WATR201-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Freshwater Resources

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

Characterisation and assessment of freshwater resources and current stresses upon these. Topics will include; characteristics and vulnerability of the hydrological cycle, aquatic processes and aquatic ecosystems, cultural values, hazards, anthropogenic use, stresses and their effects on water quality, quantity, ecosystem health/diversity and future use, resource limitations and connections to economy, tools and techniques for resource assessment.

The aim of this course is to provide a contextual knowledge of water resource characterisation and issues to students with specific disciplinary skills, such that they can understand and accommodate aspects of sustainable water resource management in their chosen career. A secondary aim is to initiate a pathway leading into the postgraduate programme in Water Science and Management, which may, in turn, lead to a professional career in this field.

PLEASE NOTE: The lecture delivery for this course differs from the standard three hour per week in-class format, as the course is delivered jointly with Lincoln University. Lectures are pre-recorded and available on LEARN and are designed for viewing on a PC. There will be in class workshops: check the course outline and timetable for details.

Learning Outcomes

  • Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to;

  • Explain why freshwater resources and their ecosystems are vulnerable to change

  • Describe how water resources and their values are characterised and evaluate their limitations

  • Discuss why water resources can pose hazards  

  • Evaluate the effects of domestic and commercial water use on water resources, their subsequent use and aquatic ecosystems

  • Apply specialist skills (e.g., in aspects of science, engineering, planning) in freshwater resources management

  • Explain the role of practical (field) survey work in resource characterisation and effects assessment

Prerequisites

Any 75 points at 100 level

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 09:00 - 11:00 West 505
15 Sep - 21 Sep
Workshop A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 09:00 - 11:00 Jack Erskine 101
14 Jul - 24 Aug
8 Sep - 14 Sep
22 Sep - 19 Oct

Timetable Note

PLEASE NOTE: The lecture delivery for this course differs from the standard three hour per week in-class format, as the course is delivered jointly with Lincoln University. Lectures are pre-recorded and available on LEARN, and are designed for viewing on a PC. There will be in class tutorials in the lecture room - check the Course outline for details.

Course Coordinator

Shelley Macdonell

Textbooks / Resources

Required Texts

E. Giess; Water always wins: thriving in an age of drought and deluge ; 2022.

Textbooks / Resources
Required text
Gies, E. (2022) Water always wins: thriving in an age of drought and deluge.

The textbook can be purchased from the University Bookshop or from various online outlets. Digital copies are also available from the UC library.

Additional readings will also be provided via the AKO | LEARN website.

Course links

This course uses LEARN(moodle) as a key resource for communication, lecture and additional reference material. This course is also delivered as a mixture of online lectures and in person tutorials (see timetable note, above).

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,036.00

International fee $5,188.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Earth and Environment .

All WATR201 Occurrences

  • WATR201-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025