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Envg.728       Ecohydrology          (3 C.H)

Course Objectives

The general aim of this course is to examine the emerging interdisciplinary area that integrates the hydrologic and ecologic mechanisms underlying climate-soil-vegetation dynamics and land-water dynamics. The evolution of terrestrial ecosystems depends on the need of vegetation for inputs of light, water, and nutrients. These inputs are variable in time and space, and how they are assimilated depends on plant characteristics and ecosystem structure. This course will build on a set of fundamental topics as a basis for examining contemporary topics such as: Preferred states in spatial distribution of soil moisture; hydraulic limits to plant water use; ecological optimality; vegetation-hydrology linkages at catchment scales; carbon and nutrient cycling; and vegetation competition.
Course Contents
Introduction: Origin and scope of ecohydrology. Ecohydrological processes: Interactions between physical, chemical and biological processes at basin scale soil water dynamics, land surface energy budgets; scales of interactions; ecohydrological optimality theory; ecohydrological controls on nutrient cycle; Landscape connectivity morphological, ecological and hydrological connections. Techniques in ecohydrological measurements: Measuring energy and water fluxes in atmosphere, soil and vegetation; atmosphere latent, sensible and CO2 fluxes, distribution of wind, temperature and humidity; soil moisture, soil respiration and soil heat flux; vegetation leaf area index, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Ecohydrological modeling: Governing equations; mathematical models stochastic and deterministic models; process based and empirical models; calibration and validation of models; scale issues in ecohydrological modeling. Applications of ecohydrology: Use of ecohydrogical principles in paleo-hydrology and climate change studies; ecohydrological approach for sustainable management of floods and droughts; case studies from tropical river basins and dry land ecosystems, energy balances, hydraulic architecture, thermocouple psychrometry, measuring fluxes of water through environmental components, ecohydrological models, groundwater dependent ecosystems, ecohydrology of arid and semi-arid environments, patterns and processes in the catchment, lotic processes, hydropedology, subaqueous and hydric soils,  eco hydraulics, surface energy budgets, optimality theory, plant hydraulic control, Rooting zone soil moisture, Vegetation competition, cases studies.
Outcomes
The students will be able to apply the concepts and skills set gained during the course in explaining the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems in connection with hydrological processes, in addition to resolving hydrological and ecosystem issues.
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