Hydroclimatology

Catalog description

The course will cover four major themes and their specific methods. First, we will review the physical processes behind precipitation, cloud formation, and hydrological partitioning at small hydrological scales (small catchments and sub-basins) to understand how climate influences and is influenced by energy and water exchange at the planet's surface. Then, we will discuss how land use and coverage changes affect hydro-climatological processes at the regional scale (the size of the Mississippi River basin and a bit below) and how to measure the magnitudes of these changes via micro-meteorological techniques. At the larger synoptic scales, we will learn how climatic modes of variability – like ENSO – influence the hydroclimate. Finally, we will review probabilistic and stochastic methods to estimate hydrologic change from data and project the future with a resilient hydraulic infrastructure in mind. The successful completion of MATH 1210 and MATH 1220 and PHYS 1310 and 1320 or permission of the instructor is required for registration.