Hydrology

This course will focus on the following concepts:

1) The watershed (definition, geometric, geological, physiographic characteristics, hydrological behavior)

2) Precipitation (Definition of precipitation, concept of showers and intensity, spatial analysis of point measurements (Thiessen, isohets), temporal analysis of point measurements (return period, Montana).

3) Evapotranspiration (interception, evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, formulas of Turc, Thornthwaite)

4) Infiltration (definition of infiltration capacity, characteristics of the unsaturated zone, concepts of water content, hydraulic conductivity at saturation, water potential, balance of forces and state of water in the soil, factors influencing infiltration and water profiles, Horton's law)

5) Runoff (formation of surface runoff, runoff coefficient, subsurface runoff, nappe-river relationship, decomposition of flood hydrographs)

6) Water balance (the water cycle and water balance at different spatio-temporal scales)

7) Hydrometry (measurement principle and technique + field)

Hourly volumes :

CM :12h

TD :12h

Practical work:6h

Field :6h

Understand the physical processes behind the flows involved in the water cycle on a watershed scale, and determine a water balance on different spatio-temporal scales.

no

100% CC broken down as follows :

- field data processing (hydrometry and soil)

- presentation based on a scientific article in English

- written exam on the entire course, TD, TP, fieldwork

Description of the themes/manips covered during your field trip(s) and details of destinations/sites

- river gauging techniques (electromagnetic current meter, floats, salt gauging) near Montpellier (Lez at Castelnau le lez, Mosson?, other sites to be explored)

- In situ measurement of hydraulic conductivity at saturation using the Beerkan method and the Guelph infiltrometer. Water content measurement with FDR moisture probes. Location: usually on campus.

- delimit the contours of a watershed and calculate its geometric characteristics

- spatial interpolation of rainfall data

- know how to determine peak flows with defined return periods in order to design hydraulic structures

- know how to determine a runoff coefficient from a soil's infiltration capacity and from the decomposition of a flood hydrograph

- know how to determine a water balance for different systems, at different spatio-temporal scales

- know how to measure saturated soil hydraulic conductivity in situ (theory and practice)

- master river gauging techniques (theory and practice)