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CE531 ADVANCED HYDROLOGY I

Course Objectives

* Apply water balance analysis to complex problems including calculation of common drought indices;
* Describe important features of the Earth’s climate system including hydroclimatology and variability;

* Formulate and apply advanced models of evapotranspiration;

* Describe and quantify precipitation recycling phenomena;
* Quantitatively analyze hydrologic processes involving snow and ice;
* Formulate and apply advanced models of runoff and stream response;
* Collect advanced modeling techniques into integrated hydrologic models for longterm simulation.

Course Content

System approach to the hydrologic cycle, deterministic treatments of catchment behaviour linear time-invariant and time variant hydrologic systems, time-invariant and non-linear hydrologic system, numerical simulation of watershed hydrology. Random hydrologic phenomena; probability distributions used in hydrology; estimation methods, statistical inference; correlation and regression analysis. (R)

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Water Balance

• Compute water balance components for complex hydrological systems using real-world datasets.
  • Assessment: Computational assignment using hydrological datasets; written interpretation report.

2. Soil Water Transport Modelling

• Formulate governing equations for unsaturated and saturated soil water transport based on physical principles.
  • Assessment: Derivation-based homework
• Implement and evaluate advanced numerical models to simulate infiltration, redistribution, and drainage processes.
  • Assessment: Derivation-based homework

3. Evapotranspiration Modelling

• Develop process-based models for estimating evapotranspiration, integrating meteorological, vegetation, and soil parameters.
  • Assessment: Derivation-based homework
• Apply and validate evapotranspiration models against field measurements or remote sensing data.
  • Assessment: Validation exercise using field or satellite datasets.

4. Precipitation Recycling Phenomena

• Describe the physical mechanisms of precipitation recycling within regional and global hydrological cycles.
• Quantify precipitation recycling ratios using observational data and model simulations.
  • Assessment: Literature review and presentation in the class.

5. Runoff and Stream Response Modelling

• Formulate advanced hydrological models to simulate runoff generation and streamflow response to precipitation events.
• Apply and validate runoff models under varying watershed and climatic conditions using observed hydrographs.
  • Assessment: Validation exercise using field or satellite datasets.

6. Integrated Hydrologic Modelling

• Integrate multiple hydrologic process models (e.g., precipitation, snowmelt, runoff, sediment) into coupled long-term simulation frameworks.
• Assess the performance and uncertainty of integrated models for watershed and basin-scale applications.
  • Assessment: Computer modelling; HEC-HMS

Program Outcomes Matrix