Learning objectives
The student will be able to:
- know the steps of a scientific research for educational purposes;
- design a research on groundwater contamination and transport in specific settings;
- carry out scientific investigations;
- communicate data and information related to groundwater contamination and transport studies;
- utilize quantitative data.
Prerequisites
No
Course unit content
Contaminant transport. LNAPLs and DNAPLs. Hydraulic characterisation of aquifer media. Dlgs 152/06. Hydraulic barriers in contaminated sites. Forensic Hydrogeology
Full programme
Contaminant transport: (i) theory, (ii) reconstruction of contamination plumes vs. groundwater flow paths, (iii) simulation of contaminat transport in lab experiments, (iv) simulation of contaminant trasport in field experiments, (v) case studies with interdisciplinary approaches.
LNAPLs and DNAPLs: (i) distribution and migration within aquifer media, (ii) LNAPLs measurements.
Hydraulic characterisation of aquifer media: (i) pumping tests, (ii) pumping tests in heterogeneous media vs. aquitard integrity, (iii) other hydraulic tests, (iv) Baildown tests, (v) hydraulic tests in the field.
Dlgs 152/06.
Hydraulic barriers in contaminated sites: (i) how to design hydraulic barriers, (ii) hydraulic barrier efficiency, (iii) introduction to numerical flow models.
Forensic Hydrogeology: (i) simulation of forensic hydrogeological works.
Field activities and group works to simulate an environmental consulting.
Bibliography
Fetter C.W., Contaminant Hydrogeology, Waveland Press, Inc.
Supplementary materials
Teaching methods
Theoretical and practical lessons, as well as field investigations will be carried out in order to explain the main topics of the discipline and allow students to carry out and manage field and lab studies.
Assessment methods and criteria
During the course, several problems will be analysed and solved by the students, to simulate the solution of scientific and professional scenarios. This approach allows the students growth also in terms of technical and scientific language.
The final evaluation is an oral exam. During the exam, different problems must be solved by the students. The exam is made of five questions at least, to explore the main topics of the program. The laude can be acquired in case of outstanding capacity of problem solving.
Other information
No
