Content

ntroduction to:

- the aquatic environment

- freshwater ecology

- marine ecology

Cases in freshwater ecology, such as:

- tropical and arid aquatic ecology

- temporary ponds

- rivers

- paleolimnology

Cases in marine ecology, such as:

- estuaries, continental shelf

- open ocean

- fisheries

Integrated discussion

Course material

Scientific papers and text book Marine Ecology (M. Kaiser)

Content

Recent fundamental and applied topics in the field of Freshwater and Marine Ecology.

Course material

Scientific articles

Format: more information

Topics in Freshwater and Marine Ecology will be addressed using readers, discussion groups and peer teaching.

Content

Guided marine excursion with the research vessel O.S. Simon Stevin based on 5 learning activities linked to the themes of water, plankton, benthos, fish and birds. In case of inclement weather an alternative program is scheduled in the harbor (visit of O.S. Simon Stevin, demonstration of sampling material and visit of VLIZ or ILVO offices).

Guided excursion to a freshwater system discussing research questions and approaches, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services.

Course material

Excursion notes

Format: more information

Guided excursions are an effective way to have the students experience actively the local freshwater biota and the marine biota of the Belgian coast

Explanation

A student passes when (s)he obtains at least 10/20 for the weighted final score (theoretical exam 70%, assignments 30%).

Participation in all practical exercises is obligatory. Students who do not participate in a practical exercise without a valid reason cannot take the theoretical exam.

Information about retaking exams

There is no second evaluation of the practical exercises during the same academic year; results of the first evaluation period will be considered.

Content

Our Earth is a complex evolving system. This course aims at using remote sensing techniques to understand the current state of our Earth, the primary causes of change in the Earth system as well as the response of our Earth to changes. This knowledge helps to predict future changes and improve the management of Earth resources, on land, in the atmosphere or in the ocean. The course starts with a general introduction on remote sensing and then studies the details of various operational Earth observing systems. The course contains the following chapters:

1. Earth observation and remote sensing

2. Physical basis

3. Sensors

4. Platforms

5. Image characteristics

6. Optical remote sensing

7. Thermal remote sensing

8. Microwave remote sensing

9. Other remote sensing

10. Data products

11.-12.-13.-14.: Data preprocessing, image enhancement and classification

Course material

Syllabus & slides

Format: more information

Standard lecture series.
 

Content

In the practical segment of this course, the lab sessions aim primarily at familiarizing the students with computer-based image analysis routines. They particularly focus on processing of optical and microwave data. The practical exercises use the software packages QGIS and MATLAB.

The practical sessions address the following topics:

1. Learn where to find remote sensing datasets.

2. [Optical] Preprocessing of imagery - atmospheric correction, mask low quality data, clip the study area

3. [Optical] Explore spectral information - true and false color images, spectral indices, spectra

4. [Optical] Supervised and unsupervised classification

5. [Optical] Accuracy assessment and evaluation of ecosystem services

6. [Microwave] Explore passive microwave information – MPDI, emissivity, effective temperature, tau-omega model

7. [Microwave] Retrievals and accuracy assessment – radiative transfer model, optimization, ground truth evaluation

8. Summarize and discuss the results in a report

Course material

Elaborated slides.

Format: more information

Participation in all practical sessions is mandatory. Students who are absent without a valid reason, timely communicated to the assistent and coordinator, will be excluded from the exam and retake exam. This part of the course will then be considered as not completed (NA).

Explanation

Exam: 60% theory (written exam) + 40% practicals (report for mandatory practicals)

Participation in all practical sessions is mandatory. Students who are absent without a valid reason, timely communicated to the assistent and coordinator, will be excluded from the exam and retake exam.This part of the course will then be considered as not completed (NA).

Information about retaking exams

In case of an insufficient total score (practical sessions + theory) during the first examination period, the student will take a retake exam in the third examination period during which the theory will always be evaluated. The score of the practical sessions will be transferred to the third examination period.

In case of an insufficient total score (practical sessions + theory) during the first exam session and an insufficient score for the practical report, then both the theory and practical insight will be evaluated during the third examination period.

For students who received 'NA' for the practical session (absences without valid reason), there is no retake possibility. These students will be excluded from the theoretical exam in the third examination period.

Content

The aim of the course is to introduce advanced mathematical techniques for analyzing fluid mechanics and for obtaining practical solutions for fluid flow problems.  The course covers a selection from each of the three topics given below.
1. Mathematical theory of fluid mechanics:
- Functions, vectors and tensors;
- Gradient, divergence and rotation operators; theorems of Green and Stokes; properties of irrotational, conservative and potential flow fields;
- Time derivatives; velocity and acceleration, material derivatives; particle paths, equipotential and streamlines; and
- Coordinate systems and transformation rules; Jacobian and Hessian matrices.
2. Partial differential equations for describing fluid dynamics:
- Characteristics and classification of differential equations;
- Properties of first order differential equations; solutions of kinematic wave equations and advection equations;
- Properties of 2nd order elliptic partial differential equations; Laplace and Poisson equations related to stationary flow problems; and
- Properties of 2nd order parabolic partial differential equations; diffusion problems, advection dispersion equations.
3. Numerical techniques:
- Numerical solution of systems of linear equations; relaxation techniques and conjugate gradient methods;
- Numerical solution of nonlinear equations, and systems of nonlinear equations;
- Numerical techniques for interpolation, differentiation and integration; and
- Least squares fitting and optimization techniques.
 
Practical:
- Exercises on functions and vector fields; calculation of potential functions and velocity fields, verification of conservation and rotation properties;
- Calculation of path lines and streamlines for simple fluid flow problems;
- Transformation of coordinate systems;
- Explicit and implicit numerical solutions for the advection-diffusion equation;
- Explicit and implicit numerical solutions for the momentum and continuity equations in 1 dimension;
- Solution of a kinematic wave equation problem, determination of wave velocities and mass transport velocities;
- Computer exercises on solutions of nonlinear problems;
- Computer exercises on interpolation, differentiation and integration of discrete data sets; andComputer exercises on curve fitting techniques.

Course material

Course notes

Format: more information

The background of the mathematics to be used in the practical sessions is explained first in lectures. The students actively participate by making relatively simple exercises with pen, paper and simple scientific calculator.

Content

The aim of the course is to introduce advanced mathematical techniques for analysing fluid mechanics and for obtaining practical solutions for fluid flow problems.  The practical sessions cover a non-exhaustive selection from the following main topics:

• Exercises on functions and vector fields; calculation of potential functions and velocity fields, verification of conservation and rotation properties;
• Calculation of path lines and streamlines for simple fluid flow problems;
• Transformation of coordinate systems;
• Explicit and implicit numerical solutions for the advection-diffusion equation;
• Explicit and implicit numerical solutions for the momentum and continuity equations in 1 dimension;
• Solution of a kinematic wave equation problem, determination of wave velocities and mass transport velocities;
• Computer exercises on solutions of nonlinear problems;
• Computer exercises on interpolation, differentiation and integration of discrete data sets; and
• Computer exercises on curve fitting techniques.

Course material

Application notes on Toledo

Format: more information

In the practical sessions students work out larger size problems. Most of the problems are solved in a computer class with the support of a spreadsheet. The students are also introduced to using a scientific software environment (Matlab) for solving some of the problems.

Explanation

Two of the exercise sessions are organized as a test to be solved on the computer in the computer class (10% each of the total mark). The exam during the exam period (80%) is a written exam.
Students who cannot attend the practical sessions because of conflicting class schedule have the option to be evaluated on the basis of the final exam only.
Exam questions are problem oriented and aimed at assessing student performance on the learning outcomes.

