121-360 Environmental Hydrology A

Note

Credit cannot be obtained for both this subject and 121-305 Environmental Hydrology B or Faculty of Arts subjects 121-349 Principles of Environmental Hydrology or 121-350 Techniques in Environmental Hydrology.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

121-220 Water Resources or 121-212 Geomorphology or equivalent as approved by the subject coordinator.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

This subject examines principles in the two disciplines of hydrology and ecology, emphasizing the use of both to understand environmental management problems in rivers. The subject examines water in terms of quantity and quality; the physical channel and floodplain systems in which it is conveyed and stored; and the population, community and ecosystem dynamics of the organisms that occupy these systems. Practicals and field work impart skills in acquiring, analysing and presenting hydrological data relating to catchment characteristics, and identification and proper field sampling of stream biota. The subject emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of environmental management and the need for critical examination of ideas in the literature.

Assessment

Practical and field trip reports of up to 6000 words and a 2-hour end-of-semester examination. Students must successfully complete all requirements of the subject. Weighting of assessment items will be announced at the beginning of the semester.

Prescribed Texts

• Gordon, N. D, McMahon, T. A. & Finlayson, B. L, Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists. Wiley International 1992.
• Allan J D, Stream Ecology: Structure and Function of Running Waters. Chapman and Hall, 1995.