Questionnaire to Faculty on Suggested Content
(To be completed electronically, and attached to return e-mail.)
Name of Respondent: ____(Please fill in name electronically)____
Foundations of Physical Hydrology:
Watershed Dynamics & Groundwater Flow
Geological Sciences 58
Environmental Studies 58 (?? Has this been authorized ??)
SPRING ‘06
Semester II; 2005-2006
Synopsis: Qualitative introduction to the dynamics of watersheds and
groundwater flow from an intuitive perspective. Lays the foundations for
understanding the physical mechanisms by which water is transported throughout
a hydrologic system. Provides background for future studies, but is primarily
designed to enable informed citizens to thoughtfully critique water management
practices and public policy. Pre-college math and physics background is expected.
Version Approved by CCC: January 26, 2005
Date of Questionnaire: November 3, 2005
John F. Hermance (“Jack”)
Professor of Geophysics
Department of Geological Sciences
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912-1846
Office: Room 167
Geo/Chem Building
324 Brook Street
Tel.: 401-863-3830
Fax: 401-863-2058
e-mail: John_Hermance@Brown.Edu
__________________________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
Course Description
A qualitative introduction to all aspects of physical hydrology, with emphasis on the dynamics of watersheds and
groundwater flow. The basic goal of the course is to develop the underpinning concepts of watershed hydrology to a
level at which students can intuitively assess and critique the technical aspects of fundamental water issues. Our
primary objective is to provide the introductory level undergraduate student with the qualitative background and
practical experience for more advanced undergraduate activity in the future, such as an advanced course or seminar,
independent research, senior thesis, or other such capstone experiences in their Brown career.
Topics will include precipitation, infiltration, overland flow, streamflow generation and the interaction between
surface waters and groundwater with a view toward understanding mechanisms of flood generation, droughts,
practical aspects of well drilling, installing monitoring wells, the development of groundwater supplies, contaminant
migration, remediation and water supply protection. Lectures and group discussions will develop the underlying
physical principles, and will extend an intuitive view of these processes to predictive models. Depending on
available university resources, field and laboratory exercises will provide practical, hands-on experience in observing
specific hydrological processes and measuring fundamental parameters. Although some exercises and labs will
involve computer applications (such as Excel, etc.), familiarity with computers is not required. Students may elect to
either select or be assigned an individual or small group research project on a topic (or topics) of their choice to
adapt the course material to their own personal interests and/or needs.. The credit for this might range from a few
percent to as much as 15% of the final grade. (In exceptional cases, arrangements might be made for one or more
term projects to count toward a larger percentage of the final grade — see Instructor before mid-semester.)
Active class participation is expected in discussions of formal course material, related reports in the media (usually,
but not necessarily, current), the technical literature and on the Internet. Students will be judged on their interest
level, participation and development, not on their preexisting quantitative background. Inquiries concerning the
class are welcomed by the instructor (Jack Hermance; Office: GeoChem 167, xt 3830; e-mail:
John_Hermance@Brown.Edu).
Prerequisites: Pre-college math and physics, or permission of the instructor. Cannot be taken in addition to GE/ES
158.
Required Texts:
Main Text: To be decided and announced following the return of this questionnaire..
w/ Hermance, J. F., Typed Course Notes and PowerPoints, 2005.
Note to Respondents to this Questionnaire: Hydrology at Brown might well be a most unique program. Don’t you
think? Are you part of it? This questionnaire not be a one-way, one-time exchange of views. I would welcome an ongoing dialog with specific (or collective) members of the Brown Community regarding all aspects of water issues,
and in particular, how I, personally, might help our students – undergraduate and graduate – come to grips with these
concerns. I do have students who go to far-off places and serve humanity with better water supplies. In my view, all
citizens should be empowered with a fundamental knowledge of the physical behavior of water. How can we do this?
I welcome your views here, and would enjoy an on-going dialog if you so choose.
Any initial or final comments (optional but welcome)?
