| Semester 1, 2023 External | |
| Units : | 1 |
| School or Department : | School of Agriculture and Environmental Science |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
| Course fee schedule : | /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules |
Staffing
Course Coordinator: Afshin Ghahramani
Overview
Water comprises over 75% of the Earth鈥檚 surface and is essential to all life on earth. Many biophysical and human use processes are dependent on water and the water cycle. Fundamental knowledge of how physical and chemical components of water systems function and interact is essential for aquatic resource management and sustainability more broadly. This course introduces students to the water cycle and the diversity of aquatic systems, their properties and functions, both globally and in Australia. The course is of value to students seeking careers as water scientists, environmental scientists, engineers, field biologists, agricultural scientists, natural resource managers and professional ecologists.
The course aims to provide an understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of aquatic systems and the processes shaping them. The role of water and its interactions with other processes in shaping landscapes is examined. The course will explore the characteristics of water processes and examine the differences between lotic (fluvial) and lentic (freshwater) systems. The course will also provide an introduction to fundamentals of hydrology, including surface water hydrology, groundwater hydrology and ecohydrology. The role of water in shaping Australia's socio-ecological landscape will be discussed.
This course contains a Highly Recommended residential school at the Toowoomba campus for both external and on-campus students in the form of a two-day excursion to sites within the Toowoomba/Darling Downs region.
Course learning outcomes
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- explain and critically analyse the importance of water
- describe the water cycle and analyse the fundamental processes catchment scales;
- describe the diversity of aquatic systems and their distinguishing characteristics;
- describe the hydrological processes which control the occurrence, movement and distribution of water in the environment;
- explain the important physico-chemical and biological indicators of water quality and their application;
- analyse water quality and hydrological data from field and online sources and report results in a scientifically rigorous manner;
- communicate effectively on scientific literature relevant to aquatic systems.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Importance of water. Introduction to the water science industry | 10.00 |
| 2. | Global water cycle, hydrologic water cycle, water budgets | 10.00 |
| 3. | Introduction to surface water systems | 15.00 |
| 4. | Introduction to groundwater systems | 15.00 |
| 5. | Introduction to ecohydrology | 10.00 |
| 6. | Physio-chemical and biological indicators of quality | 15.00 |
| 7. | Water quantity & quality monitoring: field skills in hydrological measurement | 10.00 |
| 8. | Data analysis skills using practical examples to estimate the magnitude and frequency of hydrologic events | 15.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
Student workload expectations
To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.
Assessment details
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online forums | No | 10 | 1,7 |
| Presentation (ind, grp, mltmd) | No | 20 | 2,3,4,7 |
| Quiz | No | 35 | 2,3,4,5 |
| Report | No | 35 | 5,6,7 |