Learning objectives
This course will deliver new knowledge on on topics of climatological and micro-meteorological ("Atmospheric Boundary Layer") as well as hydrological processes to monitor and understand land-atmosphere-water processes and interactions. Central are a) energy and mass exchange between atmosphere and ground, weather forecast, water vapour recycling, boundary layer processes, glaciological field methods, and b) measurement of hydrological processes (precipitation, soilwater, groundwater, surface waters, evapotranspiration), the role of vegetation on hydrological processes, environmental tracer measurements and anthropogenic impacts on these hydrological processes.
For the field course, there are two options of focusing on hydrological or climatological processes. We can accommodate a maximum of 15 students in each field course. In case of higher demand, we will draw lots for the places in the preliminary meeting:
Both field courses will take place in the Berlin-Brandenburg area and will take place during the semester (on Thursday’s when there is no lecture block) via four individual field days (4 per hydrology or climatology course).
The climate course will cover a variety of processes such as Land-Lake windsystems, evaporation, water vapour transport into the atmosphere. For the hydrology course, we will visit and work in different tributaries of the Spree catchment, urban rivers (the Panke, the Erpe, the Wuhle, in Berlin) and a rural, mixed land use catchment (the Demnitzer Mill Creek Catchment, ca. 45 min SE of Berlin).
All sites are representative for the Berlin and Brandenburg climate and landscape in terms of their heterogeneous landuse of agriculture, wetland and forest areas in the rural catchment, and an urban influenced catchments in Berlin. All sites are long term experimental sites and ideal to conduct a range of hydrological and climatological practical field investigations on the land-atmosphere-water interface. There are no additional costs linked to these field courses!
Format
This course comprises of lectures, practical exercises and field courses, which will be taught in the most accessible way. We will examine different case studies. There will be practical exercises and homework of which at least 80% must be handed in as a course requirement,
Lectures are held in blocks of 4 hours on 24.4, 22.5, 5.6, 12.6, 10.7, 17.7 from 9-13 (ct). Each slot contains lectures and practical exercises (partly as homework) to deepen understanding and for preparation of subsequent field work.
The field courses take place on 17.4, 15.5, 19.6, 26.6, and 3.7.
Final exam: on the bases of the field courses (you can chose one course) a field report on selected field data (topic to be discussed with and confirmed by the lecturers) in the form of a scientific paper after the field course with focus on either climatological or hydrological processes. This report will be part of the oral exam (20 minutes), which will cover content of both course parts (hydrology and climatology). The report must be submitted before 26.09.2025 (preliminary). The details and the deadlines will be discussed in the first lecture.
Please be aware that students in the M.Sc. Global Change Geography must take either Module 5.1 or 5.2. However, you can take both modules by replacing one of the free electives (Module 7.0/8.0) by either 5.1 or 5.2. Module 5.2 is organized through the group of Patrick Hostert in remote sensing.
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