Course detail

Hydropedology

FAST-BS06Acad. year: 2013/2014

Subject BS06 Hydropedology focuses on the interpretation of soil - water relationships and their role in the hydrological cycle landscape. The basic form of teaching are exercises in which students get acquainted with hydro-physical properties of soil and water infiltration into the soil, but is available pedological models used to derive a prediction of soil properties and to describe the processes that occur in soils. The outcome of the exercise will be a term paper and a test.


Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

Ing. Ivana Kameníčková, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Landscape Water Management (VHK)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Basic knowledge of hydropedology: hydro-physical properties of soil, infiltration, agricultural land quality assessment, prediction of soil hydraulic properties using pedotransfer functions and the use of models in pedology.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of mathematics, physics, hydraulics and hydrology

Co-requisites

Basic knowledge of hydrology

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Teaching methods depend on the type of course unit as specified in the article 7 of BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations.Analysis of physical properties of the soil in the selected location, teaching and working with special software and making a term paper.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

For the successful completion of the course the student must meet the following conditions:
- attendance in exercises
- assessment of the quality of agricultural land in the selected location
- work with the specialized software
- written examination
- making term paper.

Course curriculum

1. Hydropedological research: soil sampling, soil probe, hygiene and safety in hydropedologic laboratory
2.-3. Absorbing capacity of soil - infiltration experiment in situ and its evaluatio
4. Analysis of soil texture: preparation of soil samples, sieve screening, separation in water environment
5. Physical properties of soils, specific weight of soil, volume weight of soils, soil porosity
6.-7. Determination of texture using Casagrande method, soil classification, soil types
8. Determination of soil humidity
9. Hydrolimits: determination of hygroscopic number, wilting point, maximum capilar capacity (Novák), absolute water capacity (Kopecky)
10. Hydraulic characteristics of soil
11. RETC
12. Rosetta

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

Basic pedological knowledges and basic of hydropedology
Soil clasification in ČR, types of soil and hydropedological mapping
Physical properties of soil
Hydrolimits
Hydraulic characteristics of soil
Software RETC, Rosetta
Infiltration experiment in situ and its evaluatio

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

KUTÍLEK, Miroslav: Vodohospodářská pedologie. SNTL Praha, 1978. (CS)
KUTÍLEK, Miroslav a KURÁŽ, Václav a CÍSLEROVÁ, Milena.: Hydropedologie. Nakladatelství ČVUT, 2000. ISBN 80-7157-733-2. (CS)
KAMENÍČKOVÁ, Ivana: Hydropedologie - Hydropedologické praktikum. VUT FAST v Brně, 2006. [http://www.fce.vutbr.cz/studium/materialy/ucebnice.pdf] (CS)

Recommended reading

Klute, A. (editor): Methods of Soil Analysis. No. 9, Part 1, Physical and Mineralogical Methods. Wisconsin, 1986. (EN)
KUTÍLEK, Miroslav, NIELSEN, D.R.: Soil Hydrology. Catena Verlang, Germany, 1994. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme B-P-C-SI Bachelor's

    branch V , 4. year of study, winter semester, compulsory

  • Programme B-P-E-SI Bachelor's

    branch V , 4. year of study, winter semester, compulsory

  • Programme B-K-C-SI Bachelor's

    branch V , 4. year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Exercise

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Ivana Kameníčková, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Field work - soil sampling, measurement of infiltration
2. - 3. Evaluation of infiltration using the double-ring infiltration method and Minidisk infiltrometer
4. Physical and mechanical properties of soil
5. Hydrolimits
6. Hydraulic characteristics of soil - retention curve and hydraulic conductivity
7. The theory of capillary models for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of the course of soil moisture retention curves
8. Sofware RETC
9. Software Rosetta
10. Application of software RETC
11. Test
12. - 13. Creating a term paper