Postgraduate Course: Hydrogeological Environments and Characterisation (PGGE11278)
This course will be closed from 31 July 2025
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course develops the students understanding of hydrogeological environments, recognising how different geological settings influence subsurface flow characteristics. The course provides a practical introduction to the main characterisation and analysis techniques, with an emphasis on applying current concepts, methods and technologies for ground water resource assessment in the context of different applied problems. |
| Course description |
Hydrogeologists study the subsurface flow of water and its interaction with the surrounding geology and applying this understanding to practical uses such as wells for drinking water, pollution monitoring and clean-up and harnessing geothermal energy. They are at the forefront of many of today's important issues including sustainable water supply, food, and energy production, environmental protection and climate change.
The course lectures develop the student's knowledge base with advancing concepts that are supported by practical field sessions, laboratory tests, analysis, and report writing aimed at developing technical, interpretation, and reporting skills and encourage critical thinking. Integration of the concepts developed in the taught program is facilitated through student-centred investigations of current issues linked to a range of hydrogeological environments. The students will develop a sound understanding of the geological controls on groundwater hydraulics, to a range of laboratory and field tests to characterise the hydrogeological environments within the subsurface.
Course outline:
WK1: Fluid Flow in Aquifers and Aquicludes (KE). The students learn to identify what type of aquifer or aquitard is present and evaluate the key flow characteristics. The lecture content will include how to characterise a porous aquifer and a fractured porous aquifer; What key features control the flow of fluid and distribution of contamination. The lecture content is supported by a field trip to Roslyn to study the influence of geology on flow through the subsurface.
WK2: Applied Groundwater Hydrochemistry. The students learn to identify the geochemistry and reactivity within the hydrological system. The lecture content will include what makes water unique and groundwater Chemistry. The lecture content is supported by a field trip to undertake field water sampling.
WK3: Applied Groundwater Hydrochemistry. The lecture content covers: Silicon, Sulphate and Acid Minewater Drainage; Cation Exchange Capacity; Organic Pollutants NAPLS; Organic Pollutants DNAPLS and emerging Contaminants (Microplastics and the rest). The lecture content will be supplemented by the field trip data plotting and trend analysis.
WK4: Hydrogeological Environments. The students will understand, interpret and evaluate a wide range of different geological scenarios and environments and relate these geological and sedimentological controls to groundwater flow and chemistry. The lecture content will cover unconsolidated aquifers, Consolidated Sedimentary rock aquifers, Volcanic aquifers and locality specific aquifers. The lecture content will be supported by rock and pore network investigations using hand specimens and optical microscopy exercises.
WK5: Groundwater in the field. The lecture content will cover heterogeneity and how it influences flow; how it can be measured in the field: wireline logging and representative elemental volumes statistical measurements of heterogeneity. The lecture content will be supported by core logging and wireline logs interpretation exercises.
WK6: Industrial Legacy (Coal, Shale, Ironstone, Mineral). The students will evaluate the impact of our industrial legacy on groundwater resources. The lecture content will include an overview of mining, the Hydrogeology of Mined Systems, mine water chemistry & environmental Impact and the remediation of mine water. The lectures will be supplemented by guest lectures from experts in mine water and may include talks on the impact of Mining on Hydrogeology or the impact of Coal and Mineral Mining on a Scottish Catchment area
WK7: Fresh Water - Saline Water Relationship. The students will appraise the dynamic freshwater / marine hydrological environment. The lecture content will include an overview of the fresh-saline water relationships, hydro-chemical processes, predicting and mitigating saline intrusion and present a range of case Studies. The lecture content will be supplemented by a guest lecture on the fresh water - saline water relationship
WK8: Urban-Hydrogeology. The students will evaluate the impact of the urban environment on the hydrogeology. The lecture content will include an overview of urban hydrogeology, introduce conceptual models, impacts and management of urban water. The lecture content will be supplemented by a guest lecture on Urban-Hydrogeology
WK9: Catchment hydrology. This will be delivered through two guest lectures.
WK10: Guest lectures on (i) Isotopes and Noble Gases as Natural Groundwater Tracers and (ii) Groundwater in Scotland.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Basic knowledge of geology and maths to satisfaction of CO |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Predict the key flow characteristics within aquifers or aquitards.
- Evaluate different geological settings and scenarios and relate these to ground water flow characteristics.
- Appraise the relationships between aquifer permeability and heterogeneity and design appropriate field sampling techniques.
- Recognise and appraise the most suitable characterisation techniques to evaluate subsurface fluid flow in different hydrogeological environments in the context of different applied problems.
- Prepare a hydrogeology assessment report to industry standard guidelines.
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Reading List
Freeze, R.A. and Cherry, J.A. Groundwater
Fetter, C.W. Applied Hydrogeology
Weight, W.D. Practical Hydrogeology: Principles and Field Applications
Singhal, B.B.S and Gupta, R.P. Applied hydrogeology of fractured rocks. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course will equip our graduates with a wide range of skills including;
A good level of mathematical, analytical and modelling skills.
Problem solving and practical hands on skills.
Capacity to evaluate complex data and to extrapolate conclusions from incomplete data.
Critical and reflective thinkers, some subsurface technologies are controversial, all require expert knowledge to assess independently.
Organised with good project management skills and a flexible approach to work.
Skilled communicators, both oral and written
Ability to work well within a team |
| Keywords | Hydrogeology,geology,aquifer,characterisation,groundwater |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Katriona Edlmann
Tel: (0131 6)50 7339
Email: katriona.edlmann@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sarah Jones
Tel:
Email: sarah.jones@ed.ac.uk |
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