Level of Education
5 years of post-secondary education
ECTS
3 credits
Training Structure
College of Sciences
Description
This teaching unit focuses on the Vidourle Mediterranean watershed and the new experimental site of the Multiscale Observatory for Flood Dynamics and Subsurface Hydrodynamics in Karst Environments (MEDYCYSS – OSU OREME – SNO KARST).
The first day in the field provides an introduction to the geographic, geological, and climatic context, as well as the various geomorphological features, the different orogenic phases, and their relationship to vegetation. A stop at the experimental site provides an opportunity to introduce the measurement devices (rain gauge, flux tower, probes measuring soil temperature and moisture, etc.) used, before addressing the issue of hydrological risk with the Conqueyrac flood control dam. A more theoretical segment will redefine the concepts of geomorphology and hydrogeomorphology and address soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfers.
The second day of fieldwork, centered on the experimental site located near the Pompignan plateau, is devoted to field measurements: soil infiltration tests to determine hydraulic conductivity at saturation, soil core sampling to determine porosity, moisture content, and bulk density, vegetation surveys, and flow rate measurements.
The final section of the course is devoted to hydrological modeling, including an introduction to the HEC-HMS software through hands-on exercises, with the goal of estimating available water resources at the watershed scale (including evapotranspiration) and forecasting discharge rates during floods caused, in particular, by Cévennes-type weather events. Data collected in the field will be incorporated into this modeling work.
Objectives
This course unit aims to describe and articulate the various processes involved in the hydrological and hydrogeological functioning of watersheds, taking into account, in particular, the geographical, geological, geomorphological, pedological, and hydroclimatic context. The goal is to clarify how surface-to-groundwater transfers alter the land surface and vegetation distribution, as well as to describe infiltration mechanisms and the structure of surface and subsurface drainage networks in various geological contexts. The ultimate goal is to introduce students to the use of hydrological modeling tools to address issues related to water resource vulnerability and the risk of flash floods in watersheds with a strong karst component.
Mandatory Prerequisites
EU “Water Cycle”
EU Course: "Functioning of Hydrosystems"
Knowledge Assessment
100% Continuous Monitoring, including:
- a report on the first field trip
- a report on the second field trip (including analysis of the field data)
- a report on hydrological modeling using HEC-HMS for one of the proposed case studies