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Information about retaking exams

The evaluation is on the final exam only. The permanent evaluation activities are no longer considered.

Content

1. Hydrological time series analysis: Subflow filtering in hydrology; Selection of independent extremes from a time series

2. Extreme value analysis: Periodic maxima method, Peak-over-threshold method (POT, PDS); Extreme value distributions for hydrological extremes; Return period calculation; Flood frequency analysis; Low flow frequency analysis; Combined extreme-value-analysis at different time scales / aggregation levels and introduction to IDF, QDF and CDF relationships

3. Data-driven, conceptual and stochastic modelling

4. Model sensitivity and uncertainty analysis: Model residual analysis; Model goodness-of-fit statistics; Model sensitivity analysis; Variance decomposition; Different types of uncertainty sources in mathematical modelling; Calculation of parameter uncertainties and model prediction uncertainties

5. Systems approach in water management; Model based decision support

6. Statistical downscaling for climate change impact analysis

7. Real-time control of water systems

8. Introduction to the application of AI methods in water management and engineering

Course material

Documents on Toledo: course text, slides

Content

Based on example datasets for water systems, PC class exercises will be given on:

1. Separation of river flow time series in baseflow, interflow and overland flow components

2. Extraction of independent peak flow extremes from a river flow time series

3. Extreme value analysis on river peak flows; flood frequency analysis

4. Data-driven and grey-box model structure identification, calibration and validation

5. Model performance evaluation

6. Model uncertainty analysis

7. Climate change impact analysis

8. Real-time control of a reservoir.

Course material

Exercise descriptions + datasets + software-tools

Content

• Derivation of fundamental equations for fluid motion (especially the Bernouilli equation)
• Turbulence
• Hydrostatics
• Flow through orifices
• Pipe flow: friction losses, local head losses
• Pipe networks (branched and looped networks), including valves and pumps, cost optimization
• Practical sessions:
  • Measurement of pipe and orifice characteristics and experimental study of velocity measurement devices (laboratory session);
  • Manual calculations and use of computer programs for the design of pipe systems (incl. optimization)

Course material

Lecture notes and exercises

Format: more information

Lectures of 4 hours consist of two hours theory and two hours application of the theory through exercises.

As long as the Covid-19 measures do not allow all students to attend the class, lectures and exercises will be given online through live video conferencing. Recordings of the lessons will be uploaded on Toledo.

Content

• Basic steady flow equations (Bresse equation); concepts of specific energy, uniform depth, critical depth, best hydraulic section;  classification of water surface profiles
• Internal boundary conditions (hydraulic jump and drop)
• External boundary conditions (up- and downstream)
• Jeager's theorem, Boudin-Tison's theorem
• Determination and calculation of water surface profiles
• Effect of (change in) geometry, roughness and bottom slope
• Control structures: gate, wear
• Manual calculations and use of computer programs for water surface profiles in open channels (exercises)

Course material

Lecture notes and exercises

Format: more information

Lectures of 4 hours consist of two hours theory and two hours application of the theory through exercises.

As long as the Covid-19 measures do not allow all students to attend the class, lectures and exercises will be given online through live video conferencing. Recordings of the lessons will be uploaded on Toledo.

Explanation

Written exam (max. 3h; open book), consisting of:
solving sample problems on pipe flow and open-channel flow
+ PC exercise (water surface profile calculation)
+ marks on two reports (lab work and pipe network analysis with PC) (weight = 20% of final mark)

Submission of the individual tasks and participation is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Information about retaking exams

The same modalitites apply. Reports that scored 50% or more do not have to be redone.

Content

This course is taught at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

*

- Fundamentals: groundwater and the hydrologic cycle, occurrence of underground water, basic properties of ground bearing layers: porosity, water content, groundwater potential, flux and velocity, Darcy's law, measurement techniques for groundwater potential and conductivity;
- Natural groundwater flow: hydro-geological classification of ground layers, aquifer types, groundwater flow systems, unsaturated zone, saturated groundwater flow and storage in artesian and phreatic aquifers and in aquitards, the hydraulic groundwater flow approach and the flow net theory;
- Groundwater flow equations and useful solutions: mass balance equation, general groundwater flow equation in three dimensions and boundary conditions, hydrostatics, unsaturated flow, saturated flow and water table boundary conditions, the horizontal flow approach, Dupuit equation;
- Groundwater abstraction techniques: advantages of groundwater use, abstraction techniques: wells and galleries, principles of well flow: drawdown, cone of depression, radius of influence, maximum and specific capacity, interference between wells and aquifer boundaries, design of well fields, safe yield and groundwater management;
- Pumping test analysis: practical aspects of pumping tests, analysis of pumping test in confined, semi-confined, phreatic aquifers and fractured rocks, analyses of recovery tests;
- Groundwater modelling: basics of finite difference techniques, finite difference solution for aquifer flow, basics of finite element techniques, finite element solution for aquifer flow, introduction to well known groundwater flow models; and
- Groundwater chemistry: groundwater chemical constituents and main processes, oxygen status and organic matter decay in unsaturated and saturated groundwater layers, mineral dissolution and ion evolution cycle, groundwater isotopes, groundwater pollution sources and major pollutants, measurement techniques and interpretation and classification of water types, groundwater quality assessment and protection techniques.
Practical
- Laboratory and fields measurement techniques: determination of porosity, water content, density, hydraulic conductivity and permeability of soil samples, field measurement techniques for determining hydraulic conductivity: interpretation of slug tests in auger holes and piezometers;
- Flow net analyses using piezometric data and field reconnaissance for hydro-geological mapping and interpretation; Analyses of groundwater flow and balance in confined and phreatic aquifers using piezometric readings and solutions of groundwater flow equations;
- Analyses and interpretation of drawdown around pumping wells and influence of well interference, aquifer boundaries, and induced recharge by rivers;  Design of groundwater sustainable pumping wells and well fields;  Analyses of pumping test experiments: application of graphical techniques for the Theis and Jacob methods, graphical interpretation technique for a recovery test; and
- Interpretation of groundwater chemical data: representation in Stiff and Piper diagrams, classification of water types and identification of chemical evolution, estimates of pollution spreading.

Course material

• book: Groundwater Science by Charles Fitts
• lecture slides
• exercises manual

Format: more information

30 hours lecture + 30 hours exercise sessions (practicals) + 4 take-home assignments

Explanation

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Content

This course is taught at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

IWRM principles will be presented around the implementation experiences currently developed in Europe under the European Union Water Framework Directive and parent legislation. In particular, the way river basin management is carried out, based on the Driver-Pressure-Impact-Status-Response (DPSIR) principles (including Environmental Impact assessment (EIA)), monitoring, action programmes, forms the core of the course which provides the theoretical backbone for comparing the situation in Europe with the one of developing countries.

The aim is to bring the students to reflect upon the many different facets of water resource management on the basis of the EU experience, and be able to extrapolate these to different case studies (preferably from their own country or region). The course also highlights how water resource management may be affected by climate change impacts, and how this is readily anticipated in many countries through adaptation plans (linked or not to policies).

Finally, a part of the course examines how to best integrate research and technological developments into water resources management practices, highlighting the need for knowledge sharing and exchanges among a wide range of disciplines, sectors and stakeholders.

