GE487 Hydrology and Runoff Management

Contents and structure

Climate change affects the hydrological cycle and water balance from a catchment to global scale. More frequent extreme weather events along with population growth and urban compaction call for new approaches in water-resource and stormwater management.

The course aims to provide students with knowledge about the principles of physical hydrology, which then form a basis for knowledge-based runoff management. Students will gain an understanding of the physical processes that govern the movement and storage of water within a catchment and learn to quantify hydrological variables, such as river discharge, from both field observations and calculations.

Through seminars and case-based project assignments, this course provides students with skills to assess hydrological problems and make recommendations about strategies and plans for urban and rural runoff management that mitigate the challenges of climate change.

Learning Outcome

The student has:

• an overview of the different components of the hydrological cycle and the water balance
• insights into hydrological processes, especially with relevance to the generation of stormwater
• an overview of methods used to quantify and monitor hydrological processes, such as precipitation or river discharge
• an understanding of how climate change affects hydrological processes and flood risk, in particular
• knowledge on sustainable stormwater management, incl. blue-green infrastructure, to mitigate rural and urban flood risk

The student is able to:

• identify catchments and their general hydro-meteorological setting
• work with meteorological and hydrological data to perform flood frequency analysis
• conduct field measurements of river discharge
• use hydrological models, online tools and simple hydrological and hydraulic calculations to solve hydrological problems relevant to runoff and water-resource management
• assess plans for local runoff management to make urban areas less vulnerable to future climate change

The student can:

• assess scientific literature, technical reports, websites, etc. to gain information on a particular subject
• formulate own research questions and use theoretical and/or practical approaches to answer them
• communicate findings in written reports and oral presentations
• evaluate and provide constructive feedback on project reports and presentations

Entry requirements

90 ECTS in environmental sciences or geoscience at the time of application

Recommended previous knowledge

GE489 Past and Present Climate/ GE483 Climate Change

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, homework assignments, group work and field excursions.

Field excursions cover different aspects of hydrology and runoff management, such as hydrological monitoring stations, hydropower infrastructure, flood protection infrastructure, and/or municipal water networks.

Compulsory learning activities

1. Participation in field excursions.
2. Students will prepare a written summary and oral presentation of a scientific paper (individually, or in groups of up to 4 students). 

Assessment

Written examination under supervision; 4 hours, Grading A-F

Examination support material

Dictionaries in the international participant's native language.

More about examination support material