also gives an excellent opportunity for discussions about adaptation and mitigation strategies and Nature based solutions. Finally, the important karstification of the island together with the coastal lakes will offer a unique opportunity to understand this kind of landscapes and establish discussions about karstic processes and hydrology.

Main topics addressed

Understanding climate change and landscape evolution in the Mediterranean context
Understanding how climate change is affecting the landscape
Climate change triggered hazards
Tectonic triggered hazards
Climate changes from the north to the south of Europe
Coastal, Karstic and tectonically affected landscapes

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, the students:

will be able to understand climate change and landscape evolution in the Mediterranean context;
will be able to understand how climate change is affecting the landscape;
familiarize with climate change triggered hazards;
will be familiarized with tectonic triggered hazards;
will have known climate changes from the north to the south of Europe;
will have trained on coastal landscape topics;
will have trained on karstic landscapes;
will have trained on tectonically affected landscapes;
will have gained new competences on coastal geomorphological methods and techniques.

Dates: 20 May - 20 July 2025	Total workload: 179 hours
Format: Blended	ECTS: 6*
Location: Cephalonia, Ionian Sea, Greece	Language: English
Contact: evelpidou@geol.uoa.gr, Prof. Niki Evelpidou

*Recognition of ECTS depends on your home university.

Physical mobility

The physical mobility part will be running from 30 June to 4 July 2025 in Cephalonia, Ionian Sea, Greece, and will be divided into two main parts: field activities and the laboratory activities.

The list below indicates the main subjects that will be discussed and the main activities in the field and in the lab:

karstic landscape, recognition, understanding, methods and techniques used in this type of landscapes.
tectonically affected landscape and recognition of tectonic features in the field
coastal erosion and methods
coastal evolution, coastal processes - mapping and sampling
coastal geomorphological mapping using GIS tools
future of lagoons
palaeogeographical evolution/ reconstruction
protection of coastal vulnerable environments
vulnerability
aerial photography-aerial photogrammetry
analysing coastline changes/ dynamics based on RTK -GNSS measurements
analysing data collected in the field
cross section development
mapping coastline
RTK cross sections
core sampling

Some of the tools/ methods the students will use are: ArcGIS Field Maps, Core analysis, Drone, Photogrammetry, GIS, MIKE or other software, Numerical simulation/ wave propagation, RTK-GNSS, Morphological Mapping, OSL Sampling, ROV.

Virtual part

Τhe virtual component will run between 20 May - 20 July 2025 and will be preparatory to set the basis to better understand the physical part. It will introduce students to the theoretical background on tectonic environments, karstic geomorphic environments, coastal zone processes, landforms and evolution, the theoretical background of climate change and its effects on the coastal Mediterranean landscape.

It will include live presentations but also asynchronous training tools such as multimedia material and recorded lectures. It will also include a virtual fieldtrip by the tutors of the host institution, as well as virtual reality tools to 'visit' in advance the sites included in the physical component. The aim is for the students to be acquainted with the study sites prior to the physical mobility so that, when in the field, more focus will be made on the application and training in methods and techniques.

Some of the topics covered in this part:

Climate change and landscape evolution
Climate change triggered hazards
Coastal processes and landforms
Coastal evolution
Vulnerability based on the geomorphic hazards
The role of tectonics to the landscape
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction
Introduction to the Kefalonia environment and the evolution of Kefalonia landscape because of tectonics and climate change

Requirements

This course is open to Bachelor's, Master's and PhD's students at CIVIS member universities, with a background in geology, geomorhology, environmental sciences. Bachelor students should be toward the end of their studies.

Also, the participants should:

have theoretical thinking and ability to turn theory into practice;
have problem solving ability through application of knowledge;
be able to search, analysis and composition of data and information by using the necessary technologies;
enjoy teamwork;
be able to work in interdisciplinary environment;
respect the natural environment.

NB: Visiting Students - Erasmus Funding Eligibility

To be eligible for your selected CIVIS programme, you must be a fully enrolled student at your CIVIS home university at the time you will be undertaking the programme. Click here to learn more about the eligibility criteria.

This course is also open to students with the same academic profile, who are enrolled at a CIVIS strategic partner university in Africa. Please check here, if you can apply and this particular course is open to applications from your university. Successful applicants will receive an Erasmus+ grant covering travel and subsistence costs during their stay. Applicants should be willing to extend their stay at the host university for 1-3 weeks for additional research and/or training purposes.

Application process

Send your application by filling in the online application form by 31 October 2024, including:

CV
Motivation letter

Applications will be evaluated based on their CV, motivation letter, and the relevance of the students' studies with the subject of the BIP.

Apply now

Assessment

Evaluation of the students on the virtual component will be accomplished through online questionnaires/ quizzes. Regarding the field activities, students will be evaluated through a presentation they will have to do at the end of the physical mobility.

Blended Intensive Programme

This CIVIS course is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): a new format of Erasmus+ mobility which combines online teaching with a short trip to another campus to learn alongside students and professors across Europe. Click here to learn more about CIVIS BIPs.

GDPR Consent

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National and Kapodistrian University of Athens:

Dr. Dr. MSc Niki Evelpidou, Professor, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment
Dr. Anna Karkani, Laboratory Teaching Staff, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment
Dr. Giannis Saitis, Researcher, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment

University of Bucharest:

Dr. Mihaela Verga, Lecturer, Faculty of Geography
Dr. Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe, Professor of Physical Geography, Faculty of Geography
Dr. Ion Florin Tatui, Researcher, Faculty of Geography

Stockholm University:

Dr. Arjen Stroeven, Professor, Department of Physical Geography
Dr. Gunhild Rosqvist, Professor, Department of Physical Geography
Dr. Maricela De la Torre Castro, Professor, Department of Physical Geography

Aix-Marseille Université:

Dr. Francois Sabatier, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Planning and Environment

Paris Lodron University of Salzburg:

Dr. Lang Andreas Professor, Head of Research Group Geomorphology