Hydrology

This EU will focus on the following concepts:

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

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

3) Evapotranspiration ( interception, evaporation, transpiration, evapotranspiration, Turc formulas, 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 ( surface runoff formation, runoff coefficient, subsurface runoff, groundwater-river relationship, flood hydrograph decomposition)

6) The hydrological balance (the water cycle and the hydrological balance at different spatial and temporal scales)

7) Hydrometry (principle and measurement technique + fieldwork)

Hourly volumes:

CM: 12 p.m.

TD: 12 p.m.

Practical work: 6 hours

Field: 6 hours

Understanding the physical processes behind the flows involved in the water cycle at the watershed scale, determining a hydrological balance at different spatial and temporal scales.

none

100% CC distributed as follows:

- processing of field data (hydrometry and soil)

- presentation based on a scientific article in English

- written exam covering the entire course, tutorials, practicals, fieldwork

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

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

- Measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity in situ using the Beerkan method and the Guelph infiltrometer. Measurement of water content using FDR moisture probes. Location: generally on campus.

- know how to delineate the boundaries of a watershed and calculate its geometric characteristics

- know how to spatially interpolate rainfall data

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

- know how to determine a runoff coefficient based on the infiltration capacity of a soil and the decomposition of a flood hydrograph

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

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

- master river gauging techniques (theory and practice)