On the basis of the above theoretical background, the students will be invited to present case studies illustrating various water resource management examples in the country/region of their choice, providing their own recommendations about solutioning identified problems. This will be followed by debates with the class, in order to ensure interactive discussions on a wide range of water issues.
At the end of the course, the students will be able to understand the complex features of IWRM, to conduct a first elementary analysis (socio-economic, institutional, environmental) of a given situation and provide recommendations about ways to solution a problem (or determine what needs to be done to complete this first evaluation). The experience gathered will be presented by the students in the form of a short report summarising the essential socio-economic, environmental, political, instiutional aspects of their case studies.

Format: more information

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical; 26 hrs/1 credits of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

• Written exam carried out on the basis of three elements: oral presentation opened to debate with the class, report and self/peer assessment. The way of asking questions is based on open debates with all the class after each presentation, i.e. the professor and the classmates ask questions to each of the presenters.  Submission of the individual tasks and participation is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

• The oral presentations have to be done during the course period (end September to early December) while the report has to be to submitted by the deadline of 15th January

Information about retaking exams

Oral presentation to be done in early September and a report to be submitted the same day

Content

This course is taught at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Responsible modelling: spatial and temporal discretisation in hydrological modelling. Overview of different types of hydrological models and surface water catchment models;

Overview of the different modelling stops and evaluation criteria

- Data availability and data assessment; and
- Relation between model characteristics and design problems.

Introduction to SWAT processes 

- Introduction to the hydrological processes and water quality processes in SWAT

- Introduction to model calibration and uncertainty analysis tools that are linked to SWAT

- Overview of application areas for SWAT and data issues

- Limitations of the using SWAT

Practical:

Practical exercises are linked with the integrated project and consist for the humid and semi-arid climate case study in the building and calibration of a SWAT model, and the application of the model for scenario analysis including: 

- Design of the modelling project

- Data processes for application of SWAT

- Application of the SWAT interface (ArcSWAT) within ArcGIS

- Model building 

- Model calibration (manual and automated calibration)

- Interpretation and visualisation of modelling results

Format: more information

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical work; 26 hrs/1credit of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

The assessment will be based on the evaluation of the individual reports and on the presentation of the project results.

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Explanation

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Content

- Overview of different types of hydraulic river and canal models and fields of application (1D, 2D, 3D); 
- Application of a full hydrodynamic model for open channels and rivers (water surface profile computations under unsteady flow conditions, flood wave propagation);
- Implementation of hydraulic structures (weirs, spillways, control and regulating structures, sluices, bridges, dikes, culverts, etc.);
- Implementation of floodplains (quasi 2D, theory of 2D, use of DEM);
- Simplified modelling: theory of kinematic wave, reservoir routing, etc.;
- Solution schemes: theory of explicit versus implicit schemes, finite differences, method of characteristics;
- Theory of tidal influences;
- Sediment transport: theory of riverbed processes, channel stabilization, and dredging; and
- Principles of hydraulic similitude (theory of physical models, dimensional analysis).
 
Practical
Practical session to the course is linked with the integrated project (humid and semi-arid case studies), and includes the use of a full hydrodynamic modelling system (MIKE11), i.e.:
- Flow simulation for a selected river stretch:
* Using input from a conceptual rainfall-runoff model (link with the course “Hydrological modelling”) for an historical simulation period; and
* Using design hydrographs (for given return periods).
- Implementation of a floodplain along the selected river stretch, creation of a flood map and validation with an historical map; and Scenario-run: analysis of the influence of hydraulic structures (change in regulation on the flood modelling results).

Format: more information

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical work; 26 hrs/1 credit of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

The assessment will be based on the evaluation of the individual reports and on the presentation of project results (during the examination period).

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Content

Lectures on theory and modeling techniques (half of the time):

1. Water flow
-   Review of basic concepts: water potential, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, Darcy-Buckingham equation, Richards equation
-   Numerical solution of Richards equation, boundary and initial conditions
-   Soil water budget, root water uptake, atmospheric feedback, coupling of soil water models to crop models
-   Preferential flow, soil heterogeneity, 2D and 3D flow
 
2. Microbial transformation processes in soils
-   First-order and Monod kinetics
-   Nitrogen cycle in soils
-   Pesticide degradation in soils; reaction chains
-   Dependence of reaction rates on soil temperature and soil moisture content
 
3. Solute transport in soils
-   Review of basic concepts: convection, diffusion, hydrodynamic dispersion
-   Convection-dispersion equation
-   Sorption and retardation; application to pesticide leaching
 
4. Heat flow in soils.
-   Review of basic concepts: energy balance of the soil surface, soil thermal properties
-   Soil heat flux
-   Soil temperature regime
 
5. Estimation of parameters in soil water models
-   Pedotransfer functions for estimating parameters from easy-to-measure soil properties
-   Direct measurement of soil properties
-   Inverse modeling; local and global search methods (optimization)
 
Practical exercises (working with the Hydrus model software; half of the time):

The lectures are integrated with a series of guided exercise sessions (on student laptops) in the collaborative classroom.  In this classroom, the students will use the public-domain soil-water model HYDRUS-1D to simulate several simple cases of transport of water, heat, and solutes in soils: water infiltration, water balance of a cropped soil, soil thermal regime, solute leaching in soil columns, leaching of nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides in soils. Through the exercises, insight is gained into how the flow of water, heat and solutes and the solute transformation processes are interlinked, and how these processes can be simulated in an integrated way with the HYDRUS-1D model. Towards the end of the semester, students will also work on their laptops with the 3D version of the model (for which we have a group license).  This will allow simulating 2D flow and transport problems typically arising when the unsaturated zone and the saturated zone are considered together (e.g. when solutes like nitrate are leached from the root zone to the phreatic groundwater and further transported horizontally to a nearby ditch or river).

Course material

See Toledo

Format: more information

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical work; 26 hrs/1 credit of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

In a practical modeling assignment (introduced at the beginning of December) the students will be given the opportunity to apply the insights and practical experience gained through this workshop to simulate flow and transport processes in the soil under real conditions, backed-up with observation data. The evaluation will be based on the quality of the report (50%) about this individual modeling assignment and on the insight and understanding of the work done (50%) as evaluated during an oral exam.

Submission of the individual assignments is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Information about retaking exams

The evaluation for the second exam opportunity proceeds in the same way as in the first exam opportunity.  Students who already submitted a modelling assignment for the 1st exam period can improve their assignment and resubmit it.

Content

1. Relevance of Water Productivity on a general and global scale. Introduction to the problem of global water availability and agronomic use, water footprint, crop water productivity management and modelling. Introduction to AquaCrop

2. Application of AquaCrop to design agro-systems and management practices with attention to the system’s water productivity.

