CVEN 5333
PHYSICAL HYDROLOGY
Spring 2007
Instructor:
R. Balaji (Balaji Rajagopalan) ECOT 541, (303) 492-5968,
balajir@spot.colorado.edu
Lectures:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00 – 3:15PM ECCR-131
Office hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00; (anytime on E-mail)
Textbook:
Physical Hydrology by Dingman, Prentice Hall
Supplementary Texts:
Bras, R. L., (1990), Hydrology, An introduction to hydrologic science, Addison Wesley, Reading, MA
Chow, V. T., D. R. Maidment and L. W. Mays, (1988), Applied Hydrology, McGraw Hill
George Hornberger, Elements of Physical Hydrology, Johns Hopkins University Press
Maidment, D. R., ed. (1993), Handbook of Hydrology, McGraw Hill
Viessman and Lewis, Introduction to Hydrology, Harper and Collins
(all of the above books are on reserve in the Engineering Library)
Prerequisites:
Undergraduate physics (understanding of forces, laws of motion, and thermal properties of matter) and
mathematics (calculus and algebra) and, basic computer literacy (e.g. analyze and plot data, spreadsheets,
programming)
Course Objectives:
To obtain an understanding and appreciation of hydrology as a quantitative science, describing the occurrence,
distribution and movement of water at and near the surface of the earth. Develop a sound intuitive and
quantitative understanding of the physical processes involved in the land phase of the hydrologic cycle.
Also, learn how to use this knowledge to address engineering problems related to water resources. Gain
exposure to current research issues regarding spatial and temporal scales of the hydrologic processes.
Broad Topics to be covered:
1.Introduction, hydrologic cycle, conservation laws, reservoir storage sizing
2.Climate system, energy balance, green house effect, El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Interannual
variability
3.Hydrologic processes – precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, Snow and Snowmelt processes
4.Runoff – Unit hydrograph, linear systems theory, flow routing
5.Catchment Hydrology, role of topography (TOPMODEL)
6.Introduction to scaling issues in hydrology, Land Atmospheric Interactions.
You will be exposed to tools for understanding and diagnosing climate variability in regional hydrology
which will be used in the class project.
I expect the students to take reading assignments seriously and also actively refer to suggested books and
papers
Grading:
Homework
Mid-term
Project
Finals
30%
20%
20%
30%
ENJOY THE CLASS!