The lecture materials are prepared considering interdisciplinary approach in which students can be exposed to the fundamentals of aquatic ecology, aquatic chemistry, and hydrology as well as the applications of environmental monitoring and modeling.
The first half of the class lectures introduce basic functions of aquatic environment, followed by the environmental hydrology, water chemistry and aquatic pollution. The second half of the class continues with discussion of the environmental fate, chemical analysis, monitoring and modeling for aquatic pollutants.
Course outline: (Total 18 section)
1. Class orientation
a. Self interlocution for instructor and students
b. Class objectives, general contents and schedule
2. The aquatic environment—an overview—
a. Global water distribution
b. Aquatic environments
c. Lakes and ponds
d. Streams and Rivers
e. Estuaries
f. Wetlands
3. Environmental hydrology I
a. Properties of water
b. Hydrologic cycle
c. The natural spheres
4. Environmental hydrology II
a. Precipitation
b. Evapotranspiration
c. Runoff processes and stream flow
5. Environmental hydrology III
a. Soil water and ground water
b. Water balance
6. Water quality I
a. Water chemistry—pH, acid base chemistry
b. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and Eh
c. Solar radiation and Temperature
7. Water quality II
a. Aquatic pollution
b. Solids
c. Salts and salinity
d. Turbidity
e. BOD, COD
f. Nitrogen and phosphorus
g Eutrophication
8. Environmental fate of the pollutant I
a. Partitioning of pollutants in the environment
b. Gas/solution phase Henry’s law
c. Volatilization
d. Solubility
e. Octanol/Water partitioning Kow
9. Environmental fate of the pollutant II
a. Liquid/solid phase partitioning, adsorption and desorption
b. Degradation
c. Reaction
d. The first order reaction kinetics
e. Diffusion and dispersion
10. Mid term exam
11. Water quality monitoring I
a. Previous example projects
b. Plot scale monitoring
c. Pollutant fate and transport
d. Water balance monitoring
12. Water quality monitoring II
a. Monitoring pollutant concentration
b. Watershed scale monitoring
c. Monitoring and Lysimeters
d. Sampling and chemical analysis
13. Introduction to water quality modeling I
a. Concept, method procedure
b. Water quality models
c. Modeling environmental fate of the pesticide fate and transport in paddy field
14. Introduction to water quality modeling II
Model exercise (Bring your laptop)
15. Introduction to water quality modeling III
Model exercise (Bring your laptop)
16. Environmental risk assessment of rice pesticide in rice paddies
a. Overview of pesticide risks in agricultural environment
b. Exposure risk assessment of rice pesticide in rice paddies by PCPF model
c. Eco-toxicological risk assessment
17. Class summary, Discussion and class evaluation
18. Final exam