Course Description

How much water do ecosystems use? What environmental features control the flows and stores of water, and how do we measure and assess it? These are the fundamental questions that hydrologists address. Physical hydrology encapsulates the art of understanding what, physically, makes water flow. This undergraduate course examines the key controls on each major component of the hydrological cycle that affect water cycling within and between watersheds and ecosystems. We examine how water enters the system via infiltration and recharge of rain or snowmelt, exchanges between the unsaturated and saturated zone below the ground, and its transfer and loss to evapotranspiration and surface runoff. Hydrological controls on water quality will also be considered. An underlying theme examines how environmental setting and environmental change affects ecosystem hydrology. We explore both theoretical and practical aspects of the hydrological cycle. In this course, students gain knowledge and experience needed for careers that involve doing fieldwork, developing policy and implementing management of water and ecosystems.