B8877 - IDRAULICA DEI SISTEMI NATURALI M

Learning outcomes

The course Hydraulics of Natural Systems provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of water movement in natural environments such as rivers and aquifers. The learning objectives are to: • Understand the physical principles governing surface and subsurface flow in natural systems. • Acquire the fundamentals of analytical and numerical modeling for open-channel and groundwater flow. • Analyze sediment transport and morphodynamic processes in fluvial environments. • Apply hydraulic modeling tools to problems of river and groundwater management. • Develop critical skills in interpreting, calibrating, and validating models for the sustainable management of natural water systems.

Course contents

Requirements/Prior knowledge

A prior knowledge and understanding of principles of fluid mechanics is suggested to attend with profit this course.

Fluent spoken and written Italian is a necessary pre-requisite: all lectures and tutorials and all study material will be in Italian.

Course Contents

Lectures include:

- LEARNING MODULE 1

• Subsurface hydrology.

• Basics of geostatistics and risk assessment.

• Groundwater - surface water interaction.

• Flow in surface water bodies.

- LEARNING MODULE 2

• Dimensionless numbers and laws of similarity for model tests in hydraulics.

• Fundamentals of fluvial morphodynamics and solid transport.

- LEARNING MODULE 3

• Modeling of case studies.

• Hydraulic measurements.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching material is provided on the platform "Virtuale". This material covers the whole content of the course and it is updated every year.

In addition, students may refer to the following books

Armanini, Principi di idraulica fluviale, Bios, 2005.

Fetter C.W., Applied Hydrogeology, Fourth Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2001.

Fetter C.W., Contaminant Hydrogeology, Waveland Pr Inc; 2 Har/Cdr edizione, 2008.

Teaching methods

Class hours consist of regular lectures. Case studies are examined during the lectures and exercises are proposed to students. Laboratory hours, held at the Hydraulic Engineering Lab, aim at illustrating advanced measurement tools employed in hydraulic engineering.

Assessment methods

Achievements will be assessed by means of a final exam. This is based on an analytical assessment of the expected learning outcomes described above. To properly assess such achievement, an oral examination is administered. This consists of 3 questions about theoretical aspects and practical applications developed in learning module 1 and discussed during the class. Concepts of other learning modules will be verified with homework that will contribute to 20% of the evaluation. Key concepts of the class regard modeling strategies to interpret flow and transport processes in natural systems.
Higher grades will be awarded to students who demonstrate an organic understanding of the subject, a high ability for a critical application, and a clear and concise presentation of the contents. To obtain a passing grade, students are required to at least demonstrate a knowledge of the key concepts of the subject, some ability for a critical application, and a comprehensible use of technical language. A failing grade will be awarded if the student shows knowledge gaps in key concepts of the subject, inappropriate use of language, and/or logic failures in the analysis of the subject.

Teaching tools

PC, projector.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Ciriello

See the website of Vittorio Di Federico

See the website of Massimo Guerrero