Courses

Explore fundamental concepts in hydrology through this distinguished lecture delivered by John Bredehoeft as part of the prestigious Walter B. Langbein Series in 1999, presented by the American Geophysical Union. Gain insights from one of the field's leading experts as he discusses critical aspects of hydrological science, groundwater systems, and water resource management. Learn about the theoretical foundations and practical applications that have shaped modern hydrology, drawing from Bredehoeft's extensive research experience and contributions to the field. Discover how hydrological principles apply to real-world water management challenges and environmental issues. This comprehensive presentation offers valuable perspectives on the evolution of hydrological science and its role in understanding Earth's water systems, making it essential viewing for students, researchers, and professionals in hydrology, environmental science, and water resources management.

Attend the prestigious Walter B. Langbein Lecture, honoring Stephen Burges for his lifetime contributions to hydrologic science and unselfish cooperation in research. Gain insights from this esteemed hydrologist during the 59-minute presentation at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2001 conference, recognizing excellence in the field of hydrology.

Explore the critical role of the National Weather Service's West Gulf River Forecast Center in this 58-minute conference talk. Delve into the center's mission of providing accurate and timely forecasts to protect life and property. Learn about the essential concepts of weather, hydrology, and communication employed by the center to achieve its goals. Gain insights from Gregory Waller, Service Coordination Hydrologist at the NWS Gulf River Forecast Center, as he explains how the latest weather and hydrologic information is utilized to create precise forecasts. Understand the importance of river forecast centers in the broader context of the National Weather Service's mission to provide observations, forecasts, and warnings for public safety.

Explore the connection between forest restoration and carbon storage in this TEDx talk by Gina McCoy. Discover how addressing imbalances in carbon distribution can help combat the climate crisis and prevent mega-fires in dry forests. Learn about McCoy's journey in founding a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating forest health restoration and her current work with C6 Innovations. Gain insights from her extensive experience as a hydrologist, landscape ecologist, environmental engineer, and stream processes specialist in the eastern Cascade Mountains. Understand the potential of biochar as a tool for rebalancing carbon in ecosystems and the atmosphere, while acknowledging that this remains an ongoing field of study.

Explore the connection between forest restoration and carbon storage in this TEDx talk by Gina McCoy. Discover how addressing imbalances in carbon distribution can help combat the climate crisis and prevent mega-fires in dry forests. Learn about McCoy's journey in founding a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating forest health restoration and her current work with C6 Innovations. Gain insights from her extensive experience as a hydrologist, landscape ecologist, environmental engineer, and stream processes specialist in the eastern Cascade Mountains. Understand the potential of biochar as a tool for rebalancing carbon in ecosystems and the atmosphere, while acknowledging that this remains an ongoing field of study.

Join oceanographer Dawn Wright and climate scientist/hydrologist Tashiana Osborne in a webinar exploring science communication, policy, and outreach activities related to ocean science. Discover effective strategies for sharing scientific research, including storytelling techniques, social media best practices, and engaging with diverse audiences. Learn about AGU's Sharing Science program and its celebration of 100 years advancing Earth and space science. Gain insights on using technology tools like URL shorteners, TweetDeck, and media switching to enhance science communication. Explore the power of visual storytelling and understand the importance of tailoring messages to specific audiences. Discover how children can influence their parents' views on climate change and prepare to celebrate World Oceans Day with newfound communication skills.

Attend a 58-minute lecture from the 2020 Hydrology Early Career Award November Lecture Series focusing on frontiers in subsurface transport. Presented by Dr. Veronica Morales from the University of California, Davis, this seminar is part of a series celebrating outstanding young hydrologists and their contributions to the field. Gain insights into advanced concepts and future directions in subsurface transport, and hear from Dr. Morales' nominator about her accomplishments. This lecture serves as an excellent introduction to emerging leaders in hydrology and provides familiarity with AGU platforms used for the 2020 Fall Meeting.

Explore the compelling case study of Brownwood, a suburb in Baytown, Texas, that faced repeated flooding and land subsidence over a 24-year period. Delve into the complex interplay between natural disasters and human-induced environmental changes as presented by John Ellis, Supervisory Hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. Examine how four hurricanes and three tropical storms contributed to widespread flooding, while uncovering the underlying cause of the subdivision's gradual but irreversible descent into the sea. Gain insights into the broader implications of this phenomenon for the greater Houston area and understand the critical nexus between land surface and groundwater dynamics. Learn valuable lessons from this hour-long lecture that highlight the importance of considering long-term environmental impacts in urban planning and development.

Explore the fascinating journey of Matthew Rodell, NASA's Deputy Director of Earth Sciences for Hydrosphere, Biosphere, and Geophysics (HGB) at Goddard Space Flight Center, in this 21-minute AGU podcast episode. Discover how Rodell's unexpected path led him to become a pioneering hydrologist working on NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Mission. Learn about the crucial role of remote sensing in collecting vital data about Earth's water resources and how a missed phone call shaped Rodell's career at NASA. Gain insights into the importance of satellite technology in understanding our planet's hydrological systems and the impact of climate change on water availability. This engaging audio journey offers a unique perspective on the intersection of space technology and Earth science, highlighting the significance of water research in our changing world.

