Module

Voraussetzungen

Inhalte

Freshwater bodies as ecosystems. • Streams and rivers: characteristics, functional compartments, floodplain, hyporheic zone, biota and coupled ecosystem functions, importance of lateral and longitudinal connectivity • Lakes and reservoirs: typology, genesis and importance as ecosystems and drinking water resource, limnic organisms, physical and chemical properties, biogeochemical turnover of matter, primary production, element cycles (C, N, P, S, Fe), matter balance, sediment-water interactions, interaction of organisms with water quality Main water quality problems related to agriculture, forestry, urbanization and mining. • Eutrophication, acidification, salinization, siltation, contamination • Civil engineering and degradation of streams and rivers • Expected impacts of global warming, neobiota • Principles of sustainable water management • Principles of lake diagnosis, modeling, quality assessment and evaluation as prerequisites for mitigation and restoration • EU Water Framework Directive Integrated Water Ressource Management (IWRM) in the world and the role of hydroinformatics tools and examples. • Hydrological catchment modelling tools based on GIS • Introduction to water quality modelling in rivers • River catchment modelling and management considering hydrology, surface runoff, percolation, evapotranspiration, transmission losses, pond and reservoir storage, crop growth and irrigation, groundwater flow, nutrient loading and transport using computer based systems such as SWAT Case study examples for exercises and assignments.

Lernziele

Understanding of water resource management in respect to water quantity and quality, analysis and evaluation of the impact by human infrastructure, knowledge on European dimension in water management and the water sector. Basic understanding in water resource and evironmental modelling concepts and techniques.

Prüfungsleistung

• Assignments (20%) • Written (120 min) and oral (30-45 min) examination (80%) The form and weighting of partial exams are bindingly determined in the first course weeks.

Bemerkungen

EuroAquae module: EA-1.3