Designing and methodology of hydrogeological studies 1300-WPMHW-GES
The practice is designed to acquaint a student with:
- the use of environmental tracers for groundwater dating (especially the modern and young waters) and to evaluate the risk of groundwater;
- types of natural and anthropogenic environmental tracers used to assess the origin of groundwater;
- methodology of tracer research (planning research programs, sampling, basic information about the study of isotopic analysis, quality evaluation and interpretation of data);
- the principles of determination and evaluation of groundwater vulnerability to contamination, and possibility of use;
- limitations of methods and uncertainty of vulnerability evaluation;
- sensitivity of groundwater according to the methodology used for cyclic hydrogeological maps;
- issues of renewability of groundwater resources and evaluate of quantitative and qualitative risks of groundwater resources;
- the principles of hydrogeochemical methods, including designation and preparation of test points, water sampling techniques, sample handling procedure, rules of the program of field and laboratory quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC);
- methods of evaluation of renewable resources using selected environmental tracers;
- issues related to the protective monitoring project.
The practice is concentrated on:
- preparation of data for groundwater dating based on the activity of tritium and carried out the modelling of tritium water age using FLOWPC;
- calculating the radiocarbon age of groundwater including corrections;
- preparation of the project of water monitoring at groundwater or surface water intake;
- preparation of the input layers necessary to assess the aquifer vulnerability to pollution;
- making assessment of renewable resources on the basis of flow rate and tracer studies, together with determination of suitability of the used tracers (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, manganese, stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen);
- familiarization with the organization of work and analytical methods used in specialized geochemical laboratories;
- designing and performing groundwater sampling from piezometer and laboratory work to assess the chemical state of water along with the assessment of the quality of the analysis.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After completing the course a student:
- knows the most important environmental tracers used in hydrogeological research and projects range of the basic groundwater tracers research;
- can determine the age of modern and young groundwater by using unstable isotopes (tritium, radiocarbon) including corrections;
- interprets of hydrogeological and hydrochemical conditions in the intake area necessary for project of the protective monitoring of groundwater intakes;
- knows basic methodological procedures for evaluating groundwater vulnerability, can choose correct calculation procedure adequate for hydrogeological conditions;
- can describe and generalize the hydrogeological conditions in the regional and local scale;
- can project field and laboratory works of groundwater chemistry, interpret their results and assess their suitability;
- applies advanced computational techniques;
- uses professional literature;
- demonstrates the ability to critical analysis of archival data and field and lab results;
- demonstrates the ability to write a research report in Polish based on own studies.
Assessment criteria
Passing a course requirements:
- knowledge about materials given;
- knowledge of referenced literatures and law regulations given by lecturer;
- acquaintance of the practical knowledge acquired during exercises.
Three justified absences are allowed.
Correct execution of elaborations assessed on points (scale: 0-5 points for a single study), passing a study up from 1 point). Written work from the whole material assessed on points. Subject credited after obtaining more than 50% of the sum of points from the elaborations and written work.
Correction of writing work needed in the case of failure to obtain the required sum of points in the first term.
Practical placement
none
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: