Water in Our World

This course will focus on understanding natural and societal dimensions of the water cycle. The coming century will see substantial pressure on global water resources owing to increasing human demand, alteration of river systems, and climate change. The first half of the course introduces fundamental concepts in physical hydrological science, and the second explores human modifications and environmental problems associated with a perturbed water cycle. The topical sequence of the class will progress first through different components of the water cycle (e.g. precipitation, evaporation, runoff), followed by different ways in which humans use and depend upon freshwater resources.