Comments:__(Please insert comment here)__
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Provisional Schedule of Topics by Week
(Detailed outline of Each Topic is in Syllabus)
PART I. PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL HYDROLOGY
Week 1:
Partitioning of Water in the Global Environment: The Hydrologic Cycle
Relative Distribution of Water in the Earth's Environment
Watersheds: Fundamental units of hydrology
Week 2
Mass Balance in the Water Cycle:
Summary of Surface & Subsurface Flow Generation
PART II. WATERSHED DYNAMICS: INTERACTION AMONG
THE COMPONENTS
Week 3
Precipitation
Evapotranspiration
Week 4
Infiltration, Depression Storage & Overland Flow
Wetlands
Week 5 & 6
Streamflow Generation
PART III. WATER IN THE SUBSURFACE
Week 7 & 8
Hydrologic nature of the geologic environment
Fundamental Concepts of Ground-Water Flow
Week 9
Visualizing flow patterns in the subsurface
Week 10
Physical Processes in Aquifers
Subsurface flow to a discharging (recharging) well
Well tests and monitoring wells
Regional Flow Patterns
Hydrology of coastal regions
Week 11 & 12
Water Quality
Watershed Pollution & Contaminant Migration
Overview of water moving through the environment
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Questionnaire Section I. Overall Scope of Material
(At a minimum, if you can take a few minutes, please complete this first page and return form.)
The following “modules” should be considered important components of a course for this audience.
Physical Controls on Regional ( > 50,000 km2) Surface and Subsurface Water Flow Patterns
Classic drainage basins of the world
Classic groundwater aquifers
Patterns of deep water flow from mountain recharge zones to river basins.
Great Plains drainage and regional topography of the U.S. west of the Mississippi
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Hydrological Consequences of the Interaction between Global Atmospheric Circulation and Continental
Physiography
The Sahel
Great Basin of the Western U.S
Australian Outback
Tropical (and Temperate) Rain Forests
Atlantic Hurricane Belt
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Watersheds: Fundamental Units of Hydrology
(Watersheds are to hydrology as atoms are to modern physics)
Developing a fundamental insight into the movement and interaction of water from its influx as precipitation to
its partitioning into surface runoff, groundwater flow and evapotranspiration. There is an intimate coupling
between groundwater and surface waters. In the last years there have been significant revisions of classical
concepts of the “water cycle”. In the modern view, the paradigm calls for virtually all rain water instantly
becoming groundwater, not surface water runoff, nor evaporated. Stream runoff from storms begins as
groundwater flow, not surface water runoff. If, in a specific aquifer, the waterlevel in one monitoring well is
higher than that in another, one cannot be assured that groundwater is flowing from the high-level well to the
low-level well. The understanding of these principles is essential to understanding the natural setting of our
environment, and ultimately for its responsible management.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Continental Runoff at the Estuary/Ocean Interface
Ghyben-Herzberg Model; Sea water intrusion of coastal aquifers – effects of over-pumping
Restoration/protection of coastal fresh water aquifers through injection wells
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Watershed Pollution & Contaminant Migration
"Point source" pollution
Chemical & fuel spills (or leaks)
Landfills
Waste treatment facilities
Septic systems
"Non-point" or distributed contaminant sources
Agricultural: Feedlots; Fertilized fields
Community: Pesticides & herbicides; Composite septic fields
Mitigating contaminant migration
Recovery wells
"Capture zones"
Dispersal, soil "washing" and biodegrading
Pump-and-treat
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
(Thanks for your input. Can you pass along your thoughts on “equations”(??) on the next page?)
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Questionnaire Section 2. General Expectations
(At a minimum, if you can take a few minutes, please complete this first page and return form. )
All of the following items regard potential expectations of the student at the end of the course. I would not expect,
any specific background or skills of the student upon entering the course, beyond the level of high school math and
physics that Brown expects from all entering freshmen. Graduate credit will be available to a graduate student from
any department upon their research advisor (or delegate) submitting such a request (with a statement of any specific
expectations) in writing (e-mail will do). Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
By the end of the semester, students should be expected to develop graphic materials (graphs, maps, report figures)
with a quality suitable for term projects, theses and publication in the refereed literature.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Students should be expected to convert physical units among various conventional standards (cfs to m/s, pounds to
kilograms, square miles to square kilometers, acres to hectares, etc.).
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Students should be expected to specify values for parameters in hydrological relations (i.e. equations or formulae),
and to solve for predicted quantities (e.g. Darcy’s Law; Manning’s relation, etc.)
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Students should be expected to use algebra and trigonometry1 to manipulate fundamental hydrological relations, in
order to rearrange “knowns” and “unknowns”, and to combine several standard relations into a single “new”
relation.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
It is important for students to be exposed to the elements of physics related to hydrology.
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
It is important for students to be exposed to the elements of calculus related to hydrology2.
