MSc in Hydrologic Sciences - Physical Hydrology in Davis United States | University of California Davis

Physical hydrology is a wide-ranging field focused on analyzing the movement of groundwater and surface water, along with how pollutants travel through these environments. While direct field observations (such as stream flow rates, channel shapes, water table depth, and aquifer characteristics) provide valuable data, they frequently offer only partial insights into the key hydrological processes within a watershed or groundwater system. To gain deeper understanding and improve monitoring and management, creating numerical (computer-based) simulations is often essential. These models vary from straightforward versions with minimal parameters that execute quickly on standard computers, to highly intricate systems requiring supercomputers and extended processing times. Students can focus on tracking and simulating surface and subsurface water systems, covering areas like water balance calculations, numerical model creation, and simulating water movement and pollutant dispersion. Subjects studied encompass geostatistics, computational modeling of aquatic systems, evaluating model sensitivity and uncertainty, groundwater science, soil properties, pollutant migration, and additional related topics.