Learn about QSWAT hydrologic modeling software implementation in a conference talk that demonstrates watershed characterization techniques using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Explore how this open-source software integrates with QGIS to assess watershed health, catalog resources, and support watershed management decisions. Examine a case study of the Lough Neagh watershed in Northern Ireland, where the software was used to analyze diverse topography, soil types, and riparian environments near the Upper River Bann. Discover the development of a simplified procedural workflow designed to help hydrologists effectively utilize open-source QSWAT models for watershed management decision support.

Explore the significance of the Bow River in Calgary through this TEDxCalgary talk by Frank Frigo, a water resources engineer and applied hydrologist. Discover how the river supports a city of nearly 1.5 million people while also posing flooding risks during extreme climate events. Learn from Frigo's extensive experience working with the Bow River, as he shares insights on water supply, dam and reservoir operations, floodplain management, and flood forecasting. Gain a deeper understanding of the river's role in the ecosystem, its journey from mountain watersheds to the Arctic Ocean, and the lessons it teaches about resilience in the face of floods, droughts, and climate shifts. Delve into the complex relationship between urban development and natural water systems, and explore how respecting and learning from rivers can lead to more sustainable urban planning and water management practices.

Explore a groundbreaking method for detecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) using radar technology in this 41-minute webinar. Discover how Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from Sentinel-1 overcomes the limitations of cloud cover, enabling regional-scale GDE detection with improved temporal resolution. Learn about the unique characteristics of GDEs, their importance, and the potential impacts of groundwater extraction. Gain insights into the advantages of radar imagery for ecosystem monitoring and understand the validation process and results of this innovative approach. Ideal for water managers, ecologists, ecohydrologists, engineers, and hydrologists, this presentation offers valuable knowledge for protecting vital ecosystems in areas prone to groundwater disconnection due to irrigation and mining activities.

Explore a press conference from the 2012 AGU Fall Meeting focused on enhancing predictions of "Pineapple Express" storms. Delve into the installation of the first of four permanent "atmospheric river observatories" along California's coast, designed to monitor and forecast the impacts of these powerful winter systems. Learn how these custom instrument arrays, developed in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources, will provide crucial data to weather forecasters, emergency managers, and water resource experts. Discover the potential of these observatories to improve understanding of storms that can cause destructive floods and debris flows while also replenishing state reservoirs. Gain insights from a panel of experts including NOAA research meteorologists, the California State Climatologist, National Weather Service forecasters, and hydrologists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Explore the essentials of RORB (Runoff Routing Burroughs) in this comprehensive webinar for water modeling professionals. Gain insights into applying RORB to model general runoff and streamflow routing from rainfall and other channel inputs. Discover the wide-ranging applications of RORBwin, a free and open-source interactive platform used for calculating catchment losses and flood hydrographs. Delve into a case study of the Delatite River and Tonga Bridge, examining various rainfall data types and temporal patterns crucial for RORB model input. Learn about routing parameters, losses, and the implementation of Australian Rainfall and Runoff 2019 procedures. Understand how to conduct simple runs, ensemble runs with multiple rainfall temporal patterns, and Monte Carlo sampling of inputs. Perfect for hydrologists and water resource professionals seeking to enhance their modeling capabilities using this long-standing and continuously updated tool.

Explore the intersection of data analytics, machine learning, and climate science in this 2-hour 27-minute conference session from AGU. Delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by the increasing volume of Earth observations and climate model outputs. Discover how tools from mathematics, statistics, and computer science are being adapted to advance physical understanding, improve Earth system modeling, and increase predictive ability for weather, climate, and Earth surface processes. Learn about identifying causal sources of predictability, quantifying climate variability, improving micro-scale parameterizations in climate models, and deciphering landscape responses to change. Gain insights from discussions between ocean and atmospheric scientists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, and data scientists on leveraging big data and machine learning for climate and Earth system modeling advancements. Topics covered include language translation, dynamic memory, model data machine learning, Google Earth Engine applications, pattern learning and matching, downscaling digital elevation models, and climate model analysis.

Increasing scarcity of natural resources ****The demand for safe and healthy food is rapidly increasing. The world population is growing and is projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050. How do we prepare for this and how are we going to be able to feed all these people? Global climate change raises the pressure on supply and demand for water. Changing temperatures and long-term variation in annual precipitation amounts and regional distribution patterns require more ways to control water levels. In addition to the changing climate, cropping patterns are diversifying and field irrigation methods are changing. Relevance of drainage It is clear that the food production mainly has to come from improvements in agricultural water management on existing agricultural lands. In light of all these changes in water demand, supply and use, the role of (subsurface) drainage has changed from a single-purpose measure for controlling waterlogging and/or salinity to an essential element of integrated water management under multiple land use scenarios. Learn how drainage can contribute to sustainable food security Join this course to advance your knowledge in drainage, drainage systems and solutions, and to help securing a sustainable food supply. In this course, you will work on different modules, apply the knowledge gained directly to your home country drainage situation. Furthermore, you will learn from other cases and learners worldwide, expanding your horizon on the global importance of drainage. For whom This course was developed for professionals and students from various backgrounds, especially those who are interested in agricultural water management and want to broaden their understanding of drainage planning, design, and management, and drainage-related research and training. Although specifically watermanagers and waterengineers, agricultural engineers, irrigation professionals, hydrologists, and agricultural policy makers join this course, the course is open and accessible to everyone. Do not miss out on the opportunity to join this online course and upgrade your knowledge on drainage for agricultural lands.