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28 aug 2009
Students on expedition to Iceland
Saturday 29th August a group of some 25 students departs for a nine-day excursion to Iceland. The excursion is being held as part of the new course Hydrological Processes in Catchments, part of the master’s programme in Hydrology and Water Quality. The main goal of the excursion to give the students an opportunity to see how natural hydrological systems work.
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| Preview excursion guide. Copies of the excursion guide are available upon request to Roel Dijksma |
| During the expedition the students will learn about the origin of the landscape in Iceland, the permeability of the rock formations, of gravely and sandy layers. They will then combine this knowledge with information about Iceland’s rain distribution. This will enable them to find an explanation for hydrological processes, such as drainage and sediment load, in the large river systems of Þjórsá and Jökullsá á Fjöllum. The students will themselves study how much water is generated by large glaciers such as the Vatnajokull, how much water flows through the sediment layers, and how much water is drained over the hard rock. Other key aspects are the origin of droughts and floods.
Excursion leader Roel Dijksma: “We chose Iceland for this excursion because in Europe practically all rivers are managed by public works types of organizations. The vast majority of Icelandic rivers, however, lie pristine in their natural bed and are therefore extremely appropriate for the study and description of natural hydrologic processes. “Our students can then use this knowledge in their later job setting, whether they do basic research on river systems or work in river management.”
Click here for more information about the master’s programme in Hydrology and Water Quality. |