M2 - Water Resources (WR)

This course draws on numerous concrete examples presented by environmental specialists and experts working in consulting firms and companies, EPICs, or research institutes in the water and environmental sector.                                                                            The course includes a field day dedicated to characterizing the physical properties of watercourses and aquifers, as well as various hydrometric measurement techniques. Specific sessions providing the necessary foundations for exploiting the hydrological and hydrogeological data acquired in situ will also be offered.

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This course includes a theoretical component that provides an understanding of transfers and a more practical component that combines fieldwork, numerical modeling, and environmental studies. Quantitative hydrogeology is addressed through analytical and numerical solutions that enable transfers in the subsurface environment to be accounted for.

This EU addresses in particular:

1) the mathematical tools and fundamental equations underlying analytical and numerical modeling;

2) the principles of numerical modeling (MDF); 

3) the typical methodology for creating a 3D digital model for flow simulation; and

4) Analysis of scenarios incorporating climate or anthropogenic forcings for optimal water resource management.

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This EU is centered around the Vidourle Mediterranean Watershed and the new experimental site of the Multi-Scale Observatory of Flood Dynamics and Underground Hydrodynamics in Karst Environments (MEDYCYSS – OSU OREME -SNO KARST). 

The first day in the field provides an opportunity to present the geographical, geological, and climatic context, as well as the various geomorphological features, the different orogenic phases, and their links with vegetation. A stop at the experimental site provides an opportunity to present the measuring devices (rain gauge, flux tower, probes measuring soil temperature and humidity, etc.) used, before addressing the issue of hydrological risk with the Conqueyrac flood control dam. A more theoretical section will redefine the concepts of geomorphology and hydrogeomorphology and address soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfers.                            

The second day in the field, around the experimental site located near the Pompignan limestone plateau, is devoted to field measurements: soil infiltration to determine saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil cylinder sampling to determine porosity, water content, and density, vegetation measurements, and flow measurements.   

The last part of the EU is devoted to hydrological modeling with an introduction to HEC-HMS software as part of practical work, aimed at estimating the water resources available at the watershed level (including evapotranspiration) and predicting flows during floods caused in particular by heavy rainfall events. The data measured in the field will be used in this modeling work.

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These karstic hydrosystems represent a significant proportion of the groundwater supplying the population in France, but also throughout the Mediterranean region. They also play an important role in the so-called Cévennes floods (or those occurring around the Mediterranean), particularly in terms of their management. These hydrosystems are also characterized by significant interactions between surface water and groundwater: whether in the form of active losses localized in rivers, which directly feed the associated karst aquifer, or major karst springs that are the source of rivers or streams.                                       This course unit will present these hydrosystems and how they function, as well as the methods used to study them. The "Surface Water-Groundwater Interaction" aspect will be given particular attention in this course unit, through the study of:

• Artificial tracing: Techniques, methods of implementation (theoretical and practical), methods of analysis and interpretation. Artificial tracing
• Signal processing and rainfall-runoff modeling, particularly for karstic sources that feed rivers or streams.

These lessons will take the form of theoretical classes, but also practical work involving the processing of artificial tracing data or the processing of source flow signals. A day-long field trip will provide an opportunity to carry out various experiments on a karst hydrosystem, in particular artificial tracing.

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The purpose of this EU is

1) to give students an overview of the value and power of isotopic geochemical and dating tools for understanding how hydrosystems/aquifers work,

2) to help them masterthe context in which these tools can be applied 

3) to provide the knowledge necessary to understand and develop these techniques.

This course is based on theoretical knowledge (lectures) and concrete case studies (tutorials/practical work).

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The EU "Hydrological/Hydraulic Modeling and Flood Risks" module offers a study of the phenomenon of flood genesis, flood propagation, and flooding. The module aims to enable students to acquire skills in hydrological and hydraulic modeling of processes at the watershed and river basin scales:

1) The production function aimed at separating rainwater runoff and infiltration;

2) The transfer function on slopes and via the hydrographic network, overflow, and flooding;

3) Construction of a project tree and synthetic hydrograph;

4) Applications of hydrological and hydraulic flood models.

