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Apr 14, 2026
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ENVS 340 - Hydrology and Lab
Prerequisites: Take ENVS.103 or ENVS 104; Take MATH.136 with a C- or better or PMATH.213 or MATH.213 or consent of instructor
Corequisite: ENVS.340L - Hydrology Lab
Requirement Fulfillment: Fulfills and Environmental Systems Elective requirement or an elective requirement for ENVS majors. Fulfills an elective for ENVS minors.
Note: Offered alternating years.
Delivery: Lec/Lab
This course provides an in-depth study of the hydrologic cycle and the physical processes governing the movement and distribution of freshwater on Earth. Students will explore key topics such as precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, groundwater flow, and surface runoff, while gaining insight into both idealized hydrological systems and the complexity of human impacts on socio-environmental systems. The course will emphasize the physical principles behind water movement and storage, analysis of hydrologic data, and the methods employed to measure water across the terrestrial-aquatic interface. We’ll also dive into water resource management challenges such as flood risk analysis and control and the impacts of climate change, with consideration for the unequal distribution of risk to communities. The laboratory portion of the course provides hands-on opportunities to measure water fluxes and storage with a variety of instruments and techniques. The course culminates in a collaborative, student-designed research project in a local watershed.
4 credits
Spring
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