- Simulation from crop canopy cover over transpiration and biomass production to yield

- Field management including soil surface practices, runoff, soil salinity and soil fertility

- Irrigation management including net irrigation requirement, irrigation scheduling and deficit irrigation

- Adapted agro-systems for climate change conditions

Course material

- Handbook on the underlying theoretical concepts of the crop water productivity model AquaCrop

- Handbook on how to run the crop water productivity model AquaCrop for practical application

Available on Toledo:
- Crop water productivity model AquaCrop (software)

- Online modules to acquire (practical and theoretical) knowledge about crop water productivity management and modelling, including presentations with voice-over about the underlying theoretical concepts and practical application of the crop water productivity model AquaCrop

- Online modules to (self) test (practical and theoretical) knowledge about crop water productivity management

- Reference manual of the crop water productivity model AquaCrop

Format: more information

Flipped classroom - Group assignment - Practical lecture - Project work - Report

Presentation

Students follow in-class sessions that consist of mainly practical exercises, training in software and feedback on student’s queries to design field management for achieving optimal crop water productivity (including an irrigation schedule) in a practical application project

During pre-class sessions students have to prepare each of the in-class sessions by completing an online module (on Toledo) offering presentations with voice-over, selected chapters in the course handbooks and a minor pre-class assignment

Content

During this OLA, students will be engaged to analyze and evaluate the context of an existing or planned irrigation project addressing the different dimensions. Starting from a concrete assignment, they will

• Identify crop rotations/cropping systems suited for a specific location and socio-economic context 
• Identify the irrigation type(s) most suited for that specific location and proposed cropping system 
• Explore available water resources for the location
• Evaluate/Design the water distribution system from the water source to the irrigated field 
• Evaluate/Design the field equipment (dimensions, selection of suitable components, spatial lay-out, ...) 
• Reflect on the socio-economic context of the project and the links to water management in the irrigated perimeter

Course material

Learning material will be made available on Toledo following the project progress

Format: more information

Group assignment - Literature review - Presentation - Project work - Report

Discussion 

Students will get a project assignment, which they will have to analyse, propose a methodology to investigate and implement that methodology to create their report and oral presentation. During the practical sessions, they will get time to work in groups and get access to relevant/necessary theory by the professor upon demand as part of their learning process. Several learning blocks will be available as part of the learning process.

Explanation

The assessment is based on an evaluation of the student’s reports about their projects (55%), which is submitted prior to the oral defence and the oral exam (45%).

The projects and reports are discussed during the oral examination. The student presents the design or management projects on an individual basis, discusses how to select alternative management and design options, justifies his or her choices for management and design and explains the steps followed towards the final result.

Information about retaking exams

Whereas the progress presentations and the group report cannot be repeated in the second session, the individual oral defence can be subject to a second exam opportunity.

Content

This course is taught at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

*

Students are introduced in the structure of the case study, the objectives and the way the project work will be assessed. The geographical, hydrological and water management characteristics of the catchment are made available to the students at the beginning of this workshop, and the need and requirements for an integrated river basin management plan are described. Elements that will be considered during the implementation of the integrated project are:
- the social, legal and environmental requirements for an integrated river management plan (an expert from the water authorities will provide the information concerning the creation of such a plan);
- the European Water Framework Directive and its requirements and consequences;
- overview of the project team (students, lecturers) and database, the capacity, role and task of each participant;
- overview of the importance and requirements for analysis and modelling within an integrated framework for the aspects: surface water, groundwater, river flow, urban water aspects, agricultural (irrigation and soil) water, aquatic ecology, and water quality;
- the schematic analysis of structure of web of water interactions;
- the layout and start-up of cooperative modelling of the web of water aspects;
- the discussion with catchment water managers and visit to the case study river basin;
- the integration of different modelling exercises;
- the integration of social, legal and systems approach to water management;
- the wrapping up of integration, reporting and joint formulation of conclusions; andthe presentation of the integrated project and handing-in of a final report.

The participants are also offered the opportunity to participate to WaterEurope, which is an international course organized by the university of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Participants will prepare themselves through e-learning and attend the groupwork during a 2 week period in Nice. The groupwork tackles flood management problems using a variety of tools and models. Costs for flights/trains and accommodations are covered for 10 participants.

Format: more information

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical work; 26 hrs/1 credit of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

Group report and presentation with additional individual oral exam.

Content

Description of the Integrated Project concept: (sub)tropical semi-arid climate case study:

• The structure of the project is given, the objectives and the approach to evaluation. An introduction to the geographical, hydrological and water management characteristics of the catchment is provided. The social, legal and environmental requirements for an integrated river basin management plan are provided. An expert from the water authorities will provide information on the preparation of a management plan of the (sub)tropical semi-arid river basin.
• An overview of the project team (students, lecturers) and database, the capacity, role and task of each participant will be given. An overview will be given of the importance and requirements for analysis and modelling within an integrated framework for the following aspects: surface water, groundwater, river flow, urban water aspects, agricultural water management (irrigation and soil), aquatic ecology and water quality.
• A schematic analysis of the structure of the network of water interactions will be drawn. The design and start of cooperative modelling of the water network aspects will be achieved through group work.
• Fieldwork, measurements and excursion to catchment are undertaken. Discussions with catchment water managers and different stakeholders are aimed at deepening the understanding of water supply and demand. This apporach envisages the integration of social, legal and systems in water management.
• Group work is focused on discussion and integration of different modelling methods on various aspects of integrated water resources management. 
• The final step in the process is the integration of different group reports and modelling efforts in a joint formulation of conclusions and recommendations. The findings are presented to and discussed with different catchment stakeholders and the scientific community. The integrated project report and presentation are finalsed based on the discussions and feedback obtained.

Course material

Study cost: More than 100 euros (The information about the study costs as stated here gives an indication and only represents the costs for purchasing new materials. There might be some electronic or second-hand copies available as well. You can use LIMO to check whether the textbook is available in the library. Any potential printing costs and optional course material are not included in this price.)

Presentations and literature are provided during preparatory sessions.

Travel and subsistence cost are to be paid by non-VLIR students. A dedicated information session including cost estimates is planned to facilitate the choice between different options of temperate cases and the tropical climate case.

Format: more information

Field internship - Fieldwork - Group assignment

26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical work; 26 hrs/1 credits of assignment/guided self-study

Explanation

Group report and presentation with additional oral exam.

Information about retaking exams

In the case of a resit, an additional task and presentation related to the group work will be organised with an oral examination.

Content

This learning activity provides the basics of the surface water part of the hydrological cycle and the rainfall-runoff processes.

• the hydrologic cycle, runoff mechanisms and water balances
• rainfall data for hydrologic design
• rainfall losses ( interception, storage, infiltration )
• the runoff concentration (unit hydrograph, reservoir models )
• flood routing  (hydrologic methods)

The exercises consist of a series of applications that focus on determination of rainfall losses through different methods, unit hydrograph applications, hydrologic river and reservoir routing.

Course material

Course text (required):
Surface Water Hydrology: Surface Water Hydrology Concepts, J. Nossent and W. Thiery (the lecture notes, presentations and additional material are available on CANVAS)

Format: more information

The learning activities include lecturing and computer exercises

Content

This learning activity provides an overview of the different modelling techniques used in hydrology. Starting from a classification of models, the principles underlying the different model types are discussed and the link is made towards the application field of the model type. Characteristic models are explicited for the sake of illustration.

The topics that are covered are:

• classification and applicability of models
• parameter optimisation techniques
• physically based, distributed models
• conceptual models for event simulations
• conceptual models for continuous simulations
• water quality modelling

The exercises consist of the use of a hydrologic simulator. In this part, the students are also expected to familiarise themselves with this tool by self-learning. A second part consists of an analysis of a peer reviewed paper on hydrological (catchment) modelling and linking it to the theoretical principles.

Course material

Surface Water Hydrology: Introduction to Surface Water Hydrology Modelling, J. Nossent and A. van Griensven (the lecture notes, presentations and additional material are available on CANVAS)

Format: more information

The learning activities include lecturing and computer exercises

Explanation

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:

• oral, closed book examination with written preparation (70%)
• a report from the exercises (30%)

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Information about retaking exams

There is no second examination opportunity for the practical report on modelling; hence, the score of this report obtained during the first examination period will be transferred to the third examination period.

Students who did not submit a report in January, can submit a report during the third examination period.

