Purdue University
Department of Agronomy
AGRY 598 Advanced Topics in Hydrology, Spring 2010
LILY 3-409, TTh 10:30 - 11:45 am
Course Description: This course is designed to serve as an advanced graduate course in
the statistical analysis of hydrologic data, including time series analysis and modeling,
frequency analysis and uncertainty. Prerequisites include an undergraduate class in
hydrology, water conservation or water resources (e.g. AGRY 337, CE 542), and STAT
511 or an equivalent. This class should be of interest to graduate students in a variety of
water-related disciplines, including Agronomy; Forestry and Natural Resources; Civil
Engineering, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; and Agricultural and Biological
Engineering.
Course Objectives:
 Become familiar with statistical methods used for hydrologic design, standard
time-series methods applied to the modeling of hydrologic variables and
uncertainty techniques.
 Relate observed statistical properties of hydrologic data to physical generation
processes.
 Develop a suite of research tools to analyze hydrologic change in response to
environmental changes.
Instructor Information:
Instructor: Dr. Laura Bowling
Office: LILY 3-337
Phone: 494-8051 (office)
E-mail: bowling@purdue.edu
Availability: I have an "open door" policy: if my office door is open, feel free to stop by
with any questions about the course, homework or readings. However, I am often not in
my office and email is often the best way of contacting me.
Text: There is no assigned text book for this class. Readings from a variety of sources
(book chapters and journal articles) will be distributed in class and via Blackboard Vista.
The following books provide good general reference for many of the topics to be covered
in class.Book chapters will be taken from the following references:
Box, G.E.P and G.M. Jenkins, Time Series Analysis, Forecasting and Control, HoldenDay, San Francisco, 553 p., 1970.
Bras, R.L. and I. Rodriguez-Iturbe, Random Functions and Hydrology, Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company, Reading, MA, 559 p., 1985.
Maidment, D.R., 1993, Handbook of Hydrology, McGraw-Hill Inc, New York.
Slas, J.D., J.W. Delleur, V. Yevjevich and W.L. Lane, Applied Modelling of Hydrologic
Time Series, Water Resources Publications, Littleton, CO, 484 p., 1980.
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Class Website: AGRY 59800-0027 has a website on Blackboard Vista. Point your
browser to https://blackboard.purdue.edu; log on using your Purdue University Career
Account username and password.
The website will primarily be used to provide copies of class lecture notes, assignments
and supplemental readings. Grades will also be posted on the site. Changes to the
syllabus and other announcements will also be posted on the site, so in particular if you
miss class, be sure to check the site for any announcements.
Homework Policy:
Honesty Policy: Students may consult with one another regarding completion of the
assignments; however each student is expected to turn in his or her own work. Any
outside sources used must be properly referenced in the style used by major journals in
your field of study. Academic dishonesty (i.e. plagiarism) will result in a zero grade for
the assignment, possible failure of the course, and reporting of the incident to the Dean of
Students for further action.
Reading Assignments and Class Participation: Reading assignments will either be
handed out in class or posted on the class website. The assignments should be read prior
to class and you should come to class prepared to discuss the readings.
Grading, Testing, and Student Evaluation Procedures:
There will be no formal examinations for this class. There will be six assignments to
illustrate the analysis methods learned in class, not all assignments have equal weight.
The total number of points is subject to change, but should not be substantially different
than follows:
AGRY 598 Grading System
Assignments 1, 4
Assignments 2, 3, 5, 6
Total
(Approximate Point Distribution)
50 points
100 points
500 points
Assignments 1-5 can be re-submitted following corrections. Course grades will be
assigned according to the percent of the total points earned following re-submission.
Students who earn 90% of the total points in the course will be guaranteed to receive an
A-, 80% a B-, 70% a C-, 60% a D-, and less than 60% an F. The instructor reserves the
right to lower the cut off percentages for grades.
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading
percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester
calendar or other circumstances. Information regarding changes in this course will be
available via the Blackboard Vista web page, email (bowling@purdue.edu), and my
office phone: 494-8051.
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Date
Jan 12
14
19
21
26
28
Feb 2
4
9
11
16
18
23
25
Mar 2
4
9
11
16
18
23
25
30
Apr 1
6
8
13
15
20
22
27
29
Preliminary Class Schedule
Topic
Assignment due
dates
Introduction
Statistical representation of hydrologic data
Flood Frequency Analysis
Assignment 1
Spectral Analysis
Assignment 2
Structure of hydrologic time series
Assignment 3
Time series modeling
Spring Break; No Class
Time series modeling, cont.
Assignment 4
Monte Carlo analysis and uncertainty
Assignment 5
Hydrologic forecasting
Assignment 6
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