JORGE A. RAMÍREZ, PH.D.
Professor
Hydrologic Science and Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
A222 Engineering Bldg. (970) 491-7621
Office Hours: MWF 10:00 - 11:00 AM - A222 Engineering Bldg.
E-mail: Jorge.Ramirez@ColoState.edu
This course is an in-depth exploration of advanced topics in hydrologic science with particular emphasis on the dynamic coupling between hydrologic, vegetative, and climatic processes at different spatial and temporal scales. The unifying theme will be the integration of hydrologic processes, in the framework of the hydrologic cycle, with major components of the earth’s climate system. Process description will be based on a physical-dynamical representation of the systems involved. Issues of large-scale hydrology are emphasized.
The course will be given in a series of thrice-weekly workshops during which advanced topics will be presented and discussed in depth. Each week, a set of papers and other material will be assigned, which students will be expected to read in advance of class. Students will be expected to come to class ready to discuss the specific topic of the day and to take the initiative in leading the discussion. In addition, as a semester-long project, students will be required to select a specific topic from the list below and write a thorough review of key papers on the topic. Final evaluation of the performance of the students on the course will be based on their report and on their participation in the class discussions.
SCHEDULE
Lecture MWF 11:00 - 11:50 AM – Room B-2 ENGRG
0. Introduction
a. Hydrologic Science
b. Physical climate system: Role of water in climate
c. Feedback processes: Earth surface-atmosphere; ocean-atmosphere; land-atmosphere; biophysical land surface coupling
1. The regional-scale water balance
a. Annual water balance
b. Seasonal water balance
c. Ecological optimality
2. Hydrologic feedbacks in land-atmosphere interactions
a. Land-atmosphere interactions and large-scale water balance
b. Soil moisture feedback
c. Thermodynamic feedback
d. Ground water convergence feedback
e. Vegetation feedback
3. Precipitation
a. Precipitation recycling
b. Soil moisture feedbacks and precipitation
c. Interception
d. Atmospheric thermodynamics and cloud physics
4. Evaporation and transpiration
a. Potential and actual ET
b. Regional scale ET: Bouchet’s Hypothesis
c. Evaporation paradox
d. Extremal principles of evaporation: Optimality
e. Boundary layer physics
5. Non-linear dynamics of soil moisture
a. Bimodality of soil moisture distribution
b. Soil moisture feedback
c. Thermodynamic feedback
6. Eco-Hydrology
a. Soil moisture and vegetation
b. Vegetation in water-controlled ecosystems
c. Vegetation and climate
7. Controls on hydrologic fluxes
a. Hillslope controls
b. Vegetation controls
c. Climatic controls
8. Spatial scaling issues
a. Subgrid scale variability
b. Evaporation efficiency
c. Transpiration efficiency
d. Partial storm wetting
e. Process complexity, hillslope scale and basin scale response
9. Temporal scaling issues
10. Climate variability and the hydrologic cycle
0. Introduction
a. Hydrologic Science (1)
b. Physical climate system: Role of water in climate (1, 2)
c. Feedback processes:Earth surface-atmosphere; ocean-atmosphere; land-atmosphere; biophysical land surface coupling
1. The regional-scale water balance
a. Annual water balance (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
b. Seasonal water balance
c. Ecological optimality (1, 2, 3, 4)
2. Hydrologic feedbacks in land-atmosphere interactions
a. Land-atmosphere interactions and large-scale water balance (1, 2)
b. Soil moisture feedback (1)
c. Thermodynamic feedback (1)
d. Ground water convergence feedback (1)
e. Vegetation feedback
3. Precipitation
a. Precipitation recycling (1)
b. Soil moisture feedbacks and precipitation (1, 2)
c. Interception (1)
d. Atmospheric thermodynamics and cloud physics
4. Evaporation and transpiration
a. Potential and actual ET (1, 2)
b. Regional scale ET: Bouchet’s Hypothesis (1, 2)
c. Evaporation paradox (1, 2, 3)
d. Extremal principles of evaporation: Optimality
e. Boundary layer physics
5. Non-linear dynamics of soil moisture
a. Bimodality of soil moisture distribution
b. Soil moisture feedback
c. Thermodynamic feedback
6. Eco-Hydrology
a. Soil moisture and vegetation (1, 2)
b. Vegetation in water-controlled ecosystems (1, 2, 3)
c. Vegetation and climate