Foundations of Physical Hydrology

Foundations of Physical Hydrology A Provisional Overview of GE/ES 58 (Provisional Planning Guide as August, 2006) Jack Hermance, Instructor Lynn Carlson (GIS Instructor) Links to Relevant Material: Course Theme The GIS Component Tools of Hydrology Themes of Student Presentations, Discussions and Projects Provisional Lecture/Lab/Discussion Topics (Examples) Hydrology in its Local, Regional, National and Global Context Examples of Possible Course or Longer Term Individual Student or Group Projects Rivers of the World: The Impact of Hydrology on Mankind ( History, Culture, Development, Disasters, Folklore and Fiction ) Course Theme “Hydrology” is the study of water in all of its manifestations, and the impact of water processes on natural and human events – past, present and future. This course is directed to students at all levels in the humanities, social sciences, political sciences and environmental sciences who wish to develop a fundamental background in how water moves through the environment; the nature of water, and how water affects and is affected by landforms, climate, wildfires and a variety of other natural and anthropogenic forcing terms. Lectures, labs, student discussions and projects on the tools and consequences of hydrologic investigations will consider environmental, social, cultural, political and historical examples of water-related events and phenomena in the context of their underlying physiographic/geomorphic controls. The objective of the course is two-fold: 1) To develop an informed cadre of citizen advocates to deal with the techno-scientific versus political underpinnings of increasingly significant water issues at local, state, national and international levels; 2) To introduce students to, and provide background for, a range of fundamental topics in water science from which they might draw future interest in upper level courses, individual research topics, senior theses, post-baccalaureate education and/or professional activities. Note: The theme of the course this year will emphasize the tools of hydrology, and how one uses the results of applying these tools to better understand the role of water in nature and human affairs. All students will have a brief, hands-on introduction to GIS as it relates to qualitative hydrology. Individual students may elect to continue in developing GIS skills, but this will be optional, not required. Some math will be used to illustrate physical relations, but those who are “mathematically-challenged” may opt out of those exercises without penalty by proposing an alternative plan. Themes of Student Presentations, Discussions and Projects Students will explore the literature, current media and the internet to emphasize the physical context of the following: Geography of water Rivers in history, literature, culture The triad of water supply (precipitation, rivers and groundwater) Issues of water excess or insufficiency Water conflicts (Middle East, S. Asia, U.S./Mexico, Intra-National) Wildfires, floods, drought and agriculture (What went wrong before/during/after Katrina?) Water usage policies (protection vs. development)

Provisional Lecture/Lab/Discussion Topics (Examples ) Introduction: Tools of Hydrology (from global GIS to sampling soil cores). Global Teleconnections: Climatology, Oceanography and Geomorphology. “Weather” is what happens every day, … “climate” is everything else. Physiography of the Earth’s surface. Hydrology is driven by landforms. Causes of physical landforms. How we got where we are: Mountains, plains, deserts, lakes, and stream beds. Tools of Hydrology. Cartographic representations Spheres, spheroids and projections Maps and data bases GIS: An integrated framework for interactively exploring maps, spatial relations and data bases. Field Instruments (Which do you want to use in the field/lab?) Rain gages. Evaporation pans. Augurs. Snow pack monitoring. Infiltrometers. Tree rings. Lysimeters. Gravimetric soil water content. Potentiometers and monitoring wells. Geochemical tracers. Soil moisture monitors. Level transits. Tensiometers. Streamflow (tracers, stages, flow meters, bubblers, floats, Doppler). Water level meters (tapes and loggers (vented and unvented)). Remote sensing. Active versus passive monitoring. Aircraft versus satellites. Photographic and near-infrared imaging (largely digital). Passive (radiometer) thermal sensing. SAR: Synthetic aperture radar. Elevation (radar/lidar). Spectral reflectance (vegetation, minerals and land cover in general). Vegetation levels (i.e. chlorophyll). Land cover classification. Soil moisture. Geophysical exploration (magnetic, electromagnetic and radiometric mapping). Lab Tools (see also GIS). Data from Public and Private Sector Repositories. Computer graphics. Vectors, lines, bit-maps in 2D and 3D, with animations. Statistical Methods and Applications. Climate monitoring and prediction. Extreme events. Mathematical Models. Hydrology in its Local, Regional, National and Global Context (Class Discussion and Presentations). The Triad of Water Supply: Precipitation, Rivers and Groundwater. Rivers of the World. Rivers of History. Rivers of Literature. Floods, Droughts, Wildfires, Storms and Other Water Catastrophes. Hydrologic Models. Unique Physio-Chemical Properties of Water. Concept of Residence Times.

