Water Systems: Exploration

This course introduces the occurrence, movement and quality of water over the land surface of the earth, in particular as it affects and sustains life. The course takes a geographical, mostly descriptive approach towards introducing the global hydrological cycle and water budget, hydrological processes in river catchments and groundwater, and the aquatic ecosystem. An important focus of the course is on the interdependencies between water quantity and quality in space and time.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• Describe the role of water in landscapes and society
• Explain basic patterns and processes in aquatic ecosystems
• Interpret basic concepts of water flow in surface water, groundwater and catchments
• Estimate basic water flow in surface water, groundwater and catchments
• Relate hydrological processes and water quality
• Investigate how knowledge of water systems is implemented in water management

Assumed Knowledge:

High school level of mathematics.