An understanding of water is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management in relation to supply and demand, water quality in multi-use catchments, human health and ecosystem maintenance. 

The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of the hydrologic processes important in using and managing the environment. The course examines water quantity and quality, in terms of both surface and groundwater systems, and the impacts of anthropogenic and natural factors on the value of the resource. 

Practicals and field work provide opportunities to develop skills in sampling, analysing and presenting hydrological data that relate to catchment characteristics and processes.

Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Assessment will be based on:

• Practical exercises to demonstrate use of basic mathematics and statistics in hydrology (30%; LO 2, 3, 4)
• Group-based field study and report to demonstrate field skills and data analysis  (30%; LO 2, 3, 4)
• Two-hour open-book written exam (40%; LO 1, 2, 3, 5)

65 contact hours comprising 5 days of lectures and 5 days in the field (1-12 February).

Bachelor degree; general science knowledge.

Davie, T.  2008.  Fundamentals of Hydrology.  Routledge.

Gordon et al. 2004.  Stream hydrology: an introduction for ecologists. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

Ward, R.C. and Robinson, M. 1990 Principles of Hydrology. McGraw-Hill