Fall: EES 3025 – Physical Hydrology (4)

This course examines the physical principles governing the flow of water on and beneath the Earth’s surface and the relationship of hydrological processes to other disciplines such as geology, ecology, soil science and atmospheric sciences. The first part of the course will provide an introduction to – the physical principles applied to the description of water flows, the water cycle components, and the concepts of watershed hydrology. The second part of the course will cover contemporary global issues related to water resources including extreme events, future water demand, land degradation, and the food-energy-water nexus. The laboratory sections will illustrate the principles introduced in the lectures and will provide an opportunity to familiarize with the hydrological field techniques and numerical problem solving.

Spring, alternate years: EES 8434 – Ecohydrology (3) 

Hydrological and ecological processes are tightly interrelated, with vegetation affecting the hydrological cycle, and hydrologic partitioning of the water budget affecting vegetation dynamics. This course builds on perspectives from ecology, hydrology, and soil science to focus on the emerging, interdisciplinary area of ecohydrology – the science that studies mutual interaction between the hydrological cycle and ecosystems. The students will learn integrated approaches with in the field of ecohydrology. The first part of the course will deal with fundamental processes controlling the ow of water in the biosphere (in land, atmosphere, soil and plants) and the interactions with ecological processes and human dimensions at different scales. The second part will deal with the implications of ecohydrological feedbacks, covering broad range of issues including global environmental change, land use change, global desertification/land degradation, urbanization, and the food-energy-water nexus.  

Spring, alternate years : EES 2002: Energy and Environment (3)

Energy and Environment examines the scientific principles governing energy technologies and use, and the implications of energy development on our natural resources and environmental quality. The first part of the course will provide an introduction to – the basic physical principles behind energy production, existing and emerging energy technologies, and energy use. The second part of the course will provide an understanding of the impacts associated energy development on land, water and the atmosphere; impact assessment techniques, and interactions among energy, food and water resources. This course will provide an opportunity to familiarize with the future grand challenges in energy development in the context of changing climate and policy scenarios.