Climate Change and Water Resources
Course content
Contents of the course:
1. Basic statistical concepts. Statistical analysis of historical
climatic and hydrologic variables on seasonal and annual basis.
Homogeneity test, trend test, analysis of extreme events including
floods and draughts.
2. Hydrological processes at catchment scale. Introduction to rainfall-runoff processes and hydrological modeling. Simulation of the hydrological cycle at catchment scale using a simple conceptual hydrological model. Model calibration and validation principles. Trial-and-error and autocalibration techniques.
3. Climate modeling principles for global and regional scales and links to hydrology. IPCC scenarios and projections of climate change. Retrieval of climate projection scenarios of daily values of precipitation and other meteorological variables. Introduction to downscaling and bias correction methods of climate model results. Bias correction of climate projection scenarios using different bias correction methods.
4. Projection of future hydrological conditions as affected by climate change. Analysis of water balance, seasonal and annual statistics, and extreme events.
5. Analysis of uncertainty factors related to climate modeling, bias correction method, and hydrological modeling.
MSc Programme in Climate Change
MSc Programme in Environmental Science
MSc Programme in Geography and Geoinformatics
The aim of the course is to give an introduction to the topic of
climate change and water resources, including
understanding, modeling and projection of hydrological
processes at catchment scale. After completing the course the
student should be able to:
Knowledge:
Understand and describe how climate change impacts the hydrological
cycle
Understand and assess approaches to projection of future climatic
and hydrologic conditions
Understand and assess uncertainties
Skills:
Use of statistical methods for analysis of climatic and hydrologic
variables on seasonal and annual basis, trend test
and extreme events
Use of climate projections from ensemble of global/regional climate models
Use of a hydrological model for studying the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydrological processes
Analyze uncertainties
Competences:
Digital competences through use of comprehensive database of historical timeseries of climate and hydrological observational data as well as timeseries of future climate projections
Quantitatively assess impacts of climate change on hydrological processes and water resources using statistical and hydrological modelling tools
Climate change adaptation and mitigation
The form of teaching is theory exercises combined with ad hoc lectures. For the teaching plan, please see Absalon.
Please see Absalon course page.
BSc in Natural Resources, Food Science, Landscape Architecture, Biology-Biotechnology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and Geoinformatics and Geology-Geoscience from University of Copenhagen or equivalent is recommended.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Written assignment, during courseOral examination, 20 minutes
- Type of assessment details
- The written assignment is prepared during the course and must be handed in prior to the exam week. The oral exam uses the written assignment as its point of departure. It includes the titles listed in the officially approved reading list. A combined grade is given after the oral exam.
- Aid
- Without aids
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Several internal examiners.
- Re-exam
-
Re-submission of written assignment, 20 minutes oral examination. The written assignment must be handed in prior to the re-examination week. The oral exam uses the written assignment as its point of departure. It includes the titles listed in the officially approved reading list.
Criteria for exam assessment
See learning outcome.
Single subject courses (day)
- Category
- Hours
- Preparation
- 170
- Exercises
- 36
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- NIGK14056U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
-
1 block
- Placement
- Block 2
- Schedulegroup
-
A
- Capacity
- 32
The number of seats may be reduced in the late registration period - Studyboard
- Study Board of Geosciences and Management
Contracting department
- Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Science
Course Coordinator
- Majken Caroline Looms Zibar (3-7c727b4f78767d3d7a843d737a)
Teacher
Senior Advisor, Torben Sonnenborg, GEUS
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