2 Geomorphology of Landforms. A quick tour of global geology. Contemporary features from past glaciations. Development of soils. Effects of geomorphology on hydrology. Mass wasting (landslides,etc.) Impacts of Diversions. (Aral Sea) Wildfires. Biological factors Hydrological factors Topographical factors Mass movement/Mudslides/Landslides/Creep. Water Transport. Streambed scouring; Beach erosion; Stream channel morphology.

Examples of Possible Course or Longer Term Individual Student or Group Projects

GE/ES0058 Foundations of Physical Hydrology The following list of topics represent suggested themes for term (or longer) research projects. For your specific project, you might prefer to propose a variation on these themes. Some of these might serve as the basis for follow-on special topics research courses. A common concern of hydrologists (and all environmental planners) is the impact of a short term climatic change on hydrologic resources. (One might, of course, be interested in the long term impacts of climatic variations of hydrology, but that usually requires extremely long periods of record, or, lacking the necessary technical information, a highly motivated political agenda.) Develop a GIS map of your study area: North America, the world, a region (e.g. the Sahel; Brazil or other rain forest), a local catchment or obe of personal interest (Ten Mile R watershed; Blackstone R; Colorado R.; Rio Grande; Red R. (of the north? of the south?)). Construct a map of a principal climatic variables for an extended period of record (20 years minimum). Would elevation be a significant factor in constructing the base map? Highways; cities; state lines (or political boundaries in general); population? Plot up relative change information on your selected variable (or variables; requiring some judgment on your part regarding time intervals, etc.), presenting your synopsis in an aesthetically pleasing format through which the concepts can be readily assimilated visually. Remember, you can add auxiliary graphs, tables and maps to your presentation. The final product need not be a poster presentation format, but might be a dynamic map, a PowerPoint, or a variety of alternatives. But, ... the final product should be a "stand-alone" presentation that the viewers can review on their own without the producer's interaction. Discuss the differences between the catchment areas delineated for the 10 Mi R watershed in near by Massachusetts, from the Mass-GIS (sgtenm.exe & cltenm.exe) and RIGIS (senehuc). From previous years (adapted from GE 158): (Suggestions only; you are encouraged to come up with your own activity.)

3 Above and beyond the core component of this course, students are encouraged to pursue virtually any aspect of physical hydrology as it relates to the theme of our inquiry. Of particular interest are data analysis, computer modeling and scientific visualization of surface and/or subsurface flow processes in local watersheds.

Of prime interest are the watersheds of the Southeast New England Uplands, primarily the 1) Palmer River 2) Runnins River 3) Ten Mile River 4) Blackstone River 5) Block Island 6) Pawtuxet River 7) Pawcatuck River 8) Thames River (CT) 7) Connecticut River

Develop a first-order hydrological model of Block Island

Apply one or more measurement technique to quantify hydrological processes: Theory and/or practical implementation • Determine from field observations: — Hydraulic conductivity/transmissivity of one of our target watersheds — Whether a stream is gaining or losing — Use a set of nested monitoring wells to determine magnitude and direction of local groundwater flow beneath a stream Vertical (upward or downward) Horizontal (toward stream or away from stream) — Infiltration properties of surface materials above the water table • Measuring hydrological parameters during one or more specific hydrological "events" such as Storms Spring "meltdown" Periods of extended precipitation or drought Parameters: Water levels in streams and/or existing wells Stream flow Precipitation Water quality (characteristics) • Install & "develop" a monitoring well • Select a section of roadway and investigate subsurface contamination from highway salting operations • Is a specific reservoir charging or discharging the adjacent groundwater system?

Evaluate published data and modeling base on a specific watershed, river system, or stream

Review & critique a published groundwater study Watershed Wetlands Groundwater Contaminant migration Remediation of contaminant release

Hydrology & arid lands (including desertification).

