In situ characterization of large aquifer systems

This course is designed to enable students to acquire the skills needed to collect hydrometric data (in the broadest sense) in the field and apply them to different types of case study, in order to carry out an engineering/research project in hydrogeology.

This UE is divided into two parts:

• A first week entirely in the field in the Pyrénées Orientales department;
• A second week was spent in the classroom, processing, analyzing and interpreting the data acquired in the field.

During the^1st week, the first 3 days are devoted to acquiring the various technical skills in hydrometry (in the broadest sense) in situ, so that the students can then become "project managers" during the last 2 days, when they will work on a case study to be solved by project groups. They will then be assigned to 2 experimental sites, where the projects to be carried out will be defined. The subjects will be presented in greater detail at the beginning of the course, so that the 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^2nd week, the students will go through the data acquired on their field-project, and will share out the various analyses and interpretations of this data in order to propose a presentation and a report integrating and synthesizing all these results, which will serve to evaluate their work.

The course is divided into two phases: a first phase of data acquisition on various experimental sites during the week of the internship in the Pyrenees, and a second phase of processing and interpretation of these data by project group during the week following the return from the internship. The work carried out within each project group will thus include :

- a field training phase (field reconnaissance, measurement techniques, instrumentation, data collection) for each of the techniques covered (gauging, piezometry, hydrodynamic and hydrochemical measurements, chemical and microbiological water quality, etc.)

- a project gestation phase to be carried out in groups on a case study defined by the teaching team (teamwork to draw up the experimental protocol and its application in the field, as well as analysis and interpretation of the results).

- a reporting phase on the case study carried out by each project group (technical report on the activities implemented and results obtained in the field + technical appendices + oral presentation).

The field learning phase is multi-disciplinary (all the proposed measurement techniques must be acquired by all students).

"Hydrosystem Functioning" (M1 S1)

"M1 Geology - Hydrogeology field placement (M1 S1)

"Hydrogeophysics (M1 S1)

"Water Quality and Microbiology" (M1 S2)

"Applied hydrochemistry (M1 S2)

"Underground hydrodynamics (M1 S2)

"Applied hydrodynamics and hydraulics (M1 S2)

The work will be assessed mainly by groups of students, but will also include an individual assessment (results sheets covering the experimental techniques used). The work will be assessed on the basis of a written report (report + digital technical appendices including raw and interpreted data from the various experimental sites) and a group defense.

- Acquire skills in operational hydrogeology and other environmental measurement techniques;

- To be able to carry out, independently, different types of in situ measurements in a variety of contexts;

- Critique, analyze and add value to field measurements;

- Teamwork (collective, organization, communication).