The EU also includes a field day (acquisition of in situ data for hydrological/hydraulic modeling purposes, in situ flood risk analysis).

The tutorials focus on practical applications in watersheds and watercourses in France and abroad using spatialized hydrological flood models (e.g., ATHYS, MHYDAS) and hydraulic models (HEC-RAS, Diffuse Wave, Kinematic Wave, etc.): analysis of rainfall/runoff data, use of hydrological/hydraulic models, parameterization/calibration/validation of models, analysis of the impact of development scenarios (dikes, dams, etc.).

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This EU addresses the concepts of mass and heat transfer in aquifers, as well as the characteristics of low-energy and high-energy geothermal energy.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The vulnerability of the underground resource will be assessed and, where appropriate, methods for protecting the aquifer from pollution will be evaluated. Various techniques for decontaminating aquifers will also be discussed, particularly through the solutions provided by digital simulation tools.

The principles of geothermal energy will also be discussed through examples of specific systems based on the three types of geothermal energy (from shallow to very deep, from low temperature to very high temperature).

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The EU aims to support students in gaining practical experience and a high-level perspective on hydrological modeling of watersheds dominated by agricultural activities and subject to climate change. The EU's approach is based on four key points:

1. Watershed hydrology and its place in the history of science,

2. Specific features of agricultural landscapes and implications for modeling,

3. Issues surrounding scale change,

4. Practice and critique of hydrological modeling.

The EU will provide advanced knowledge on production functions, transfer functions, global and distributed modeling. It will guide students toward the independent use of various hydrological models (Green and Ampt, reservoir, Curve Number, unit hydrograph, cascade of reservoirs, etc.) and toward taking a step back to consider the parameterization, calibration, and validation of hydrological models.

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The status of a watercourse within the meaning of the WFD comprises two aspects: chemical status and ecological status. To define ecological status, several parameters must be taken into account, including parameters related to the volume of water (measured by flow rate) in the watercourse. In this course, students will be required to carry out field or laboratory measurements to determine some of the key parameters used in determining the status of a watercourse or more generally used in hydrological studies (floods, resource assessment, etc.).

Four topics will be addressed:

- Hydrometry, using various gauging techniques (point-by-point method with electromagnetic current meter, ADCP, dilution method, float gauging, radar).

- Soil hydrodynamics, using several infiltration methods to determine saturation conductivity, and soil cylinder sampling to determine porosity, dry density, and soil water content after drying.

- Hydrochemistry, including:

• fieldwork (sampling and analysis using a multiparameter meter and a field spectrophotometer) for physical and chemical parameters (temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, TAC, PO4, and NO3, etc.)
• a laboratory component (analysis and quantification of the presence of 4-tert-octylphenol in a surface water sample, using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS)) to determine the presence of trace amounts of emerging contaminants from the alkylphenol ethoxylate (APEO) family, compounds found in products such as detergents, emulsifiers, and solubilizers.

- Hydrobiology, taking into account the presence or absence of certain species: fish, invertebrates, macrophytes (aquatic plants), and diatoms (unicellular algae), in order to determine specific indices (IPR, IBGN, IBMR, IBD) relating to the biological quality of the watercourse.

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This EU focuses on natural mineral waters and thermal waters, whose specific characteristics make them unique resources in terms of exploitation, management, and protection of their deposits. Students will thus be trained in the specific technical and regulatory/health aspects governing the exploitation of these resources, in particular through presentations by professionals in the sector and a visit to an exploitation site. They will also learn about the management and protection of this type of aquifer so that they can propose study protocols to be implemented in situ to characterize and protect these resources and thus acquire hydrogeological expertise for this type of aquifer.

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This course unit should enable students to acquire the skills necessary for collecting hydrometric data (in the broad sense) in the field and to know how to apply them to different types of case studies, in order to carry out an engineering/research project in hydrogeology.

This EU takes place in two stages:

• A first week spent entirely in the field in the Pyrénées-Orientales department;
• A second week spent indoors, reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting the data collected in the field.

