watersheds icon 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)

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.