Catchment Water and Soil Management
Description
The module provides in-depth coverage of water management at catchment level with a focus on integrating catchment-scale physical hydrology, water quality and management. The three integrated components of the module will enable students to understand and critically evaluate the science behind catchment-scale water quantity and quality problems under land use, flood, drought and climate change; and to equip students with critical analytical skills in devising sustainable water management plans.
The module will cover a) the physical basis of water cycle at catchment scale including water input, storage and outputs, b) land use, particularly agricultural and its implications for water quality (from soil water to rivers and groundwater water pollution), and c) contemporary global issues in catchment management affecting water resources including emerging tools for sustainable water management.
By the end of the module students should be able to:
- Critically evaluate fundamentals of catchment water management under land use and climate change and its implications for water quantity and quality;
- Evaluate the water balance of mixed-land use catchments based on the stores (soil moisture, groundwater, glaciers, ice, lakes & wetlands) and fluxes of water (precipitation, interception, run-off, infiltration and stream flow);
- Elucidate the linkages between land management and water quality at catchment scale
- Assess water quality (chemical and physical) as influenced by land management
- Appreciate and apply a range of techniques and skills relevant for sustainable water management at catchment scale.
Assessment