During the^first week, the first three days are devoted to acquiring various technical skills in hydrometry (in the broad sense) in situ, so that students can then take charge during the last two days, when they will work on a case study to be solved by project group. They will then be divided between two experimental sites where the projects will be carried out. The topics will be presented in more detail at the beginning of the course so that the pre-defined groups can propose an experimental protocol to be carried out in situ, enabling them to solve their problem. The supervisory team will validate the proposed protocols the day before the experiments begin.

During the^second week, students will analyze the data they have collected on their field project and divide up the various analyses and interpretations of this data in order to produce a presentation and report integrating and summarizing all these results, which will be used to evaluate their work.

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This course unit allows students to carry out an engineering project in its entirety, in the form of an interdisciplinary engineering study relating to environmental or health impacts, hydrological, hydraulic, and hydrogeological modeling, risk management, etc.

This 5 ECTS course is divided into two parts: a 2 ECTS course in S3 (Interdisciplinary Project 1: Water Resources), followed by a 3 ECTS course in S4 (Interdisciplinary Project 2: Water Resources). These two courses are inseparable, with the second course serving as the culmination of the first.

During the EU Interdisciplinary Project 1 Water Resource, the steps will be:

1. Presentation of case studies by teacher-researchers, researchers, or engineering professionals (issues, fieldwork, available and collectable data, stakeholders, calls for tenders, etc.) on topics related to water resource management, risks (flooding, drought, contamination), or more broadly, environmental impacts. (end of September)
2. Project development phase (formation of project groups and definition of the resolution methodology) in conjunction with the "Project Management 2" EU.
3. Data collection, context analysis, establishing contacts, bibliographic research
4. Preliminary project defense (mid-November)
5. Start of the study (data acquisition, planning of field days, learning to use specific software, etc.)

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This course consists of completing an individual project leading to a bibliographic review. The topic will be related to the research internship to be carried out in S4, but may also include related scientific topics.

This summary will be presented in the form of a report that must comply with the formal requirements for writing scientific papers and articles. The document will serve as a bibliographic basis for the research internship report. The application exercise required as part of the "Scientific Writing" course will be a prerequisite for beginning the bibliographic synthesis work, through the problematization of the subject of your synthesis, the development of keywords, etc.

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As part of this course, students will practice project planning and estimating the time required for each task, using the SWOT matrix/sabotage exercise, risk management, organizing and leading meetings, and giving oral presentations on the project. Other aspects of project management may be addressed on a case-by-case basis, such as financial management, the role of the project manager, relationships with partners, and the use of tools such as to-do lists, Kanban, shared calendars, etc.

Following on from the Project Management course in the Master's 1 program, the Project Management course in the Master's 2 program aims to assess the assimilation of the skills acquired in the previous year and to go further by focusing on a longer project (lasting from a few weeks to a few months), either individual or group-based, study-related or personal.

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All future Master's graduates, whether in the "Professional" or "Research" track, must master the tools and codes of effective written scientific communication. Improving one's scientific writing skills is essential for promoting one's work and communicating it to peers, colleagues, clients, etc.

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The module is divided into three sequences:                                            

(1) Variability and climate change: definitions, principles, greenhouse effect, climate simulations, disaggregation, scenarios, and impacts;                                                                                            

(2) Hydrological modeling: numerical structures and representations, input and control data, state variables, parameter calibration, objective functions and optimization methods, parameter analysis and equifinality, robustness and transferability, sensitivity to climate forcings;                                                

(3) Hydrological modeling tutorials: preparing data, calibrating models, simulating flows, producing graphical outputs to analyze simulations, simulating the impact of climate change on flows.

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The challenge addressed by the EIT is the sustainability of water resources linked to changing uses in a climate context in both the North and South that is subject to climate change and significant changes in usage, particularly in agriculture.

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The aim of this cross-disciplinary course unit is to offer students from various backgrounds the opportunity to organize an event-based project on a topical issue related to water, in line with their commitments, their career plans, societal challenges, and issues surrounding global transitions and change.

The project is led by the students, from its definition to its implementation during the event, with occasional support from teaching staff at key stages of the project.

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The objective of this joint teaching unit with AgroParisTech's specialized post-master's degree in Water Management is to provide students with a development background with guidance on the challenges and organization of development projects related to water (drinking water, sanitation, agricultural water).

