Hydrogeology

Course ID: D8601328

Credits: 3

Objective: This course is aimed at providing the student with a comprehensive introduction to the most important topics in groundwater hydrology/hydrogeology. This course will prepare students to analyze groundwater flow processes taking into account aquifer properties, basic hydraulic factors, geologic controls, and their temporal and spatial interactions. Mastery of concepts relies on quantitative analysis.

Course Prerequisites: Calculus 

Outline:

Introduction to hydrogeology, hydrologic cycle, and issues of hydrogeology

Properties of aquifers

Principles of groundwater flow (confined aquifer)

- Darcy’s law and equations of groundwater flow

- steady/transient flow, boundary conditions, and flow nets

Principles of groundwater flow (unconfined aquifer)

- Dupuit assumption and equations of groundwater flow

Principles of groundwater flow (unsaturated zone and fractured rock)

Groundwater flow to wells

- confined/unconfined aquifer and Theis formula

- superposition and bounded aquifers

Hydraulic testing – models, methods, and application

Soil moisture and groundwater recharge

Regional groundwater flow and groundwater geology

Groundwater modeling – numerical methods

- finite-difference method

- finite-element method

MODFLOW

Teaching Method:  

Lecture notes and the oral presentation of key concepts followed by problem-solving

Reference:  

Schwartz and Zheng, Fundamentals of Ground Water, Wiley, 2008.

Domenico and Schwartz, Physical and Chemical Hydrogeology, Wiley, 2008.

Fetter, Applied Hydrogeology (4th Edition), Prentice Hall, 2000.