Content

Lectures

1 INTRODUCTION
2 SEWER SYSTEMS
3 THE HYDROLOGY OF SEWER SYSTEM
4 THE HYDRAULICS OF SEWER SYSTEMS
5 AUXILIARY STRUCTURES IN SEWER SYSTEMS
6 PREDESIGN OF SEWER SYSTEMS
7 CONTROL CALCULATIONS FOR SEWER SYSTEMS
8 WATER QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS
 

The project

The project focusses on the urban drainage system of Dessel (Kleine Nete).

For this system, the following analysis will be performed:
• an analysis of the hydraulic behaviour of the sewer network for different design storms. Hereby the focus will be on the flooding problems within the system;
• an analysis of the quantitative and qualitative emissions to the receiving waters, based on long term simulations. The analysis includes an analysis of the efficiency of the waste water treatment plant and an analysis of measures to control the combined sewer overflows.

For the analysis, the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), a public domain software of the US EPA, will be used.

The students will also perform a predesign of a sewer system, i.c. the storm sewer system of the VUB. 
 

Course material

Bauwens W. (2013). Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics. Lecture notes (Available on Pointcarre)

Bauwens W. (2013). Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics. Assigments and User Guide of SWMM. (Available on Pointcarre)

Format: more information

The course is organized as a workshop, consisting of

- lectures

- guided computer session

- self study

- development of the project by means of group work.

Explanation

The assessment will be based on the evaluation of the reports, on the evaluation of a presentation of the project results and on an oral examination on the reports.

The reports determine 40% of the mark, the presentation 10% and the oral examination 50%.

Submission of the individual tasks/projects is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.

Content

Students attend 5 seminars that cover the following general aspects:

• Literature reference management; plagiarism and how to avoid it
• Structure of a scientific research paper and a master thesis
• Sources of scientific information; literature search
• Writing a scientific text
• Presentation and plotting skills

Students will write a short literature review considering the above mentioned aspects and receive individual feedback.

Course material

More information is provided in the Toledo community “Information Literacy Tutorial” (C-5573273-K).  Students can subscribe to this tutorial through the Toledo E-learning platform.

Content

The promoter/supervisor explains what is expected in terms of self-study by the student, i.e. definition of hypothesis, goal of thesis, choice of research methods, work plan, etc. He/she will also explain how to organise and implement a literature study. The student regularly meets with the supervisor/promoter to discuss progress and receive feedback.

The students will maintain/acquire awareness of plagiarism and GenAI by using the Toledo tutorial "Information literacy KU Leuven libraries (Science and Technology)" (NL/EN) and testing it. The test is not compulsory.

Course material

Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on the following website: www.iupware.be.

For literature search students can use tools as the Web of Science or Google Scholar

Explanation

The evaluation is based on a written report and an oral presentation as follows:

Written report: During the second semester the student prepares a report of 5 to 10 pages with the following structure/content:

• Title of the research
• Problem statement based on a (preliminary) literature review
• Objective of the research
• Research methodology

The student brings the report, signed by the promoter(s) for approval, to the oral examination session

Oral presentation: PowerPoint presentation of the planned research (5 to 10 minutes) at the end of the June examination session

The research proposal and presentation have to demonstrate that the student achieved the aims of this course unit. The proposal and presentation have to show that the student has studied and reviewed the state of the art on the topic in the scientific literature, and has developed the objectives of the thesis research and methods in sufficient detail to be able to start the thesis research.The evaluators are: Promoter (approval of the written report), and one member from the Steering Committee (evaluation of the oral presentation). 

This OLA is evaluated as pass/fail:

• Pass: the student is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project
• Fail: the student has to repeat the examination before he/she is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project

The study points are attributed to "Thesis Research Project" (I0S76A), but we will use a bonus/malus system as follows:

- Students who present a very good research proposal will earn a bonus of +0.5 that will be added to the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis Research Project, I0S76A).

- For students who meet the formal requirements but whose proposal is poor and for students who are absent during some of the seminars (without valid reason verified by the ombuds person) we will subtract 0.5 from the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis Research Project, I0S76A)

Content

• Importance of water management for agriculture and nature conservation
• Irrigation game ‘Water Matters’
• Computation of the crop water requirements
• Concepts for understanding soil water dynamics: water potential, water retention, hydraulic conductivity, Darcy-Buckingham, capillary rise
• Computation of the net and gross irrigation requirement;
• Estimation of field and scheme water requirements.
• Crop water requirements and gains of water by rainfall and capillary rise; Leaching requirement to prevent soil salinity
• Distribution, application and project efficiency in irrigation schemes.
• Irrigation scheduling when the water supply is not limiting and under conditions of water scarcity (e.g. deficit irrigation);
• Performance criteria for irrigation methods: efficiency, uniformity and adequacy.
• Surface irrigation: operation of furrow and rice basins, estimation of advance time and needed infiltration time for furrow irrigation.
• Sprinkler irrigation: different types and operation of sprinkler systems and estimation of wind drift losses, uniformity, impact of nozzle size and pressure on distribution of water.
• Drip irrigation: operation, components of the drip system and estimation of the wet bulb.
• Short introduction to water distribution for irrigation by surface and pressurized systems.
• Stationary and non-stationary design formulas for drainage. Drainage criteria for agriculture. Technical feasibility of water flow as a function of the soil. Implementation of water table management (subsurface) by canals and drains. Mole and superficial drainage for heavy textured soils.
• Controlled drainage

Extra modules are foreseen to allow students to remediate gaps in knowledge at the start:

• For students who did not take ‘Klimatologie’ or another course in which reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and frequency analysis of rainfall was covered, there are modules on these aspects.

Course material

- Course slides

- Course text

- Online modules to acquire (practical and theoretical) knowledge about agricultural water management

Format: more information

Business game - Flipped classroom - Individual assignment - MOOC

Students follow in-class sessions that consist mainly of discussions on theoretical aspects and methods of agricultural water management.

During pre-class sessions, students have to prepare each of the in-class sessions by completing an online module (on Toledo) offering presentations with voice-over, selected chapters in the course handbooks and a minor pre-class assignment.

Content

The practical exercises in class aim at training the students in:

• computation of the crop water requirements, and the net and gross irrigation requirement, including the special case of paddy rice and the calculation of the leaching requirement to prevent soil salinity.
• calculation of the soil water balance and the scheduling of irrigation (including deficit irrigation).
• calculations that help to improve the efficiencies of the irrigation methods: wind drift for sprinkler, wetted area and wet bulb for drip and the time-distance graph for furrow irrigation, irrigation uniformity, and application and distribution efficiencies
• use of the FAO water productivity model AquaCrop
• design and manage agricultural drainage

Assignment:
The homework consists of several small assignments (irrigation requirements, irrigation scheduling, drainage systems) and the writing of a short scientific report describing the method, discussing the results and formulating conclusions for each assignment. 

Excursion:
Irrigation methods and equipment are illustrated during a half-day excursion to a farmer and/or an experimental station where irrigation is used.

Course material

- Course text and exercises

- Online modules on AquaCrop

Format: more information

Company visit - Computer session - Individual assignment - Practice session

Students learn how to do the necessary calculations needed for irrigation and drainage, including (an introduction to) the use of the FAO water productivity model AquaCrop. This is complemented with an excursion at the end of the semester and with individual assignments on irrigation and drainage problems.

Explanation

Quotation on written exam consisting of sample problems (open book) (30% of weight) and questions about the theory (closed book) (40% of weight), and on an assessment of homework (reports to be submitted beforehand by Toledo) (30% of weight).

