HYD151
Field Methods in Hydrology

WEEK 1

Lecture 01: Introduction to Field Hydrology

Outline:
Welcome
Overview of what the course will offer
Explanation of the structure of the course
Explain field logistics and safety issues
Discuss examples of field research


Textbook reading:
Chapter 1

Other reading:
Review this web site.

Wolman, M. G. 1995. Play: the handmaiden of work. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 20:585-591.download here

Related web links:
Groundwater Atlas of California, Nevada

Lecture 02: Global Positioning System

Outline:
Global Positioning System (GPS)
basic description of satelite network
principles of position identification
components of a GPS receiver
field exercise using GPS

Textbook reading:
Chapter 5

Other reading:
none.

Related web links:
Science-grade GPS manufacturers
Trimble
Leica Geosystems
Topcon Positioning

Lecture 03: Historical Analysis

Outline:
Why the need for historical analysis?
1. Monitoring only occurs over a short period, whereas hydrological processes may occur over long periods.
2. Things that appear as they do now may have been totally different in the past.
3. Episodic disturbances may be important but may not be observed during the proposed field monitoring campaign.
4. Impact of present human uses may depend on historic uses.
5. Identification of historic pathways provide indications of future pathways.
Objective of historical analysis
1. Understand the underlying problem.
2. Establish realistic goals for proposed/future field work.
3. Select appropriate study framework and measurement techniques.
Drainage basin delineation- click here for example
Overview of Homework #1
Data Sources for carrying out historical analysis

Textbook reading:
Chapter 6

Other reading:
none.

Here are some useful references:
1) Kondolf, G.M., and M. Larson. 1995. Historical channel analysis and its application to riparian and aquatic habitat restoration. Aquatic Conservation 5:109-126.
2) Alexander, R.B., Slack, J.R., Ludtke, A.S., Fitzgerald, K.K., Schertz, T.L. 1998. Data from selected U.S. Geological Survey national stream water quality monitoring networks.Water Resources Research 34:9:2401-2405.

Homework: Due 01/23/08 (2 weeks)
hyd151Exp1.doc
probpaper.pdf
study site schematic map
Folsom USGS quadrangle map download site
Full report format required (see Grading Info)

Topographic maps can be purchased in Sacramento at the following stores:
Mother Lode Dive Shop/Keene Engineering, 2020 H St. (916-446-4041)
Ogden Survey Equipment Company, 5520 Elvas Ave. (916-451-7253)
Recreation Equipment, Inc., 1790 Expo Pkwy (916-924-8900)
California Surveying Drafting Supply Inc., 4733 Auburn Blvd (916-344-0232)


Related web links:
Example of historical analysis
Is historical analysis used in government? EPA Watershed Analysis and Management (WAM) framework uses it

Is historical analysis used in the consulting and non-profit sector? SFEI study of Bay Area wetlands uses it

Here is an example of a scientific approach to historical analysis done to investigate centennial to millenia watershed sediment fluxes

Check out this movie of Population growth in the San Francisco Bay area

Check out these graphics showing the historic spread of urbanization over the landscape in Baltimore, MD, the larger Baltimore-Washington, DC metropolitan region, or Chicago, IL.
Notice the radial lines that indicate the construction of major pathways out of the city. These spurred "satellite" urban development in the region.


Hydrology Data Sources:
Instead of compiling a complete listing of everything out there on the web, I present the most important web sites for hydrology in general and as related to this class in particular.

Federal government
• USGS real-time and historical streamflow data.
  
• USGS San Fransisco Bay Area Regional Database. Includes digitized topo maps (DRGs), digitized aerial photos (DOQs), digitized stream networks (DLGs), and digital elevation data (DEMs).
  
• National Weather Service historical weather data for Sacramento
  
• USGS Earth Explorer System- this site describes and inventories information about the Earth's land surface.
  
State and local government
• California Data Exchange Center- access point to DWR's operational hydrological data.
  
• Sacramento County real-time hydrology data
  
• Sacramento River information and data portal
Others
• Washington Post historical weather data

Lecture 04: Theoretical Basis for Field Research

Outline:
What is Field Research?

Simple Definition- The act of going to a location and observing what is happening there to aid the development of a conceptual understand of some phenomenon.
Field Experiment- "a set of measurements conducted under controlled field conditions to develop and formalize some general principle about the evolution of landforms." (Olav Slaymaker, 1982)
1. Measurements must be made in the context of an explicit conceptual model of the processes of interest.
2. Specific testable hypotheses must be formalized about the process
3. Measurement procedures must bear on the hypotheses.
4. Analysis procedures must use the data to test hypotheses and thus address the conceptual framework.

Types of Field Research
1. Classical Experiment
2. Model Calibration and Testing
3. Exploratory Observation
   
   a. Stratified Landscape Study (aka Paired Watershed study)
   b. Monitoring/Measurement Campaign
   c. Paleo Study
   d. Remote Sensing

Textbook reading:
none.

Other reading:
Chapter 3 of Guston, H. 1998. Field hydrology in tropical countries. Intermediate Technology Publications, p. 13-24.download here

Hopmans, J.W. and Pasternack, G.B. 2006. Experimental hydrology: a bright future. Advances in Water Resources 29:117-120.download here

Advanced Reference: Schumm, S. A., Mosley, M. P., Weaver, W. E., 1987. Experimental fluvial geomorphology. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

Related web links:
Models
• Water Erosion Pilot Project homepage- this site contains research on one of the newest physically-based models for predicting soil erosion.
• Use of 2D hydrodynamic models for stream restorationr- example application of a hydrodynamic model.
• Hydro Model list- long list of hydrological models.
Paired Basin Studies
• Lake Champlain Basin Agricultural Watersheds, A Clean Water Act Section 319 National Monitoring Program Project- excellent example of a paired basin study.
• Jordan Cove Urban Watershed Study- this site reports on a paired watershed experiment comparing standard "cookie cutter" urbanization versus environmentally conscious cluster development.
• Riparian Poplar Tree Buffer Impact on Non-point Source Surface Water Contamination: A Paired Agricultural Watershed Study
Monitoring Campaigns
• Middle Rio Grande Basin Study
• UC-Davis Cosumnes Research Group
• San Francisco Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (SFPORTS)- this site conains the output of a massive real-time monitoring program and computer modeling "NOWCAST" of current conditions in San Francisco bay. Check out the vertical velocity profiles throughout the bay within the last 6 minutes!
Paleo Studies
• Deciphering Mysteries of Past Climate From Antarctic Ice Cores
• Climate, Culture, and Catastrophe in the Ancient World- this site compiles a remarkable array of paleo data, field observation, and historic records in an effort to explain the origin of the urban/technological erao of human civilization around 3000BC.
Remote Sensing
• Baltimore Washington Regional Collaboratory- this site contains massive remote sensing data from an "experiment" in spatial data technology for mapping, monitoring, and managing earth resources.
  
• Remote Sensing in Hydrology
  
  

Next Week

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