Water Resources Certificate

Study of hydrological processes with emphasis on the hydrological cycle; soil moisture and infiltration; watersheds and drainage systems; flow mechanics, sediment transportation and deposition; and river response to climatic change and other impacts of human activity.

Topics to include principles of groundwater flow; aquifer properties and characteristics; geology of groundwater occurrence; groundwater development and methods for assessing and remediating groundwater contamination. Emphasis on application of basic principles.

Theory and methodologies used by scientists, regulatory agencies and industry to measure the impact of man’s activities on freshwater aquatic ecosystems. The course has its foundations in history, but concentrates on current methodologies and theories.

Examination of water issues at the interface of science, policy, philosophy, art and culture. Philosophical approaches include ethics, aesthetics and ontology of water; epistemological analysis of water conflicts; local and global governance theories.

Explores atmospheric environment emphasizing the understanding and application of meteorological principles. Topics may include the composition, origin, and structure of the atmosphere, air mass, middle latitude cyclones, weather prediction, thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, global climate, climate change, and air pollution.