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Students should be exposed to the elements of numerical modeling in hydrology, such as finite difference methods
for surface flow and subsurface flow relations3.
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Laboratory exercises would be a useful “hands-on” adjunct to the lecture and class discussion material.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
(Thanks for your input; please continue if you have time. Or return what you have completed.)
1 There are no written exams; so most of these mathematical skills will be employed in lectures, and few in specific homework
assignments where the student will have ample opportunity to minimize any confusion through discussions with the Instructor
or teaching assistant(s).
2 Primarily for lectures. Students would not be expected to use calculus extensively on any homework assignment.
3 More details on modeling opportunities are included in Section 3 of this questionnaire.
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Questionnaire Section 3. Detailed Expectations
(It is not essential that you complete this section, but it would be much appreciated. )
In the following, we will be dropping the preamble “By the end of the semester, students should be expected to”.
PART I. PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL HYDROLOGY
Partitioning of Water in the Global Environment: The Hydrologic Cycle
Multiple uses of, and demands on, water
Water as a consumable resource
Global fresh water usage patterns
Water availability
Water-stressed countries
Water-scarce countries
The above topics, dealt with briefly, provide a useful overview of present and future global water demands.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Watershed Delineation and Characterization
(Students should be able to) trace out by hand the boundaries of a watershed using a conventional USGS contour
map.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Access terrain elevations in digital form (Digital Elevation Models or DEMs) and develop publication quality
flat (2D) and wireline mesh three dimensional (3D) topographic maps.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Trace out, and graphically delineate, a watershed (catchment) boundary in digital form, and overlay the result on
a DEM.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Be able to statistically assess the physical attributes of a watershed (catchment) boundary in digital form (area,
extreme differences in elevation, average (and median) gradients, etc.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Mass Balance in the Water Cycle (One of the Fundamental Relations in Hydrology):
This module considers the concept of water balance and the conservation condition (with sources).
Students should be exposed to (but not held responsible for reproducing, unless they would like to) the concept of an
integral as a physical summation of a material or process:

Closed Surface
 Flux through a surface   dA  
  Rate at which water is increasing per unit volume  dV .
Volume
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
In discussing elements of the hydrologic cycle (precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, runoff, etc.),
students should understand the concept of various residence times, and the bases by which they are
computed: Residence Time  Volume / Rate of Inflow .
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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PART II. WATERSHED DYNAMICS: INTERACTION AMONG
THE HYDROLOGIC COMPONENTS
Discussion of the fundamental concepts, observational data, model simulations, & predictions.
General Expectations
Be able to access a variety of hydrologically-related climate data (precipitation, stream discharge, temperature,
wind, station-location, etc.) archived in digital form on the web and CD-ROMs for purposes of presentation and
analysis.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Be able to use basic statistics to convert raw data observations into recurrence intervals and exceedence
probabilities (e.g. convert daily precipitation data into probabilities for 10, 50 and 100 year storms; or daily
streamflow into 25, 50, 100 and 500 year floods)4.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Employ a basic understanding of time series analysis (spectral analysis, lagged crosscorrelations, effects of
undersampling, etc.),
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Have at least a qualitative understanding of the merits and pit-falls of various interpolation algorithms (splines
versus linear, etc.) as applied to plotting data on graphs as well as for gridding surface 2D data.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Precipitation
Convert reported precipitation into depth of precipitation, and total volume units..
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Construct Thiessen diagrams by hand..
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Digitally construct Thiessen diagrams by computer (GIS).
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Evapotranspiration
Employ estimates of temperature, solar radiation, wind, and humidity to predict daily evapotranspiration rates at
various latitudes (and elevations).
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
4 This expectation would enable the student to appreciate the utility (and pitfalls) of using statistics to forecast processes into
regimes where there are no data.
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Infiltration, Depression Storage & Overland Flow
Measure infiltration rates in the field.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Measure infiltration rates in the field.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Be able to combine information on hydraulic conductivity as a function of soil water content in the unsaturated
zone to predict the rate of vertical water movement.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Be familiar with the fundamental premises of the Green-Ampt and Richards’ relations.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Overland flow regimes are dramatically different for laminar or sheet flow and turbulent flow (for example the
vertical profiles of lateral flow velocities are significantly different). Students should have a basic
familiarity with Reynold’s number criteria for predicting the conditions when flow changes from one regime
to the other.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Use Manning’s relation to predict runoff under various surface conditions and topographic gradients.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Wetlands
Have a qualitative understanding of the interaction of wetlands with the watertable (and groundwater withdrawal
or replenishment) and nearby streams.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Streamflow Generation
Measure total stream discharge (cfs; see footnote5) using a flowmeter, weir or stream stage.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Baseflow recession
Have a fundamental knowledge of the controls on a stream’s flow velocity, such as channel radius, flow
gradient, channel roughness.