Submission of the individual tasks is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks. The course will hence be considered as "not completed" (NA) in the next examination period.

Information about retaking exams

Assignments (reports) do not need to be repeated or re-submitted for the second exam opportunity unless a student wants to improve a report knowing it was not up to standard.

Content

During the internship (at least 5 weeks) the student performs under supervision a specific task in a company or organization belonging to the field of training. The aim is to further develop knowledge and competences, and to develop some additional skills and attitudes that are important in the field. The assignment must be completely independent of the master's thesis.

More information on the procedure, as well as relevant documents, can be found on the website: https://www.biw.kuleuven.be/en/study/internships/internships.

Explanation

For the final evaluation a commission is appointed by the faculty and an evaluation matrix is used for the evaluation of the three components (product, process and presentation, at the rate of 25% - 50% - 25%). The end result must be submitted to the faculty before November 20th of the running academic year.

Information about retaking exams

(a) If the final score, the combination of three sub-scores (one for the evaluation of the process, one of the report and one for the presentation) is insufficient (<10/20) and the sub-score for the process is insufficient (<10/20), then there is no second exam chance. The internship will be removed from the ISP of the student and should be replaced by an elective course in the second semester.

(b) If the final score (the combination of three sub-scores: one for the evaluation of the process, one of the report and one for the presentation) is insufficient (<10/20) but the sub-score for the internship process is sufficient (≥10/20, then there is a second exam chance. This consists of the reworking and resubmission of the report before the end of the 1st exam session. There is no new presentation. The final result for the second exam chance is calculated as a weighted average of the original process score (50%) and the new score for the report (40%). The absence of a presentation is therefore penalized at a rate of 10%. The new score for the report is determined by consensus between the members of the evaluation committee.

(c) If there is no evaluation before the 20th of November, then the procedure as in (b) will be followed. If there is no evaluation of the internship before the end of the first exam period or the end result is insufficient, then the student does not pass the course and he/she has used all exam chances for the academic year.

Content

During the internship (at least 5 weeks) the student performs under supervision a specific task in a company or organization belonging to the field of training. The aim is to further develop knowledge and competences, and to develop some additional skills and attitudes that are important in the field. The assignment must be completely independent of the master's thesis.

More information on the procedure, as well as relevant documents, can be found on the website: https://www.biw.kuleuven.be/en/study/internships/internships.

Explanation

For the final evaluation a commission is appointed by the faculty and an evaluation matrix is used for the evaluation of the three components (product, process and presentation, at the rate of 25% - 50% - 25%). The end result must be submitted to the faculty before May 20th of the running academic year.

Information about retaking exams

(a) If the final score (the combination of three sub-scores: one for the evaluation of the process, one of the report and one for the presentation) is insufficient (<10/20) but the sub-score for the internship process is sufficient (≥10/20, calculated at a rate of 50% process, 25% product, 25% presentation) then there is a second examination. This consists of rework and resubmission of the report before the end of the 3rd exam session. There is no new presentation. The final result for the second chance is calculated as a weighted average of the original process score (50%) and the new score for the report (40%). The absence of a presentation is therefore penalized at a rate of 10%. The new score for the report is determined by consensus between the members of the evaluation committee. Each member of the evaluation committee has to complete a new evaluation matrix for the product part through the internship coordinator and has to turn it in to the student administration at the faculty.

(b) If there is no evaluation before May 20th, then the procedure as in (a) will be followed. If there is no evaluation of the internship before the end of the third exam period of the end result is insufficient, then the student does not pass the course and he/she has used all exam chances for the academic year.

Content

Part A (14 credits) of the Thesis research project is conducted under the supervision of a promoter, and normally is related to ongoing research within the research unit the promoter/advisor is affiliated. The student is required to submit a short progress report with a schematic overview of achieved results and a planning of future research activities.

Course material

Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on the following website: www.iupware.be.

Explanation

The grading scale of this course unit is pass/fail.

The student is required to submit a short progress report with a schematic overview of achieved results and a planning of future research activities.

The course unit (part A) i sevaluated as Pass/Fail on progress report to promoter and assessment of the progress.

Content

Part B  (14 credits) of the Thesis research project is conducted under the supervision of a promoter, and normally is related to ongoing research within the research unit the promoter/advisor is affiliated.

Course material

Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on the following website: www.iupware.be.

Explanation

This evaluation was a weight of 28 study points (ECTS).  This is because part A is only evaluated as pass/fail.  The study points of part A are contributed to part B so its evaluation has a weight of 28 ECTS (14+14). 

Evaluation is on the basis of the dissertation (written thesis document) and its presentation and oral defense during the examination period.Guidelines for the master thesis are given at www.iupware.be.

During the thesis defense, students present their thesis research in 20 minutes, after which jury members ask questions about the research.

All jury members will evaluate:

• Content of the thesis manuscript.
• Form of the manuscript
• Presentation and defense

The promoter(s) and supervisor(s) will also evaluate:

• Process of the thesis research

The jury members use the following criteria to grade the thesis research, the thesis manuscript and the way it is defended:

• 9/20 and less: the thesis has serious shortcomings. The candidate lacks motivation and dedication. The text is poorly written and edited.
• 10 and 11/20: weak thesis, but no serious shortcomings. The content of the thesis might be too superficial, the text contains errors and the references to literature are poor.
• 12 and 13/20: moderate thesis. The thesis is not based on a thorough literature review, methods and data analysis are not adequate or are insufficiently developed. Conclusions are weak to moderate.
• 14 and 15/20: good thesis. The research is based on clear objectives/hypotheses, the used methods are appropriate, data analysis is correct, and appropriate reference is made to literature in the different sections of the dissertation.
• 16 and 17/20: very good thesis. The dissertation contains a thorough technical/scientific analysis and/or design. The work is innovative and well written.
• 18/20 and more: excellent thesis. The thesis ranks within the top 5% of theses. The technical/scientific solutions and design prove that the student is very innovative and able to handle the analysis and design in a masterly way. The dissertation is excellently written.

Content

Emphasis is on the structure and functioning of the aquatic continuum in a changing climate, including freshwater systems such as ponds, lakes and rivers as well as brackish and saline systems, such as estuaries. The concepts and ideas developed in the course will be illustrated using theoretical, literature and practical examples.

Themes that will be covered in the course include:

1. Introduction to aquatic ecology:
- the importance of aquatic systems and their threats, humans and climate change; aims of the course

2.Introduction to basic concepts in (Aquatic) Ecology:
- Autecology, population, ecology, niches, biodiversity, food webs

3. Bio-geochemistry in aquatic systems

4. Lentic habitats (lakes, ponds,...): typology, functioning

5. Lotic habitats (rivers): distribution and forms, hydraulic parameters, morphology, ecosystem structure,

6. Estuaries – river continuum:
- Ecology, morphology, landscape scale, link to bio-geochemistry, organic carbon transport, production, storage, gradients (salinity, species, forcing)

7. Freshwater wetlands & floodplains, local scale, gradient species communities

8. Eco-morphodynamics, tidal wetlands, estuaries, benthos

9. Ecological resilience, disturbance recovery, stable states

10. Applying eco-morphodynamics in Nature Based Solutions

11. Climate change and aquatic ecology              

12. Carbon storage and sequestration in aquatic systems

13. Literature seminar comparing state-of-the-art concepts

Course material

Slides will be provided, along with supporting literature (articles, book chapters) via Toledo.

Content

Practical computer exercises utilized to gain a deeper understanding in theoretical ecological concepts covered in the lectures.

