HYD 143 : Ecohydrology

Instructor:

Prof. Greg Pasternack, Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources

Course Description:

Movement and storage of water in forests, rangelands, wetlands, rivers, and developed lands as well as the integrated functioning of water and biota at the watershed scale, as revealed by observation studies and ecohydrological models.

Student Learning Objectives:

1. Students can conceptualize and write a water balance equation for any landscape setting on Earth accounting for water storage and flux components.
2. Student can understand and account for how biota influence the hydrologic cycle and vice versa in a variety of landscape settings on Earth.
3. Students can comprehend and evaluate how humans have impacted ecohydrology in a variety of landscape settings on Earth.
4. Students can describe and interpret the role of natural disturbance regimes in ecohydrology.
5. Students can define hydrological terms introduced in this course.
6. Students are proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel for hydrological analysis.
7. Students can describe the underpinnings of hydrological and ecological modeling at the watershed scale as well as explain how such models have been used to inform our understanding of ecohydrology.
8. Students will gain experience in setting up and running lumped hydrological modeling of a small catchment.
9. Students can creatively conceive of a scientific experiment in hydrology and communicate the essential elements of the scientific method associated with a proposed experiment through writing and public speech.

Video Podcasts

This course provides all of the faculty presentations as free, online video podcasts.  To view the videos, please go to the syllabus, select a topic by clicking on its hyperlink, and scroll down to either the 480p streaming video(s) or to the links to download the videos in different resolutions. All videos are also available on YouTube.

Textbook and Course Reader:

Baird, A.J. and Wilby, R.L. 1999. Eco-hydrology. Plants and water in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Routledge, Loundon, UK.

In addition, a course reader will be available.

• List of Supplemental Readings

Explanation of HYD143 Credit Hours

Version 1 adhering to the Carnegie Rules. 

This is a 4-unit “flipped” course where the bulk of the new instructional material is delivered outside of in-person class time and then points are clarified and discussed during the class sessions. The course meets in person 3 times per week for 1 hour (50 minutes). The preparatory instructional material consists of approximately 3 hours of video podcast watching (my flipped lecture material) and 3 hours of assigned readings: a combination of a textbook, a course reader, and supplemental articles, technical reports and other textbook excerpts. This portion of the course makes up 3 out of the 4 units of the course. In addition, students spend 3 additional hours outside of class (one additional unit’s worth of time) working on extensive problem sets, writing experimental designs for experiments they discuss with their peers in class discussion, and working on special assignments over weekends. This class has 16 lengthy problem sets, 3 experimental design group reports, and 5 weekend activities, requiring a significant amount of time outside the classroom on the student’s part. This portion of the course makes up the remaining 1 unit for a total of 4 units.

Version 2 itemizing units by hours of effort

According to the UC Davis General Catalog (see this link), units of credit are assigned to courses based on 1 unit of credit for three hours of work by the student per week. As of Fall 2017, HYD143 is a 4-unit course, so each item listed below is intended to be done 3 times each week, meaning that the course requires a total of 12 hours of activity each week.The total amount of material presented has been tested in past offerings of this class and students have confirmed that under normal circumstances the work can be achieved in 12 hours a week.

• One unit involves one hour of time three days a week outside of class dedicated to watching video podcasts on your own and submitting answers into the student response system on your own. There are three videos to watch per week, so this constitutes 3 hours per week for one unit of credit. The videos are ~50 minutes each, so this builds in an extra 10 minutes for re-watching portions that students want to think through a second time during additional studying and thought.
• One unit involves 50 minutes of contact time three days a week with the professor and other students in-class. During this time you will discuss the topics of the week in small groups and as a class as well as begin to work on problem sets and activities that build your professional skills and increase your confidence in understanding the concepts presented in the video podcasts.
• One unit involves one hour of time outside class dedicated to extensive problem solving three times a week.  There is a problem set or other activity for every class meeting (3 per week). Efforts begun in each class in discussion will normally require up to one additional hour to complete on your own.
• One unit involves one hour of time outside of class doing assigned reading three times a week.

Special Announcements:

07/28/16

• Because of my sabbatical during the 16-17 academic year, the next time this class will be run is winter 2018. This course is offered in alternate winter quarters, even numbered years.
• The course has been updated and approved to be delivered as a 4-unit class from now on.

Copyright Greg Pasternack 2002.

All federal and state copyrights reserved for all original material presented in this course through any medium, including lecture or print. Individuals are prohibited from being paid for taking, selling, or otherwise transferring for value, personal class notes made during this course to any entity without the express written permission of Greg Pasternack. In addition to legal sanctions, students found in violation of these prohibitions may be subject to University disciplinary action.