I agree.
I disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Use hand techniques for separating the components (pre-storm, enhanced baseflow, and stormtime quickflow) of
a hydrograph.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Develop streamflow statistics (peak flow probabilities, hundred year floods, etc.) from observed daily discharge
records.
5 Cubic feet per second; the standard national unit for discharge employed by the USGS.
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please inset comment here)__
Develop “S-curve” stormflow records and unit hydrographs for storm event flow.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Apply student-developed unit hydrographs to actual precipitation records to predict storm event flow.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
The following are significant components of streamflow processes for this audience
Stormflow routing (e.g. the Muskingum method)
Flood generation as the superposition of
flow through linear reservoirs
Sediment transport
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
I agree.
I agree.
I disagree
I disagree
No opinion.
No opinion.
PART III. WATER IN THE SUBSURFACE
Hydrologic nature of the geologic environment
Have a fundamental knowledge of the geologic setting (soils, physiography, glaciated?, etc.) of various classes
of groundwater flow processes.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Fundamental Concepts of Ground-Water Flow
Relate the following relations or parameters to groundwater flow:
Conservation condition
I agree.
Darcy's law
I agree.
Pressure and hydraulic head
I agree.
Hydraulic conductivity
I agree.
Inhomogeneous versus anisotropic media
I agree.
Refraction of fluid flow
I agree.
Flow with sources and sinks
I agree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
Be able to represent (i.e. visualize) flow patterns in the subsurface:
Contours of hydraulic head
I agree.
I disagree
Contours of flow direction
I agree.
I disagree
Flowlines and flow nets
I agree.
I disagree
“Zones of influence” for wells
I agree.
I disagree
Construct patterns of subsurface flow from observations of the hydraulic head in
monitoring wells
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Physical Processes in Aquifers
Have a basic understanding of the following concepts:
Compressibility, pore pressure and effective stress as related to aquifer characteristics.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Transmissivity, storativity & specific yield.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Confined vs unconfined flow.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Simple steady-state models for confined and unconfined flow.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Unconfined flow with regional recharge.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Unconfined flow with regional recharge.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Well pumping tests
Analyze a steady-state pumping test to determine acquifer transmissivity.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Analyze a transient drawdown pumping test to determine acquifer specific storage and transmissivity.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
The following “module” should be considered important components of a course for this audience.
Water Quality
Physical properties of water (specific heat, latent heats, viscosity, etc.)
Dissociation & solubility of chemical elements in the hydrosphere
Water Quality
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Other aspects of potential material for a course at this level
Examples of possible labs/field work:
Darcy flow using steady-flow and falling head permeameters
Measure infiltration rates in the lab/or field
Use a water level meter to determine a local hydraulic gradient
Construct and install a screened monitoring well
Techniques of soil coring/sampling
Soil properties -- sieving
Soil properties – soil water content (SWC)
Retentivity/Drainability (specific discharge)
Hydric potential and capillarity
Characteristic time constants of linear reservoirs
Measure stream discharge
Monitor evapotranspiration
Well pumping test
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I agree.
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
I disagree
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
No opinion.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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Computational Skills:
Exhibit a basis ability to use GIS techniques for visually assimilating watershed parameters and processes.
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
It is extremely important for students at this level to be exposed to “industry-standard” computer applications such
as the following:
Groundwater; one or more of the following:
Modflow
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Modpath
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Surface flow; one or more of the following:
TopModel
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
SCS TR-20
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
HEC-1
5) Strongly agree.
4)
3)
2)
1)
0) Strongly disagree.
Comments (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
The “Textbook”:
Should be simple and readable, without a great deal of theoretical background
.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Should be relevant to the course material, but go into greater depth and serve as a reference for the students in the
future.
I agree.
I disagree
No opinion.
Comments – or suggestions (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comment here)__
Overall Closing Comments by Respondent (optional but welcome):__(Please insert comments here)__
_______________________
© John F. Hermance: November 8, 2005
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