GEOGRAPHY 3511
– INTRODUCTION TO HYDROLOGY
Spring 2009
South Platte River Headwaters,
Colorado
|
Lecture:
MWF 12:00-12:50 GUGG 205 |
Instructor:
Erich Mueller Office
Hours: M 1-3 pm |
Teaching Assistant: Tony
LaGreca |
Links:
I.
Course Overview
II.
Textbook & Grading
III.
Lecture Schedule
|
Reading:
Forthcoming…
|
Study Materials:
§ Exam
1 Study Guide
§ Lecture Figures (part
1) (part
2)
§ Exam
2 Study Guide
§ Lecture Figures (Snow)
(Soils)
§ Exam
3 Study Guide
§ Lecture Figures (Surface
Water)
|
Missouri River, Montana
Overview:
Hydrology is the
study of the processes which cycle water between the oceans, atmosphere, and
land surface. Water in the landscape is not
only a necessary component for life, it is the fundamental driver of landscape
denudation and landform development. In
Colorado, water is relatively scarce with most precipitation falling as snow on
the high mountains. As a result, water
has been diverted literally through mountains in order to feed the burgeoning
communities of the Front Range.
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 is about learning both the concepts and physical principles
of water flow as well as the techniques that can be used to solve hydrologic
problems. In practice, hydrologists have to quantify rates at which water is
exchanged between the atmosphere, the ground, and the ocean, and this often
involves manipulating data and solving sets of equations. It's fairly easy to
lose sight of the conceptual part of the problem once you focus on techniques.
Thus, one of the goals of this course is to give you a balanced view of
hydrology- one that includes a description of the physical processes plus a
coherent presentation of the theories and techniques that are used in practice.
The class is structured around the hydrologic cycle, which you can picture as a
set of linked processes that cycle water between the ocean, atmosphere, and
land surface. We will examine the individual components of the hydrologic
cycle, as well as interactions between these components.
Textbook:
S. Lawrence Dingman,
2002 (re-issued 2008), Physical
Hydrology, 2nd Ed., Waveland Press, 646 pp.
|
Grading: Your course grade will be
determined as follows: 1st exam 20 % (tentatively
scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 11) 2nd exam 20 % (tentatively
scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 18) 3rd exam 20 % (scheduled
for Monday, May 4th, 4:30
pm) Lab exercises 40 % |
Exams cover material from the lectures, text, and readings. Test questions
are short answer and essay. Under certain circumstances, you may take an
exam early (e.g. a religious holiday). However, you may not take an
exam late- if you miss an exam, you must first provide a legitimate
excuse, such as a doctor’s note. I will then give you a score equal to
your grade on the other midterm. No make-up exams will be given,
regardless of your personal situation (illness, death in the family,
whatever). If you cannot explain your reason for missing an exam, you
will receive a score of zero for that exam.
Lab sessions will be held every Wednesday. Attendance in lab is
mandatory, and please be on time. We hope to take one or two field
trips. If you miss a lab without discussing it with us in advance, then
you will receive a score of zero for that lab. If a problem arises and
you cannot attend a particular lab, please inform us in advance.
|
Date |
Topics |
Reading |
|
12-16
Jan |
Introduction to hydrology and the water balance |
Chpt.
1, 2 |
|
21-23
Jan |
Global climate and the hydrologic cycle |
Chpt.
3 |
|
26-30
Jan |
Precipitation I: sources and measurement |
Chpt.
4 |
|
2-6
Feb |
Precipitation II: spatial & temporal
variability |
Chpt.
4 |
|
9
Feb |
Effects of climate change on water resources |
assigned
reading |
|
11
Feb |
MIDTERM
EXAM 1 |
|
|
13-18
Feb |
Snow I: formation and metamorphism…avalanches |
Chpt.
5 |
|
20
Feb-4 Mar |
Snow II: snowmelt and energy balance |
Chpt.
5 |
|
9-16
Mar |
Water in soils: infiltration and redistribution |
Chpt.
6 |
|
18
Mar |
MIDTERM
EXAM 2 |
|
|
23-27
Mar |
Spring
Break |
|
|
30
Mar -3 Apr |
Evapotranspiration I: physical processes |
Chpt.
7 |
|
6-8
Apr |
Evapotranspiration II: approaches for estimating |
Chpt.
7 |
|
10-15
Apr |
Groundwater, overland flow, and hydrographs |
Chpt.
8/9 |
|
17-24
Apr |
Streams, networks, open channel flow |
Chpt.
9 |
|
27
Apr- 1 May |
Floods and flood-frequency analysis |
Chpt.
10 |
|
TBD… |
FINAL
EXAM |
University of Colorado-Boulder Policies
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accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from
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Page Updated:
12/29/2008