Course material

Handouts/slides will be provided via Toledo.

Format: more information

Attendance at the practical (or handing in a possible replacement task) is mandatory to pass the course.

Content

Excursion & analyses (1 day): introduction in characterization of freshwater systems to applied aquatic ecology and integrated management of aquatic systems.

Course material

Handouts/slides will be provided via Toledo.

Format: more information

Report

Attendance at the excursion is mandatory to pass the course.

Explanation

Type: Partial or continuous assessment with final exam during the examination period. (i.e. students are expected to attend and provide reports of activities).

Description of evaluation:

• Written, closed book exam (80%)
• Practical report (10%)
• Excursion report (10%)

Submission of the individual tasks and participation is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks. The final course score is a weighted score of the written examination (80%) and the continuous assessment score (20%).

Attendance at the excursion and practical exercise is mandatory to pass the course.

Information about retaking exams

A retake in principle only includes the examination, unless the student also failed for the practical and/or fieldwork report – in that case, a revised version of the report(s) must also be submitted prior to the second examination moment.

Content

Calculating daily composite average flow and loads from diurnal data; influent flow balancing; integrated waste water treatment plant modelling and design; major project brief; economic evaluation of different waste water treatment plant layouts to achieve different technical, and environmental and economic objectives.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Format: more information

Biological process modelling of the activated sludge system including nitrification; material

mass balances; reactor kinetics; biological process kinetic equations of ordinary heterotrophic

organism and autotrophic nitrifier organism growth and endogenous respiration; development of the

steady state activated sludge model; application to design, selection of sludge age, impact of primary

settling, sewage sludge disposal. Aeration is also covered.

Content

Topics Include(i) Integrated urban water management and Water Sensitive Urban Design (ii) social impacts and health concerns (iii) wastewater treatment and remediation practices (iv) anthropological impacts on water quality (v) the role of water in the social fabric and the under-pinning of sustainable livelihoods considering culture, privilege and inequality (vi) the IDTD research paradigm in integrated water management (vii) water-food-energy nexus (viii) resource recovery and the circular economy (ix) linkages to Sustainable Development Goals.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Explanation

For the Sustainable Water Management course there are two assignments that get completed during the two week course period (one of which is a group assignment) and then two written reports that get submitted once the lecturing period is completed. Depending on the circumstances for the retake, if the student fails or does not submit one or both of these assignments, then they will need to be redone in order to complete the course. In particular the final assignment (and the one that is externally examined) is worth 50% of the course mark, so passing the course is not possible without completing this assignment.

Content

Topics: Objectives of waste water treatment; Bioenergetics and biological processes, anabolism and catabolism; Waste water test methods; Wastewater characterization; Primary sedimentation; Unit operations of waste water treatment; Biological growth and death behavior; Reactor kinetics; Bioprocess stoichiometry and kinetics; Defining the solids (SRT) and hydraulic (HRT) retention times; Calculating material mass balances, Impact of primary settling and sludge age (SRT) on system design and operation

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Topics: Objectives of waste water treatment; Bioenergetics and biological processes, anabolism and catabolism; Waste water test methods; Waste water characterization; Primary sedimentation; Unit operations of wastewater treatment; Biological growth and death behavior; Reactor kinetics; Bioprocess stoichiometry and kinetics; Defining the solids (SRT) and hydraulic (HRT) retention times; Calculating material mass balances, Impact of primary settling and sludge age (SRT) on system design and operation

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Classes of settling; factors affecting settling tanks; column test for water-treatment solids settling characterization; application to sizing settling tanks, effect of flocculation; flux theory- application to design & comparison to other procedures; activated sludge settleability and computational fluid dynamics modelling of settling tanks.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Settling; factors affecting settling tanks; column test for water-treatment solids settling characterization; application to sizing settling tanks, effect of flocculation; flux theory- application to design & comparison to other procedures; activated sludge settleability and computational fluid dynamics modelling of settling tanks.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Format: more information

Group assignment

Content

Nutrient removal processes: Development of the steady state nitrification denitrification (ND) model; effect of ND on system design, effluent quality and oxygen demand. Modelling excess biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) including characteristics and behaviour of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs); Design and analysis of NDBEPR of systems; chemical P precipitation; novel applications; the impact of membrane solid/liquid separation and external nitrification on NDBEPR system design.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Nutrient removal processes: Development of the steady state nitrification denitrification (ND) model; effect of ND on system design, effluent quality and oxygen demand. Modelling excess biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) including characteristics and behaviour of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs); Design and analysis of NDBEPR of systems; chemical P precipitation; novel applications; the impact of membrane solid/liquid separation and external nitrification on NDBEPR system design.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Introduction to sewage sludge reuse and disposal guidelines in South Africa; characterization of primary and waste activated sludge; sludge thickening with gravity sedimentation and flotation; steady state aerobic digestion modelling for primary and waste activated sludge stabilization and application to plant-wide design and analysis.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Content

Introduction to sewage sludge reuse and disposal guidelines in South Africa; characterization of primary and waste activated sludge; sludge thickening with gravity sedimentation and flotation; steady state aerobic digestion modelling for primary and waste activated sludge stabilization and application to plant-wide design and analysis.

Course material

Course material will be made available through the online education system at UCT.

Format: more information

Group assignment

Content

The Master degree thesis project is conducted under the supervision of a promoter, and normally is related to ongoing Water Resources Engineering research within the research unit the promoter/advisor is affiliated.

Course material

Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on the following website: www.iupware.be.

Explanation

Evaluation is on the basis of the dissertation (written thesis document) and its presentation and oral defense during the examination period.

Guidelines for the master thesis are given at www.iupware.be.

During the thesis defense, students present their thesis research in 20 minutes, after which jury members ask questions about the research.

All jury members will evaluate:

• Content of the thesis manuscript.
• Form of the manuscript
• Presentation and defense

The promoter(s) and supervisor(s) will also evaluate:

• Process of the thesis research

The jury members use the following criteria to grade the thesis research, the thesis manuscript and the way it is defended:

• 9/20 and less: the thesis has serious shortcomings. The candidate lacks motivation and dedication. The text is poorly written and edited.
• 10 and 11/20: weak thesis, but no serious shortcomings. The content of the thesis might be too superficial, the text contains errors and the references to literature are poor.
• 12 and 13/20: moderate thesis. The thesis is not based on a thorough literature review, methods and data analysis are not adequate or are insufficiently developed. Conclusions are weak to moderate.
• 14 and 15/20: good thesis. The research is based on clear objectives/hypotheses, the used methods are appropriate, data analysis is correct, and appropriate reference is made to literature in the different sections of the dissertation.
• 16 and 17/20: very good thesis. The dissertation contains a thorough technical/scientific analysis and/or design. The work is innovative and well written.
• 18/20 and more: excellent thesis. The thesis ranks within the top 5% of theses. The technical/scientific solutions and design prove that the student is very innovative and able to handle the analysis and design in a masterly way. The dissertation is excellently written.

Content

Through self-study, students learn to use data collection methods and data analysis techniques needed for their thesis research. The promoter/supervisor guides the student in the choice of the appropriate data collection and data analysis methods, and helps with identifying research papers, manuals and/or text books that explain the methods.

Students also attend all seminars during which each student presents his/her ongoing thesis research with a PowerPoint presentation (10 minutes). Students receive feedback on their presentation from fellow students and from the lecturer.

Course material

Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on Toledo and the following website: www.iupware.be.

