Geomorphology and catchments' hydrology - Geomorphology

This EU is based on the Mediterranean Vidourle watershed and the new experimental site of the Multi-Scale Observatory of Flood Dynamics and Subterranean Hydrodynamics in Karst environments (MEDYCYSS - OSU OREME -SNO KARST). 

A first day in the field allows to present the geographical, geological and climatic context, as well as the different geomorphological elements, the different orogenetic phases and their links with the vegetation. A stop on the experimental site allows to present the measuring devices (pluviometer, flow tower, probes measuring the temperature and the humidity of the soil...) used, before approaching the problem of the hydrological risk with the flood control dam of Conqueyrac. A more theoretical part will allow to redefine the notions of geomorphology, hydrogeomorphology and will approach the soil vegetation atmosphere transfers.                            

The second field day, around the experimental site located near the Causse de Pompignan, is devoted to field measurements: infiltrations in the soil to determine the hydraulic conductivity at saturation, sampling of soil cylinders to determine the porosity, the water content, the density, measurements on the vegetation, flow measurement.   

The last part of the course is devoted to hydrological modeling with the initiation to the HEC-HMS software within the framework of practical exercises, aiming at estimating the available water resource at the scale of the BV (including the evapotranspiration component), and predicting the flows during floods caused in particular by Cevennes episodes. The data measured in the field will be reinvested in this modeling work.

This course aims at describing and formulating the different processes involved in the hydrological and hydrogeological functioning of watersheds, depending on the geographical, geological, geomorphological, pedological and hydroclimatic context. It is a question of specifying how surface/underground water transfers modify the surface and the establishment of the vegetation, or to describe the mechanisms of infiltration as well as the structuring of the surface and underground drainage networks in various geological contexts. The final objective is to introduce students to the use of hydrological modeling tools to address issues of water resource vulnerability and flash flood risk in watersheds with a strong karst component.

EU "Water Cycle                                                                            

UE " Functioning of Hydrosystems ".

100% Continuous Monitoring, including:

- A report of the first field trip

- a Report of the second field trip (with the processing of the field data)

- a Report on the hydrological modeling with HEC-HMS on one of the proposed case studies