SAG-20306 Water Quantity and Quality

Vak

Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Assumed knowledge on:

either AEW10306 or SFI-10806 (Soil and Water I) plus AEW-21306 (Soil and Water II)

Contents:

Second year continuation course on elements of the hydrological cycle and typology of surface water. Computational methods in hydrology and chemical and biological measuring techniques as applied in analyses of surface water systems and water quality. The course covers definitions, concepts, processes, measuring methods and quantification of elements.
Specific topics include relationships of landscape morphology and water typology, hydrological cycle, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, groundwater, interaction of groundwater and surface water, including drainage theory, design discharge, dimensioning of drainage and discharge systems, rainfall-runoff relationships in catchments, characterisation of water types and aquatic ecosystems by chemical and biological measurements (nutrients, chloride, alkalinity, oxygen, light absorption, composition of macrofauna, experimental analysis of eutrophication processes in the laboratory.

Aims:

Obtaining an understanding of relationships of landscape morphology and water quality and quantity, understanding definitions, concepts and flow processes, discharge from catchments, interaction of groundwater and surface water, chemically and biologically defined water quality, biodiversity. Basic research skills, including reporting. This also includes computational methods, techniques to measure biological and chemical water quality, applying measuring methods in experimental research on aquatic ecosystems and research abilities.

Activities:

Study of lecture notes and literature as given during lectures, doing excercises, field observations and measurements, individual research work, analysing observations and measurements and writing a report.

Examination:

Based on activities during the practical, the report and a written exam on the part that was not included in the report.

Literature:

Soil Physics and Agrohydrology, lecture notes distributed at WUR shop.