Explanation

Each student gives a PowerPoint presentation (10 minutes) of the Master research during the seminars organized in the last week before the Eastern break.  The evaluation is made by one professor (from VUB or from KU Leuven) and the promoters/supervisors are also invited to attend the presentation.

Students have to attend all seminars as they give feedback to their peers and because they also learn from the feedback received and from the presentations of their fellow students.

This OLA is evaluated as pass/fail:

• Pass: the student is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project
• Fail: the student has to repeat the examination before he/she is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project

The study points are attributed to "Thesis research Project" (I0S76A), but we will use a bonus/malus system as follows:  

• Students who show very good progress will earn a bonus of +0.5 that will be added to the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis research Project, I0S76A).
• For students who meet the formal requirement of the presentation but who's progress is poor and for students who are absent during the presentations of other students (without valid reason verified by the ombuds person) we will subtract 0.5 from the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis Research Project, I0S76A)

Content

Definitions, concepts and challenges

• Introduction to the course: aim, expectations, content, course evaluation.
• Definitions and concepts: explore core IWRM concepts, emphasising the need for hydro-social and ecological understanding.
• Challenges and opportunities: discuss major challenges facing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation.

Hydro-social systems

• Understand concepts, dimensions and processes of hydrological and hydro-social cycles.
• Relate the different uses and users of water to the natural/bio-physical dimension of water systems using an ecosystem-based approach.
• Apply methods and tools for analysing stakeholders in a given system, defining their roles, importance and influence in hydro-social systems; analyse power and influence of stakeholders, recognise the role of women and gender in participatory approaches, reflect on stakeholder-institution connections

Water governance

• Explore the basic principles of water governance and participation and examine access to water as a human right and its role in poverty reduction.
• Introduce water governance institutions and discuss concepts such as accountability, economic and water efficiency, and environmental sustainability. 
• Recognise the need for legal frameworks and explore transboundary issues that complicate water governance.
• Discuss private and public sector investments in water resources management.

Water accounting

• Explore water supply and demand, and its evolution across sectors using water accounting plus
• Understand water productivity, the value of water-related ecosystem services and how to integrate water value into assessment frameworks
• Analyse the water footprint and virtual water trade
• Explore the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus and its cross-sectoral interdependencies

DPSIR framework for water resource management

• Explore drivers (D) of change in socio-hydrological water systems, including hydro-ecological economics and land use change, water governance and socio-political change
• Understand climate change at global and regional level, the drivers, the impacts on water resources, adaptation measures, climate proofing
• Link Drivers to Pressures-State-Impact: risk, vulnerability and resilience in water systems

From DPSI to Response

• Understand water systems through different methods and tools: situation analysis, problem tree, from monitoring and modelling to decision support systems
• Explore different water management principles: different type of interventions, mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and water resources planning
• Understand stakeholder engagement: awareness of the importance of water among policy-makers and the general public as a starting point for a participatory approach.

Experiences from EU and the global south

• Real-world examples of understanding hydro-social systems across different scales and diverse contexts.
• Fieldtrip to illustrate Integrated Water Resources Management

Course material

Powerpoint presentations and supplementary materials are available online on the learning platform.

Content

Group Case Studies: Integrated Water Resources Management

Students in groups of 3-4 will analyse and evaluate the implementation of integrated water resource management (IWRM) for a chosen water resource system. 

Phase 1: System Analysis

• Identify the main problems of the hydro-social system.
• Identify the stakeholders and discuss their key challenges within the water resource system.

Phase 2: DPSIR Analysis

• Select a specific water resource challenge for in-depth DPSIR analysis.
• Analyse the driver-pressure-state-impact for the selected water resource challenge

Phase 3: Response Evaluation

• Examine the existing response (participatory or non-participatory) to the chosen challenge.

Course material

Powerpoint presentations and background documentation on the case studies are available on the educational platform

Format: more information

Students prepare a PowerPoint presentation of maximum 15 slides per group (12 minutes presentation time maximum) summarizing their analysis and submit a joint report per group. This common joint report contains a maximum of 10 pages per member.

Explanation

Group presentations and case study reports are assessed before the examination period.

60% of the marks are based on the theoretical aspects in a written exam during the examination period, while 40% of the marks are based on the case study in the group work presented and submitted as a case study report.

Submission of the case study and participation in the group are mandatory and no final examination will be allowed without submission of the case study and without participation in the case study.

Information about retaking exams

New written examination is possible

Marks from the groupwork can be transferred to the second opportunity.

If the student did not participate in the case study during the semester a specific new case study will be assigned to the student. The student will submit a report and a PowerPoint presentation at least 2 days before the second exam opportunity. In combination with the written exam on the theory, the case study will be orally examined.

Content

During the lectures of this course, an overview of the current wastewater treatment practices is provided. The focus lies on biological wastewater treatment systems, being the most (cost) efficient and most widespread way of wastewater treatment.

This part of the course starts by introducing the most common terms and definitions in the field of wastewater treatment.#

Afterwards, an overview of primary treatment techniques is provided. These primary techniques are needed to prevent coarse material (such as wood, plastic bags and sand) and oils and fats to enter the core of the treatment facility.#

The next, and most important, part is concerned with the core of the biological wastewater treatment system, i.e., the activated sludge system which comprises a biodegradation part and a sedimentation part. During the biodegradation a mixture of (predominantly) bacteria, called the activated sludge, transforms the pollutants into carbon dioxide,#nitrogen gas and water. This carbon and nutrient (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorous) removal is enabled by a sequence of anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic tanks. All these biodegradation reactions are not only biologically but also mathematically covered during the course.

Subsequently, the purified water has to be separated from the activated sludge. To this end, sedimentation tanks exploit gravity to let the activated sludge settle such that the purified water can overflow at the top of the sedimentation tank. Also here the underlying physical concepts are introduced and some mathematical tools to help designing such sedimentation tanks are provided.# Not all of the settled activated sludge can be recycled to the biodegradation tanks. Part of the sludge has to be wasted and treated. One way of sludge treatment is by methanogenesis during which the sludge is fermented (and, hence, reduced in volume) while, concomitantly, economically viable methane gas (i.e., biogas) is#produced. The topic of methanogenesis is adequately touched.

To conclude the wastewater treatment part, some research related case studies (e.g., related to the very common sedimentation problem of filamentous bulking) are presented.

Additionally, resource recovery will be introduced with a focus on water re-use and nutrient recovery.

Finally, if time allows, drinking water production and treatment are tackled, including the removal of specific contaminants that are common in developing countries, e.g., high fluoride or arsenic content and microbial contamination.  

Course material

Course notes and slides

Content

Complementary to the lectures, 3 thematic blocks of exercises are organized

A first block includes some design exercises and/or data interpretation (model parameter estimation) case studies.

A second block focuses on problem solving. The students have to infer the potential operational problems the studied wastewater treatment system is suffering, on the basis of ‘real’ data profiles.

A third block is related to alternative wastewater treatment systems. Since large centralized wastewater treatment systems (relying on a very costly sewer system) are only economically and environmentally justified in densely populated regions, this third block highlights alternative (small scale) wastewater treatment systems such as constructed wetlands and waste stabilization ponds. The students present themselves in teams of 3 to 4 a seminar dealing with alternative (low technology) treatment techniques and/or they get an assignment related to such low tech systems.

Finally, an excursion to a real wastewater treatment plant (the one of Kessel-Lo) is organized.

Course material

Course notes and/or manuals for the exercises

Format: more information

Exercises (on paper and on computer), a field trip and potentially presentations.