Environmental Resources: Issues and Options, NREM 210/PEPS 210

Student literacy and appreciation of food production systems, use of natural resources, and the environment often seem at odds. Students have difficulty in understanding the complex interactions between food and fiber production systems, population growth, and environmental quality. The political and popular discourse on these subjects is often polarized and contentious, rather than thoughtful and illuminating. This science-based course provides students with the foundation for making critical judgments concerning agriculture, management of natural resources, and the environment.

Small Watershed Modeling, NREM 491 (Spring 2005)

This course will introduce students to process-based modeling of watershed with emphasis on current concepts and model applications. It deals with the characterization and simulation of small watershed systems including land and channel phase hydrologic processes and pollutant transport processes. Significant time will be given to the investigation of the structure and capabilities of current watershed computer models. The students will have an opportunity for "hands-on" use of some currently available watershed models and will be expected to use computers extensively.

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Soil Erosion and Conservation, NREM 461

The course will evaluate past and present problems in soil and water conservation. The principles of water and wind erosion will be discussed and students will learn to use the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation and the Wind Erosion Prediction Equation. Water conservation issues such as irrigation, drainage, salinization, and storm water management will be discussed. Emerging issues such as total maximum daily load development, land-based threats to coastal zones, and integrated watershed management will be covered. Finally, programs and agencies responsible for soil and water conservation in the U.S. and the international community will be studied.

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Watershed Hydrology, NREM 662

This course will provide students with a fundamental understanding of the hydrologic cycle, the interactions among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and land-use management effects on the amount, timing, and quality of water resources. Students will also develop the ability to quantify the magnitude of hydrologic entities in small watersheds. They will have some hands on watershed management such as rainfall, effective rainfall, canopy rainfall interception, evapotranspiration, infiltration, stream flow, and hydrographs.

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Instructors:
Dr. Carl Evensen, Dr. Brent Sipes, Dr. Janice Uchida
Sherman Laboratory
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
1910 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96720

Course Outline:
PART l: Human Food Supply
Lecture 1. Introduction to the course (subjects, grading, assignments) and the Land Grant University
Lecture 2. Does scientific "truth" guide our lives today?
Lecture 3. What's for lunch? (Photosynthesis, Food Production and Ecosystems)
Lecture 4. Out in the jungle...are you the lunch? (Food Chains and Energy Transfer)
Lecture 5. Human Populations
Lecture 6. No one goes there anymore... it's too crowded (Sustainable Development)
Lecture 7. World Food Production (Food)
Lecture 8. Who ate that apple (Pathogens, Pests, and Weed Organisms)
Lecture 9. Protecting our food from pathogens and pests
Lecture 10. Wormy apples or "perfect" apples with pesticide residues (Food Safety -- Pesticides, Pathogens, or Natural Toxins)
Lecture 11. Case Study Discussion
Lecture 12. How safe is "safe"? (Human Health Risks, Carcinogens, Public Concerns)
Lecture 13. Is a "gene gun" better than a pesticide? (Mitosis, Meiosis, and Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering)
Lecture 14. Exam I

PART II: Environmental Quality and Management
Lecture 15. Hooray for the suburbs (Urban Environments)!
Lecture 16. Is it fog, vog, or smog? (Air Pollution)
Lecture 17. Where did all that mud come from? (Land Quality and Degradation)
Lecture 18. Whose water is it, anyway? (Water Cycle and Water Management)
Lecture 19. What's so special about water? (Water Quality)
Lecture 20. Down the drain and out to sea! (Waste Water Treatment and Use)
Lecture 21. What can I do about pollution? (Pollution Control)
Lecture 22. The three "R's" (Solid Waste Management)
Lecture 23. What's an ahupua'a? (Watershed Management in Hawaii)
Lecture 24. Exam II

PART III: Global Policy Issues
Lecture 25. How can I change things? (Environmental Policy, Laws and Regulations)
Lecture 26. Where have all the Alala gone? (Biodiversity and Endangered Species)
Lecture 27. Aren't you tired of hearing about the rain forest? (Natural Resource Management and Ecological Balances)
Legislative Testimony due
Lecture 28. We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave... (Global Environmental Changes)
Lecture 29. Case Study Presentations - HTML instructions
Lecture 30. Course Evaluation
FINAL EXAM: To be announced

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Instructors:
Dr. Ali Fares, Assistant Professor of Watershed Hydrology
Sherman Laboratory
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
1910 East-West Road, 242 Sherman Lab
Honolulu, HI 96720
Phone: 808-956-6361
Email: AFares@hawaii.edu
Web site: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/faresa/Teaching.html

Dr. Aly I. El-Kadi, Associate Professor of Hydrology, Geology & Geophysics
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
1680 East-West Road, POST 709A
Honolulu, HI, USA 96822
Phone: 956- 6331
Email: elkadi@hawaii.edu

Course Outline:
1- Introduction
2- Modeling Concepts and Objectives
3- Model Classification: Choice of model complexity
4- Model Overviews: AnnAGNPS, SWAT 2000, WEPP, N-SPECT, WMS
5- Model Application and Selection
6- Hydrologic Model Components
7- Model Calibration and Testing
8- Student Model Presentations
9- Model Component Comparisons
10- Model Application Examples
11- Student Model Performance Presentations

Course Format: The course will consist of three lectures per week, a term project, significant class participation, a written critiques published papers, and a written critique of the models.

Course Assessment: Model Component Presentation/Report 20%, Model Performance Presentation/Report 20%, Model Performance Written Report 10%, Written Critique of Manuscripts 25% Written Critique of Models 25%, Final Exam 10%.

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Instructor:
Dr. Greg Bruland
Office: Sherman Lab, Room 226
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
1910 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 956-8901
Email: bruland@hawaii.edu

Class Meetings: Mon., Wed., Fri. 1:30-2:20 PM
Office Hours: Tues. 9:00-10:00 AM, Wed. 2:30-3:30 PM
Prerequisites: NREM 304 Fundamentals of Soil Science, recommended
Required Texts: Troeh, F.R., Hobbs, J.A., and Donahue, R.L. 2004. Soil and Water Conservation for Productivity and Environmental Protection, 4th Ed.

Course Objectives:

• Gain an appreciation of the historical context and current status of soil and water conservation
• Be able to discuss the effects and interactions of population increase and socioeconomic factors as they relate to soil and water conservation
• Understand the mechanics of water and wind erosion, models for their prediction, and onsite and offsite consequences
• Know how to use the RUSLE,WEQ, and Thornthwaite equations to quantitatively predict water erosion, wind erosion, and evapotranspiration rates
• Understand the effects of land-use and tillage practices on soil and water resources, and be able to suggest appropriate best management practices under different land-use and tillage scenarios
• Learn about the increasingly complex and critical issue of global freshwater resources and scarcity
• Understand the soil and water conservation issues that are unique to tropical islands

Be familiar with current issues in soil and water conservation such as TMDL development, land-based threats to coastal zones, and watershed management.

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Instructor:
Dr. Ali Fares, Assistant Professor of Watershed Hydrology
Sherman Laboratory
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
1910 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96720
web site: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/nrem/syllabi/syllabus-NREM662.html

Course Outline:

• The hydrologic cycle, an overview
• Watershed characteristics
• Precipitation and Interception
• Evapotranspiration
• Soil Water Storage
• Infiltration
• The runoff process
• Soil properties
• Hydrologic Methods
• Wetlands Hydrology & Management
• Riparian Area Management
• Erosion
• Tropical watershed management
• Socioeconomic considerations in watershed management
• Water quality
• Watershed planning and protection
  

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