GEOG305

Description

Overview of what governs the hydrological cycle's major components of precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, surface water, and groundwater. Core principles of physical hydrology will be introduced including rainfall-runoff processes, surface and subsurface storage and flows, and land-atmosphere exchange. Students will also learn about human influences on the water cycle, and consider management of water resources at field to watershed scales. Upon completion of this course, students will: Understand the essential elements of hydrological processes and how these govern the distribution of water in the earth system. Be able to solve the surface water balance and analyze its controls in different environments. Have the basic skills needed to explore water resource issues, such as quantitative understanding of the likelihood of extreme rainfall and flooding events, flow directions and rates in surface and ground waters, or land use/land cover effects on hydrological processes. Have new appreciation for fundamental tools and terms used in the field of hydrology including mass balance, steady-state, flux-gradient relations, continuity, dimensional analysis, and probability. The course assumes an introductory background in earth and environmental sciences. A background in one or more of the following courses will also be helpful: physics ( PHYS 110 / PHYS 111 ), calculus ( MATH 120 / MATH 121 ), or statistics ( GEOG 110 ). Three of the lab sessions will require extended hours. Open to doctoral and masters students.