Basics of Hydrology

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

- familiarize students with basic terms and concepts in hydrology, their development, internal structure, research subject and methods,- explain the physical bases of water circulation, its role to the environment and man,- explain basic hydrological characteristics of rivers, lakes, swamps, glaciers, seas and oceans,- indicate an increasing impact of human activities on water balance at local, regional and global scales,- identify areas of the world with different water resources availability, explain the causes and consequences of these differences.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

Basic knowledge on geography, geology, physics and chemistry

Syllabus

Week 1 Lecture 1 (2 hours): Overview of hydrological concepts through centuries. Hydrology as a modern science. Hydrological survey. Hydrographic maps of Poland.Practical classes 1 (2 hours): Analysis of hydrographic maps and their contents.Week 2 Lecture 2 (2 hours): Basic hydrological terminology. Basic physical and chemical properties of water. Water circulation and water balance.Week 3 Lecture 3 (2 hours): Rivers – basic terminology. Classification of rivers. Physical properties of river waters. Water stages and river discharges.Practical classes 2 (2 hours): Water stages – construction and analysis of hydrographs.Week 4 Lecture 4 (2 hours): Extreme hydrological events: floods and droughts.Practical classes 3 (2 hours): Analysis of extreme hydrological events in selected regions of the world.Week 5 Lecture 5 (2 hours): River regimes and their classification.Practical classes 4 (2 hours): Analysis of river regimes in different parts of the world.Week 6 Lecture 6 (2 hours): Lakes – basic terminology. Classification of lakes by origin. Basic morphometric characteristics of lakes. Role of lakes in water circulation. Selected lakes of the world.Week 7 Lecture 7 (2 hours): Swamps and glaciers – their origin, morphology and typology. Role of swamps and glaciers in water circulation. Selected swamps and glaciers of the world.Week 8 Lecture 8 (2 hours): Water resources of the world.Practical classes 5 (2 hours): Assessment of water resources in selected regions of the world.Week 9 Lecture 9 (2 hours): Oceans and seas – distribution of continents and oceans on the Earth. Classification of seas. Chemistry of ocean and sea water (salinity). Sediments. Waves, tides and currents.Week 10 Final written test (2 hours).

Reading list