Module Identifier WS20310  
Module Title DYNAMICS OF HYDROLOGICAL SYSTEMS  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Dr Stephen Tooth  
Semester Semester 2  
Course delivery Lecture   10 x 1 hr  
  Practical   5 x 1 hr  
Assessment Semester Exam   1 x 2 hr written examination   50%  
  Semester Assessment   5 problem sets   50%  
  Supplementary Exam   Resubmission of failed problem sets and/or resit of failed end of semester examinations    

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

  1. outline the main flow processes operating in river channels, on hillslopes and in the ground;
  2. describe how these flow processes interact with the movement of sediment in channels and on hillslopes;
  3. demonstrate how these flow and sediment processes and their interactions can be represented and analysed quantitatively.

Brief description

  1. Introduction: properties of fluids
  2. Principles of fluid flow in channels
  3. Flow resistance in channels
  4. Initiation of motion and onset of sedimentation in channels
  5. Mechanics and prediction of sediment transport in channels
  6. Principles of fluid flow on hillslopes
  7. Flow resistance on hillslopes
  8. Mechanics and prediction of sediment transport on hillslopes
  9. Principles of fluid flow in porous media
  10. Flow resistance in soil and groundwater

Problem set 1 - rigid boundary flow
Problem set 2 - stream power and shear stress
Problem set 3 - initiation of motion and bedforms in sand
Problem set 4 - prediction of sediment transport
Problem set 5 - overland flow

Aims

This module is designed to provide students with a conceptual, factual and practical introduction to the dynamics of hydrological systems, with particular reference to the flow of water and transport of sediment in channels, on hillslopes and in the ground (as soil or groundwater). The emphasis is on dynamics over short timescales and small areas, and how these dynamics can be represented quantitatively.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
French, R.H.. (1985) Open-Channel Hydraulics. McGraw-Hill, New York
** Consult For Futher Information
Shaw, E.M.. (1988) Hydrology in Practice. 2nd ed.. Chapman and Hall, London
Gordon, N.D., McMahon, T.A. and Finlayson, B.L.. (1992) Stream Hydrology: An Introduction for Ecologists. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 526pp. ISBN 0-471-93084-9

Articles
Yalin, M.S.. (1977) Mechanics of Sediment Transport. Pergamon Press, Oxford