Remote sensing as a means of assessing hydrological processes (on local, regional, national or global scales).

Critique status of Johnson Landfill (and/or others) & its (their) impact on the local groundwater system.

Critique existing assessments of surface and ground water resources in the Slatersville Reservoir Area (North Smithfield, RI), and the potential (present?) impact of existing superfund sites.

Quantify the hydrological context of issue(s) confronted by a specific community.

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4 Computer Modeling: Develop a computer program (or implement existing programs) to simulate one or more processes – Steady-state or episodic transient flow Natural flow in regional or local aquifer Streamflow generation & flooding Infiltration of the soil layer Induced flow from pumping well discharge or recharge Drainage & dewatering systems Pump & treat remediation

Evaluate traditional views of groundwater flow at the ocean land interface • Field investigations and/or • Computer models

Students Please Note: Computer modeling (of analytical or numerical forms), scientific visualization, and animation have such a wealth of applications to hydrology that the potential scope of such activity may be minimized if I identified only a few representative projects. If you are interested in scientific visualization, I would definitely like to brainstorm with you. Appropriate activities can be identified for all aspects of the hydrological cycle from global circulation to various components of watershed dynamics. If the student is interested in pursuing such an opportunity, please discuss it with the instructor as early in the semester as possible.

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Reconstruct the scenario for a hydrological event • Major event such as Hurricane Drought Mississippi floods Wildfire outbreak • "Typical" event such as Normal storm Seasonal precipitation Spring meltdown

Assess a hydrological event that is meaningful to you, personally.

Within the technical framework developed in this course, develop a packaged informational presentation. This might consist of GIS data base PowerPoint Slides Audio tapes VCR segments Overheads Computer-based scientific visualization (Include visuals w/ text documentation) Visual graphics Computer animation

A presentation (and/or hydrological activity) for a grade school or high school classroom. A presentation (and/or hydrological activity) for high school or grade school teachers.

Conduct interviews Public attitude toward hydrological issues Perceptions of practicing hydrologists or environmental professionals Scientists or engineers

5 Regulators Lawyers (Corporate or Tree-huggers) Science, policy, career issues

Construct a physical scale model of a specific hydrological phenomenon w/ associated analysis • Groundwater mounding beneath a precipitation event • Infiltration • Capture zone of recovery well contaminant plume from lighter-than-water and/or heavier-than- water components • Effect of vegetation — Runoff — Evapotranspiration — Groundwater levels during daily transpiration cycle

Develop an inventory of hydrological examples in southeast New England, or elsewhere, if convenient. (Drive and tramp around the countryside; access the internet, library; USGS & EPA, State agencies) – Reports – GIS data bases – Photographs – Slides – Video tapes – Text documentation

Develop an inventory of legislation, regulation and litigation relevant to southeast New England or a type area of your choosing • Midwest • Southwest • Mexico • African Sahel • Southeast Asia • Middle East

Measure infiltration properties of one or more materials in the field, or in the laboratory Sands Loam Tilled farmland Fallow farmland Gravels Mixed till Forest Grassland Construct, install & apply a rain gauge (hyetograph) Field characterize a watershed from its upland source to its outflow zone Construct & demonstrate a purging pump; apply to an actual well test

Develop and/or apply non-intrusive geophysical measuring techniques to monitor one or more groundwater processes Infiltration Depth to water table Groundwater mounding Direction of flow

6 Representative Rivers of the World: The Impact of Hydrology on Mankind (History, Culture, Development, Disasters, Folklore and Fiction)

Amazon Missouri Blackstone Niger Brahmaputra Nile Colorado Ob Congo Ohio Connecticut Orinoco Danube Po Don Rhine Dneiper Rio Grande (Colorado, New Mexico, Texas) Elbe Rivers of Texas (Folklore and History: Red, Euphrates Arkansas, Pecos, Canadian, Brazos, etc.) Ganges Seine Huang (Yellow) Snake Hudson Tagus Indus Thames Indus Tigres Jordan Volga Lena Yangtze Letta Yenisey Mekong Zambezi Mackenzie Mississippi