EGR 3540 Hydrology
Hydrology is the study of the processes which cycle water between the oceans, atmosphere, and land surface. Understanding the physical processes which dictate the interaction of water with the landscape is thus fundamental to managing our resources in the face of mounting environmental challenges and natural resource pressures. This course focuses on surface and near surface processes. A broad range of specific topics is covered: e.g., the hydrologic cycle, watershed hydrology, runoff generation, physical and biophysical vadose zone processes, erosion and sediment transport, and eco-hydrological systems. Laboratory included.
Corequisite
EGRL 3540
Course Types
Laboratory Science
Notes
Offered in the spring of even years
Course Outcomes
- 1. Describe the major hydrological fluxes, their relative magnitudes, and their roles in watershed and landscape processes, especially in the context of ecological and human systems.
- 2. Quantify a wide range of physical and biophysical hydrological processes using mechanistic, mathematical expressions and models. The suite of processes considered span a wide range of physical and temporal scales.
- 3. Interpret and manipulate hydrological data to develop stochastic and deterministic answers to systematic questions associated with hydrology and its controls on ecology and biogeochemistry. This interpretation implicitly assumes developing expertise with contemporary computational tools. Included in this outcome is the ability to locate open-source data, especially those associated with government agencies.
- 4. Gain a working knowledge of modeling programs and applications.
- 5. Work in teams to understand, model, interpret, and propose solutions to local hydrological questions.