In practice, hydrologists must quantify rates at which water is exchanged between the atmosphere, the ground and the ocean, and this often involves manipulating large amounts of data. As you will see, it's often fairly easy to lose sight of the conceptual part of the problem once you enter into the realm of mathematical techniques and data analysis. The course is structured around the hydrologic cycle, which you can picture as a set of linked processes that cycle water between the ocean, atmosphere and land surface. Specific topics and reading assignments are given in the schedule on the next page. Other details regarding the textbook, lab assignments, and grading policies are given below.
Attendance is mandatory.
Please be on time, and please don't switch from one lab to another. We will take several field trips depending on people's schedules, however, most labs will be techniques oriented. We won't go into great depth in developing skills in these areas, but the goal of the lab portion of the course is to give you an understanding of these skills and teach you how to apply them to specific hydrologic problems. Exams will cover material from the lectures and your textbook. Test questions will be short answer and essay.