Geography 549
Water and Watersheds
Home Page
(Spring 2011)
TTH 12:30-
1:45 pm
Callcott Building, Room 101
Instructor: Dr. Allan
James (777-6117; AJames@sc.edu)
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Links:
Links to Watershed-Related Internet Sites (suggestions
welcomed)
Most
course-related documents loaded onto Blackboard will be in the
Course Documents folder.
Brief Course Description
This course examines watersheds
from a geographic perspective. The focus is on physical aspects of
environmental systems that generate and receive water and sediment, and on
how humans interact with these systems. Topics are divided into four
areas: physical hydrology, erosion and sedimentation, water-related hazards, and
spatial analysis of watersheds. A historical perspective of human impacts
on watersheds will also be developed to increase appreciation for long time
scales; a perspective of increasing importance to sustainability science.
Physical
Hydrology: This part of the course emphasize surface-water
processes, runoff generation, and flow conveyance (evapotranspiration,
infiltration, runoff, channels, lakes, wetlands, etc.) as well as the
growing role of the hydrosphere in global-change studies. Hillslope
processes such as infiltration, Hortonian vs. saturated overland flow, shallow
subsurface storm flows, and the variable source-area model are examined. The
spatial nature of these processes is emphasized and how geographic approaches
can be used to simulate them.
Erosion and
Sedimentation: This section begins with a review of
water quality concepts, including basic constituents in water, sampling and
measurement methods, and the sources of nutrients and toxins. It is
followed by a focus on processes of non-point source pollution production.
The emphasis is on soil erosion and sedimentation and developing a watershed
perspective for managing these
processes.
Water-Related
Hazards: This section will focus on physical and technical
aspects of flood-risk assessment. Basics concepts of probability theory
will be applied to natural events; gauranteed to improve your understanding of
games of chance.
Geospatial
Analytical Techniques: Geographic tools will be interspersed
throughout the other three topics. Among other things, we will examine the
use of LiDAR technology for drainage network mapping, modeling of channel
networks with GIS, and use of the National Hydrographic Database
(NHD).
Anthropogenic
Impacts on Watersheds: Preconceived notions of human impacts on
watersheds in North America will be exploded. For example, the myths of
pristine pre-Columbian landscapes (aka, Garden of Eve fallacy) and
post-Colonial devastation, will be critically evaluated to ensure a realistic
understanding of high spatial, temporal, and cultural
variation.
This course is recommended for Earth science students
and environmental resources managers who want to develop a broad,
intuitive, and analytical understanding of processes interacting at the
watershed scale. Grades will be determined separately for undergraduate
and graduate students.
Page maintained by Allan James. Last
Updated Nov. 28, 2010.