Optional courses S1

Water is at the heart of multiple and contradictory issues, visions and interests. The articulation of these different elements raises the question of integrated management (IWRM) and regulation (particularly by public policies), the balance between collective and private values, and decision-making processes concerning collective issues - in short, governance. Decentralization, water and sanitation services, basin management, the European Framework Directive and financial circuits illustrate, in particular, different facets of governance.

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This course should enable students to acquire in-depth knowledge of how aquatic ecosystems function, and to identify threats and vulnerability in the face of local pressures and climate change.

It will also enable students to 1) understand the specific features of benthic ecosystem functioning and the ecological roles of its components, 2) acquire in-depth knowledge of the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, 3) acquire knowledge of the impact of chemical and biological contaminants (toxic and pathogenic microalgae), climate change and anthropization on the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and on these components with socio-economic repercussions. This course will develop networks for monitoring the marine environment and the health of exploited marine animals, while addressing mortality issues.

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The course is organized into 3 main chapters, alternating with tutorials applied to engineering problems. In the first part, after describing the planet's major water reservoirs and the basic principles of the water cycle, the effects of human activities on the cycle are discussed. The second part focuses on the aerial part of the cycle, from precipitation to infiltration. The third part deals with aquifers and groundwater, from the pore to the catchment scale.

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The "Ocean, Atmosphere, Climate" module introduces the fundamental principles of atmospheric and oceanic dynamics, and provides a critical, documented look at climate change. Teaching is based on analysis of official documents describing global change, documented lessons on key issues, and applications to case studies in different global contexts.

The module is shared by the "Coastal engineering and rational coastal development" and "Water and coastline" courses in the STPE and Water masters programs. It can be taken by work-study students wishing to update their knowledge of global change and its relationship to meteorological and atmospheric processes.

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This course is divided into 2 parts, one dealing with surface and atmospheric water, the other with groundwater. This course is a continuation of the Water Cycle course in S1, and lays the essential foundations for the specific hydrodynamics and physical hydrology courses that will take place in S2. It is therefore a transitional course between fundamental knowledge of the water cycle and knowledge specific to the study and characterization of surface and groundwater resources.

Theoretical courses combined with integrated tutorials are complemented by hands-on work on computers and hydrogeological maps.

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