An understanding of water is becoming increasingly important in relation to: water supply and demand; water quality in multi-use catchments; human health; and, ecosystem maintenance. The terrestrial water cycle is both controlled by the landscape and creates landforms; the study of geomorphology assists in understanding the movement of water in the landscape.
The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of the water cycle, the hydrologic processes and landforms that are significant for using and managing the environment. The course not only examines water quantity and quality in terms of both surface and groundwater systems and processes, but also how water shapes the landscape through physical and biogeochemical processes. In addition, the course examines the impacts of anthropogenic and natural factors on the pathways that water takes and the value of the resource.
Practicals, workshops and field work provide opportunities to develop skills in sampling, analysing and presenting data that relate to catchment characteristics and processes.
Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- describe hydrological and associated geomorphic processes, and their importance in environmental management
- interpret the relationships between water and the regolith which control landform evolution and water quality
- explain principles of, and demonstrate field skills in, hydrological and geomorphic measurement
- describe and compare practical examples of hydrology and landscape in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region
- appreciate the relationship between raw data and the interpretation(s) that stem from them, and how limited or poor quality data influence management decisions.
- assess how the balance between water availability, supply and quality informs natural resource management.
- predict the interactions between water and landform under a range of different scenarios
Indicative Assessment
•Practical exercises to demonstrate use of basic mathematics and statistics in hydrology and landform evolution (30%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4,5,6)
•Group based field study and individual report to demonstrate field skills and data analysis (30%; LO 2, 3, 4, 5)
•Research essay (40%; LO 1, 2, 3,5, 6)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
65 contact hours comprising lectures, practicals and fieldwork
.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Davie, T. (2008) Fundamentals of Hydrology, Routledge, London.
Strahler, A. (2010) Introducing Physical Geography, Wiley, 5th edition.
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3096 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4146 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2389 | 16 Feb 2015 | 06 Mar 2015 | 31 Mar 2015 | 29 May 2015 | In Person | N/A |