Hydrogeology Teaching

The hydrogeology workgroup teaches in the B.Sc. programs Geowissenschaften, Geoökologie, and Umweltnaturwissenschaften as well as in the M.Sc. programs Applied & Environmental Geoscience, Geowissenschaften, and Geoökologie. All classes on the B.Sc. level are in German, all classes on the M.Sc. level in English.

BSc Courses (in German)

Grundwasserhydrologie

Dieses Modul wird gemeinsam von den Arbeitsgruppen "Hydrogeologie" und "Umweltmineralogie" gehalten. In der physikalischen Grundwasserhydrologie gibt Olaf Cirpka eine Einführung in die Grundlagen poröser Medien, des Wasserhaushaltes, der Strömung und Transports im Grundwasser sowie wasserbezogener Geogefahren.

Anwendungen und Methoden der Angewandten Geowissenschaften

In diesem Modul gibt Carsten Leven eine Einführung in Feld- und Labormethoden der angewandten Geologie (Hydrogeologie und Geotechnik).

Exkursionen zu Einführung in Umweltsysteme

Im Rahmen des Curriculums für das erste Studienjahr in Umweltnaturwissenschaften organisiert Olaf Cirpka mehrere inhaltliche abgestimmte Exkursionen und zugehörige Seminare zur regionalen Geologie und anderen Umweltaspekten im räumlichen Umfeld von Tübingen.

Umweltnaturwissenschaftliches Feldpraktikum

Die Arbeitsgruppe Hydrogeologie beteiligt sich an der Betreuung des Feldpraktikums im vierten Semester des BSc-Studiums Umweltnaturwissenschaften.

Exkursion "Hydrogeologie und Wasserwirtschaft des Alpenvorlandes"

Carsten Leven und Olaf Cirpka führen jedes Jahr eine Pfingstexkursion in das schweizerische Mittelland und den Jura durch, die sich mit Fragen der Wasserversorgung und der regionalen Hydrogeologie befasst.

MSc Courses (in English)

Groundwater Modeling 1

This is the key course in hydrogeology covering groundwater flow. In the course, the governing equations and analytical solutions for simple configurations are derived. Numerical methods for the  simulation of  groundwater flow are introduced. Hands-on exercises with computer programs used in practice are combined with introductions to the underlying principles.

The course is given by Olaf Cirpka and Adrian Mellage.

Groundwater Modeling 2

This course, taught by Adrian Mellage, covers the simulation of (reactive) solute and heat transport. First, reactive processes (inter-phase mass transfer, chemical transformations, microbial growth) and conservative transport are considered separately, followed by the analysis of coupled reactive-transport systems. Like in Groundwater Modeling 1, hands-on exercises and in-depth analysis are combined to gain a deep system understanding of reactions nad transport of solutes in the subsurface.

Remediation of Contaminated Sites

Sources for groundwater contaminations can be complex both in terms of the contaminants involved as well as with respect to their areal extent of the pollution (e.g. local point sources such as landfills or large scale industrial areas). In this module students learn to address real case scenarios of contaminated sites and to interpret the inherent contamination characteristics due to subsurface conditions and the compounds under consideration. The comprehensive overview on practical aspects of contaminant hydrogeology involves building of conceptual models of a contaminated site, assessing potential risks and developing solution strategies for subsurface contaminations, a key competence of environmental geoscientists.

The course is taught by Michael Finkel and Peter Grathwohl.

Hydrogeological Field Investigation Techniques

This module includes a lecture and a field course on hydrogeological field investigation techniques taught by Carsten Leven. The curriculum includes pumping tests, slug tests and tracer tests, among others, involving the theoretical background (taught in the lecture), the practical field application, and the analysis of data after the field course.

Geotechnical Engineering

This module includes a lecture and a lab course on engineering geology. The lecture gives an introduction to the fundamentals of geotechnical engineering (soil and rock classification, geotechnical investigation methods, parameter estimation in soil mechanics). In the lab course, taught by Carsten Leven, experiments are conducted to determine standard hydrogeological and geotechnical parameters of various soil and rock materials.

Case Studies in Environmental Geosciences

This course in the 3rd semester of the M.Sc. programs gives the students the opportunity to create their own (simple) reactive-transport model. Larger assignments are handed out to be worked upon independently in groups over the largest part of the semester.

Data Analysis and Modeling Methods in Geoscience and Environmental Science

The Hydrogeology workgroup contributes to the methodological container modules in Data Analysis and Modeling Methods with the following contents:

  1. Geostatistics, taught by Claus Haslauer, covering basic principles on the statistical analysis of spatial data,
  2. Principles of Model Calibration, taught by Michael Finkel, covering optimization methods (Gauß-Newton-type methods, Nelder-Mead simplex method, Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo method) to calibrate models, techniques of model validation, data-assimilation approaches, and discusses the various error types and pitfalls of model calibration,
  3. Finite Element Method, taught by Olaf Cirpka, introducing the discretization of partial differential equations like the groundwater-flow and solute-transport equations with Finite Elemenst.