GEO2330 – Hydrology

Course content

The course gives an introduction to hydrology, which is the study of water - its occurrence and circulation on land. You will acquire basic knowledge about the most important components of the hydrological cycle, such as precipitation (snow and rain), evaporation, soil- and groundwater, and runoff in streams and rivers. The water balance is studied both globally and with special reference to Norway, but the main focus is on drainage basins and an understanding of the processes that determine the flow of water from the moment it touches the ground until it runs out into the sea. Emphasis is on understanding physical processes, including the transport of water and energy in the Earth system. You will get experience in observation techniques and analysis of hydrological data. Floods and droughts are described separately.

Learning outcome

After taking this course, you will have

• knowledge about basic observational practice for measuring the various parts of the hydrological cycle (e.g. precipitation, discharge, evaporation, snow processes)
• knowledge about the relation between physical laws that govern geophysical systems (conservation of mass and energy) and hydrological processes
• knowledge about how water transports energy through the Earth system
• knowledge about modelling tools used to quantify the flow of water and energy in a catchment, at regional and global scales
• knowledge about the geophysical system that influences variables that drive hydrological variation, and statistical tools for describing this variation
• skills in scripting and programming for numerical analysis of hydrological processes

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

Special admission requirements

In addition to fulfilling the Higher Education Entrance Qualification, applicants have to meet the following special admission requirements:

• Mathematics R1 (or Mathematics S1 and S2)

And in addition one of these:

• Mathematics R2
• Physics (1+2)
• Chemistry (1+2)
• Biology (1+2)
• Information technology (1+2)
• Geosciences (1+2)
• Technology and theories of research (1+2)

Mathematics R2 was a requirement up until and including the study year 2021/2022, as part of a trial arrangement. From and including the study year 2022/2023, Mathematics R2 is no longer a requirement.

The special admission requirements may also be covered by equivalent studies from Norwegian upper secondary school or by other equivalent studies (in Norwegian).

Formal prerequisite knowledge

The course includes a compulsory field course and excursions. A health-and-safety course for safety in the field must be passed before you can go on these:

• HMS0504 – Field Safety

Recommended previous knowledge

• MAT1100 – Calculus or equivalent knowledge
• GEO1100 – Evolution of the Earth or equivalent knowledge
• GEO2300 – Geophysical Modelling or equivalent knowledge
• IN1000 – Introduction to Object-oriented Programming / IN1900 – Introduction to Programming with Scientific Applications or equivalent knowledge

Overlapping courses

• 8 credits overlap with GEO2010 – Surface hydrology (continued).

Teaching

There are 2 x 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of exercises/seminars/data lab per week throughout the semester. Active participation is expected of the student.

6-8 compulsory assignments will be set, and these must be approved before the final examination.

There is a compulsory one-day excursion for collecting snow samples, a 1-4 day field course, and 1-2 mandatory visits to a relevant institute (e.g. NVE, Statkraft, MET). A field report must be written based on the collected snow data from the snow excursion, and it counts towards the final grade. The field activities are shared with the course GEO2210 – Geomorphology and a report from the field trip in April/May shall be written that must be approved in order to sit the final examination in the course.

Attendance at the first lecture is compulsory. Students who fail to meet are considered to have withdrawn from the course unless they have previously given notice to the Student administration (studieinfo@geo.uio.no).

We reserve the right to change the teaching form and examination of the course in semesters where 5 or fewer students have been admitted.

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or fieldwork, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance coverage as a student.

General information about excursions at the Department of Geosciences

Cost of taking the course

Participation in the excursion is mandatory. The excursion has a fee of NOK 150 per night.

Examination

• 6-8 compulsory assignments and the field report from the field trip in April/May must be approved in order to sit the final examination
• The written field report counts 30% towards the final grade.
• The final written examination counts 70% towards the final grade.
• Both the field report and the final written examination must be passed separately in order to pass the course.

Mandatory assignments are valid for 5 semesters starting from the semester they were approved the first time.

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

It will also be counted as 1 of the 3 attempts to sit the exam for this course if you sit the exam for the following course:

• GEO2010 – Surface hydrology (continued)

Examination support material

Approved calculator, Matematisk formelsamling (Rottmann), Fysiske størrelser

Language of examination

You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.