95917 - METODI E MODELLI PER L'IDROLOGIA M

Academic Year 2024/2025

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Environmental Engineering (cod. 8894)

Learning outcomes

The course aims at dealing with concepts that underlie the development of mathematical models for simulating the main hydrological processes that control runoff production and streamflow routing. The main objective of the course is providing a successful learner with criteria and tools for choosing the most suitable model relative to the engineering water problem at hand.

Course contents

After a preliminary introduction to Hydrology and to the water cycle, the course addresses the following subjects:

  1. basic definitions and objectives of modelling and classification of hydrological models (recall of fundamental concepts) and their practical appliaction;
  2. hydrological processes that control the formation and routing of river stream-flows and their mathematical and numerical representation;
  3. hydrological GIS-tools for delineating watersheds and river-networks from digital elevation models and for a geo-morphologic characterisation of river basins.

Hands-on experiments will enable students to deepen their understanding of theoretical concepts.

All lessons will be in Italian. It is therefore necessary to understand the Italian language to successfully attend the course and to be able to use the teaching material.


Readings/Bibliography

The study of the topics covered during the course makes use of teaching materials and texts provided by the teacher.

Suggested textbooks for further information:

  • Moisello, Idrologia Tecnica, La Goliardica Pavese
  • Greppi, Idrologia, Hoepli editore
  • Brutsaert, Hydrology An introduction, Cambridge University Press

Teaching methods

The course will consists of lectures and PC-lab activities (which will be developed under the Professor's supervision) that are designed to prepare students to the utilisation of: rainfall-runoff models; flood-wave routing models; common GIS-tools for performing hydrological analysis on digital elevation models.

Assessment methods

The learning assessment aims at verifying the achievement of learning objectives, i.e. to know the basic concepts required for

  • carrying out the main hydrological analysis in a GIS environment for the characterization of river basins;
  • identifying the most suitable model in relation to the water problem to be solved;
  • developing mathematical models for simulating the main hydrological processes that control the rainfall-runoff transformation.

The final exam consists of an oral examination focusing on

  • theoretical topics covered during classes and
  • a discussion on the report illustrating the practical exercises developed during the course.

This verification consists of a question related to one of the theoretical topics addressed during the course and in a discussion, stimulated by the teacher, concerning the report prepared by the candidate to present the exercises carried out during the course; this discussion is aimed at verifying in-depth the theoretical-practical level of the candidate's preparation on the different topics addressed during the exercises that were proposed during the course.
Candidates who demonstrate knowledge and mastery of the fundamental concepts illustrated in the teaching will pass the exam, and a higher score will be given to those who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of all the contents provided in class, both from a theoretical and practical viewpoint, and who will be able to illustrate these contents accurately and with correct technical language.
(registration to the test at https://almaesami.unibo.it).


Teaching tools

The theory illustrated during classes is supported by practical activities (i.e. computer programming and use of specific software) to be set up in the PC-lab under the supervision of Professor and completed independently.

All applications will use cross-platform Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS), that can be installed on all major operating systems.

Handouts on the topics covered in the course, exercises and their draft solutions in R scripts (The R Project for Statistical Computing), or GIS tutorial (QGIS) are accessible for registered students and during the classes from the repository Virtuale.

All classes are recorded and regularly made available in asynchronous mode on the dedicated resource Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Attilio Castellarin

SDGs

Clean water and sanitation Climate Action

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.