This EU alternates between testimonials, feedback from experts and professional development actors on water issues, and testimonials from learners (Specialized Master's in Water Management) or students who already have international experience in the field of water or agriculture.

This course unit is open as an option to students enrolled in the Master's program in Water Sciences, subject to a limited number of places.

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Water resources and their management are often addressed through knowledge and principles established in developed countries in temperate zones. However, countries in the South, starting with the Mediterranean and Africa, offer us an extreme diversity of social and environmental situations that force us to significantly change our perspectives and question the validity of certain approaches that are too far removed from the reality on the ground.

Researchers working mainly in southern countries draw on their practical experience to reflect on the specific characteristics of hydrological and geochemical processes in very dry or very humid tropical regions, the consequences of anthropization, and the challenges of sustainable water resource management.

A significant amount of time is devoted to the critical analysis of scientific articles dealing with water resources and their management in the South.

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The objective of this EU is to present the current and future impacts on all sectors associated with the field of water.

What changes are occurring in terms of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, and in the regions affected by these extremes? How does this impact groundwater and surface water resources, agricultural land, and irrigation methods?

What developments are occurring with regard to rising sea levels and coastal areas? How does this impact current and future population movements, and what solutions can be proposed for coastal management?

Through various lectures given by specialists in different fields, covering all aspects of the Master's program in Water, this course unit will present the latest advances in this subject.

Through tutorials and practical sessions, students will work in groups on a specific topic (using an example) combining climate change with a water-related field, in order to present a summary of this subject. This work will be presented in the form of a mini-seminar and will be assessed as part of this course unit.

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This course unit allows students to carry out an engineering project in its entirety, in the form of an interdisciplinary engineering study relating to environmental or health impacts, hydrological, hydraulic, and hydrogeological modeling, risk management, etc.

This 5 ECTS course is divided into two parts: a 2 ECTS course in S3 (Interdisciplinary Project 1: Water Resources), followed by a 3 ECTS course in S4 (Interdisciplinary Project 2: Water Resources). These two courses are inseparable, with the second course serving as the culmination of the first.

During the EU Interdisciplinary Project 2 Water Resource, the steps will be:

1. Continuation of the study (in the form of remote work sessions or sessions supervised by professionals and ECs, field trips if necessary).
2. Study presentation phase (technical report on activities carried out and results obtained in the field) and oral defense before a jury (mid-February).

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This course builds on the Bibliographic Project course and serves as preparation for the research internship that will be conducted in the laboratory. It aims to define the research question based on the current state of scientific knowledge, drawing on the bibliographic review conducted in the Bibliographic Project course.

The student will therefore have to define, in consultation with their internship supervisor, the issue to be explored and the initial state of the art. They will also have to specify the working methodology that will be implemented during the "research" internship, as well as the provisional schedule.

This work will be presented orally before a panel consisting of an external examiner, the internship supervisor, and one of the program directors.

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This internship is for students enrolled in the "Professional" track of the Master's in Water Resources. It is the students' second professional experience and is a major step toward their future career integration. The content of the module depends on the host organization chosen by the student, which may be a company, association, NGO, public or international body in the water and environment sectors.
Students are expected to formalize an issue based on a rigorous state-of-the-art analysis, implement an approach, and carry out and analyze the results.
The entire project must be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions defined between the host organization and the academic advisor. A thesis is required for academic evaluation. This thesis may be supplemented by deliverables requested by the host organization, which may or may not be included in the thesis.
Confidentiality of evaluations (written and oral) is possible.

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This internship is for students enrolled in the "Research" track of the Master's in Water Resources program. It is the students' first real long-term experience in the field of research, working as part of a team and in a research laboratory, and is therefore an essential step in determining their future career path.

A phase of formalization of an issue based on a rigorous state of the art, a phase of implementation of an approach, and a phase of execution and analysis of results are expected.
The entire project must be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions defined between the host organization and the academic advisor. A thesis is required for academic evaluation.
Internship topics are varied and cover a range of issues in the water and environment sectors, reflecting the diversity of topics covered in the program and by the research teams involved in supervising and evaluating interns.

Confidentiality of evaluations (written and oral) is possible.

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