Field Methods in Hydrology

This course will introduce and review a selection of techniques commonly used to monitor and characterise groundwater, surface water and the vadose zone. Students will be trained in the use of appropriate field methods and relevant health and safety procedures. Lectures and readings will provide theoretical background before demonstrating use of appropriate field equipment and collection and interpretation of field data at a local field site. The course concentrates on teaching practical experiences of equipment use, data collection and interpretation and will therefore complement and built upon theoretical elements developed in other groundwater courses.

Program

• Hydrochemistry and groundwater/surface water sampling
• Aquifer properties
• Drilling methods/down the hole geophysics/soil hydrology

The program will cover - bore purging, sampling bores, microbiological analysis, demonstration's of different pump equipment, head measurements, slug testing, pumping tests and aquifer recovery tests, interpretation of results, down the hole geophysics and its application to hydrogeology, drilling methods in hydrogeology, soil hydrology, recharge estimation and infiltration measurements.