Syllabus for Groundwater and Surface Water Modelling

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Describe the application of different types of models in hydrology, including model calibration, validation and uncertainty
• Use hydrological models for flood forecasting, water resources assessment, impact assessment of climate change and land-use change
• Evaluate hydrological models with respect to their applications on gauged and ungauged basins and onstationary/non-stationary climatic conditions
• Simulate non-reactive and reactive contaminant transport in groundwater
• Apply models to geologically heterogeneous systems by means of geostatistical approaches and the estimation of uncertainties

Content

General theory of mathematical modelling. Integration of basic processes (evaporation, snow-melt, runoff, soil water dynamics, groundwater flow) in mathematical models. Model calibration, parameter optimisation, validation of runoff and groundwater models and their inherent uncertainty. Application of rainfall-runoff models.

Principles of contaminant transport in groundwater. Modelling non-reactive and reactive contaminant transport in groundwater. Parameter estimation and geostatistical/stochastic approach to groundwater modelling. Application of MODFLOW and GMS groundwater modelling packages.

Instruction

Lectures, computer exercises, project work.

Assessment

Course assessment consists of two written exams, one for groundwater (3 credits) and one for surface water (3 credits), computer assignments (2 credits), and written and oral presentation of project work (2 credits). 
 
If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.