Duration
6h Th, 12h Pr
Number of credits
| Master in environmental bioengineering, professional focus | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course aims to introduce the basics of modelling in the context of:
- subsurface hydrodynamics with an application to plant abstraction and solute transfer.
During this course, students will implement the various stages of the modelling methodology. This course also enables students to improve their understanding of transfer phenomena in porous media and the principles of modelling. The applications reflect concrete situations for bio-engineers, such as
- estimating the transfer of fertilisers or plant protection products to surface water or groundwater.
- heat exchange between soil layers
The course includes
- General modelling methodology
- Characterisation of soils with a view to modelling: continuous retention and conductivity functions, pedotransfer functions, thermal properties.
- 1D modelling of water, solute and heat transfers in variably saturated soils.
- Representation of transfers and transformations/degradations of solutes.
- Carrying out all the modelling phases to obtain validated descriptive and predictive models simulating changes in the populations of a species, the temperature of different soil layers or the carbon biomass of vegetation components.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Set up a 1D hydrological model to represent a soil profile based on a pedological description.
- Carry out modelling under different conditions (presence of plants, irrigation, application of fertilisers, etc.).
- Formatting and discussing the results obtained (water and solutes).
- Understand the basic principles of digital diagrams to solve soil transfer problems.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
General Hydrology
Edaphology
Pedogenesis, international references and soil hydrodynamic
Pedology
System dynamics
Environmental Physics
algorithmics
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
oral lectures and computer workshops
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
25% lectures
75% workshops
Course materials and recommended or required readings
"soil physics with hydrus" Radcliffe and Simunek 2010 slideshows and articles (available on eCampus)
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Additional information:
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
It's compulsory for students to attend the workshops. In case of unjustified absence, a penalty will be applied on the final cotation.
Contacts
Aurore Degré (aurore.degre@uliege.be)