Overview

Groundwater is a critical resource and an essential component of the natural environment. This unit addresses groundwater flow and the hydrological cycle, groundwater chemistry and the origins of solutes in water, use of isotopic tracers to understand hydrological processes, the interaction between groundwater and surface water, groundwater as a resource, … For more content click the Read More button below.

Offerings

S2-01-CLAYTON-ON-CAMPUS

Rules

Enrolment Rule

Contacts

Chief Examiner(s)

Professor Ian Cartwright

Unit Coordinator(s)

Professor Ian Cartwright

Notes

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Scheduled teaching activities and/or workload information are subject to change in response to COVID-19, please check your Unit timetable and Unit Moodle site for more details.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1.

Describe the physical movement of water within the hydrological cycle;

2.

Determine the origins of solutes in water and how solute chemistry informs our understanding of hydrological processes;

3.

Discuss concepts of groundwater residence times and how these impact on the sustainable management of water resources;

4.

Explain the role of groundwater in maintaining river flows and sustaining ecosystems;

5.

Indicate the main threats to groundwater, including pollution, pumping, and climate or land use change and also be able to identify management and mitigation strategies.

6.

Interpret and integrate hydrological data.

Teaching approach

Field trips
Active learning
Online learning
Enquiry-based learning
Problem-based learning

Assessment

1 - Integrated groundwater geochemistry exercise
2 - Groundwater-river interaction exercise
3 - Contamination posters
4 - Moodle quizzes and in-class assessments
5 - Fieldtrip report
6 - Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes)

Scheduled and non-scheduled teaching activities

Applied sessions
Lectures
Practical activities

Workload requirements

Workload

Learning resources

Technology resources

Other unit costs

Costs are indicative and subject to change.

One day field trip (end of week 8) to Daylesford. No cost to student. Adequate clothing and protective footwear (closed) appropriate for field work and working outdoors MUST be worn at all times. These are student costs which should be considered when enrolling in this unit.
A lunch stop will be made where food can be purchased.

Availability in areas of study

Earth science
Environmental science
Geographical science