Andrea Carminati: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Name | Prof. Dr. Andrea Carminati |
| Field | Physics of Soils and Terrestrial Ecosystems |
| Address | Physik der Böden u. terr. Ökosys. ETH Zürich, CHN F 29.1 Universitätstrasse 16 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND |
| Telephone | +41 44 633 61 60 |
| andrea.carminati@usys.ethz.ch | |
| Department | Environmental Systems Science |
| Relationship | Full Professor |
| Number | Title | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 061-0101-00L | Climate / Water / Soil   | 2 credits | 3G | H. Joos, R. Kretzschmar, P. Molnar, A. Carminati, S. Dötterl, M. G. Fellin, A. Frossard, T. Galí-Izard, N. Gruber, J. P. Leitão Correia , V. Picotti, J. Riboldi, C. Steger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Lectures, exercises and excursions serve as an introduction to atmospheric sciences, soil science and hydrology. Students gain a broad vision of the cutting edge topics that are being researched and studied at the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH, Eawag, WSL a.o. This will be the base for a future dialog between the field of landscape architecture and the field of sciences. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students acquire basic knowledge in atmospheric sciences, hydrology and soil science: - Understanding basic chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere that influence weather and climate - Fundamentals about the classification of soils, soil-forming processes, physical and chemical soil properties, soil biology and ecology, soil degradation and protection - Knowledge of water balance, principles of integral water management and climatic factors in the field of hydrology Students develop an understanding of the relevance of these topics in the field of landscape architecture. Temporal and physical scale, research methods, units of measurement, lexicon, modes of representation and critical literature form the framework for the joint discourse. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course unit consists of the three courses "Climate", "Soil" and "Water", which are organized in modules. Module 1 “Climate”, 23–27.09.2024 - Atmospheric dynamics: weather conditions, precipitation formation, weather forecast - Carbon Cycle: atmospheric CO2 concentrations and its interaction with the physical climate system - Land-climate dynamics: interaction between the land surface and the climate system - Hydrology and water cycle: extreme precipitation, influence of climate change on the cryosphere - Introduction to geology: formation of rocks, geologic times, structural geology Module 2 “Soil”, 30.09.–04.10.24 - Introduction to soils: definition, function, formation, classification and mapping - Soil physics: soil texture, soil structure, soil water potentials, hydraulic conductivity - Soil chemistry and fertility: clay minerals and oxides, cation exange capacity, soil pH, essential plant nutrients - Soil biology and ecology: soil fauna and microflora, fungi, bacteria, food web, organic matter - Soil degradation and threats to soil resources: erosion, compactation, sealing, contamination, salinization Module 3 “Water”, 11.11.–15.11.2024 Basics: - Water supply: water balance, groundwater, water quality (water protection) - River restoration - Flooding, evapotranspiration/cooling of landscapes - Hydropower (everything is managed - lake levels, water flows, pumping) - hydrology in the anthropocene - Water management and storage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Course material will be provided. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | The course material includes a reading list. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The courses "Climate", "Water" and "Soil" are organized with the Fundamental Studio I as joint one-week modules. The weekly schedules will be provided with the course materials. Module 1 "Climate", 23.–27.09.2024 Module 2 "Soil", 30.09.–04.10.24 Module 3 "Water", 11–15.11.2024 - The courses are held in English - The written session examination covers all three courses "Climate", "Soil" and "Water". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 701-0535-00L | Environmental Soil Physics/Vadose Zone Hydrology | 3 credits | 2V + 1U | A. Carminati, P. U. Lehmann Grunder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | The course provides theoretical and practical foundations for understanding and characterizing physical soil properties and processes and their relevance for terrestrial ecosystems, plant growth, hydrological processes and atmospheric-land gas exchange, across all relevant scales. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students are able to: -Characterize the different soils based on their key textural and structural properties. -Simulate and predict soil water retention and flow under varying environmental conditions and understand the key driving forces (capillarity, gravity, friction) and related water properties (surface tension and viscosity). -Predict soil hydraulic properties for varying soil textural classes. -Predict solute transport in soils for varying environmental conditions. -Predict energy balance and temperature dynamics in soils. -Predict conditions for plant water stress -Estimate the impact of soil properties on the hydrological cycle and on plant growth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | INTRODUCTION Week 1 (September 18) Presentation of the role of soil physics in environmental sciences and terrestrial ecosystems: soils in the water cycle; soils and vegetation; soils and solute transport. Survey on students' interests and expectations. Presentation of course structure and learning objectives. BASIC SOIL PROPERTIES Week 2 (September 25) and Week 3 (October 02) soil texture, particle size distribution, soil structure, soil surface area, porosity and bulk density Pore scale consideration (water in a single pore), pore sizes and shapes; surface tension; Young-Laplace equation; capillary rise; contact angle Friction and laminar flow; Hagen-Poiseuille’s law; Washburn equation; numerical lab (REPORT 1) SOIL HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES Week (4 October 09) and Week 5 (October 16) Soil water content and soil water potential - The energy state of soil water; total water potential and its components; volumetric and gravimetric water contents; field capacity and wilting point Soil water characteristics and pore size distribution Saturated water flow in soils - Laminar flow in tubes (Poiseuille's Law); Darcy's Law, conditions and states of flow; permeability and hydraulic conductivity, measurement and theoretical concepts; effective conductivity; unsaturated hydraulic conductivity; Buckingham law. Unsaturated water flow in soils - Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity models and applications TOOLBOX – MEASUREMENTS AND MODELING Week (6 October 23) and Week 7 (October 30) Measuring soil hydraulic properties, fitting and interpretation; Lab tour - demonstration of soil physical methods; lecture on HYPROP method; report on Hyprop data (REPORT 2) Modelling unsaturated water flow based on Richards equation - Using Hydrus1D for simulation of unsaturated flow; simulating HYPROP measurements (REPORT 3) SOIL IN THE WATER CYCLE Week 8 (November 06) – Week 9 (November 13) Water infiltration - steady state solutions for infiltration; approximate solutions to infiltration (Green-Ampt, Philip); infiltration rate and ponding; outlook to preferential flow Water evaporation - Energy balance and land atmosphere interactions - potential and actual evaporation, evaporation stages; SOIL PLANT INTERACTIONS Week 10 (November 20) Week 11 (November 27) Root water uptake and transpiration – Theory and mechanisms controlling root water uptake; hydraulic properties of rhizosphere; plant and stomatal conductance. Modelling root water uptake and transpiration; analytical approaches and modeling using Hydrus (REPORT 4) SOLUTE TRANSPORT Week 12 (December 04) Week 13 (December 11) Transport mechanisms of solutes in porous media; breakthrough curves; convection-dispersion equation; solutions for pulse and step solute application Transport of reactive substances, preferential flow, simulations with Hydrus CLOSURE Week 14 (December 18) Summary, course synthesis, connections between the different topics, questions, exam preparation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Supplemental textbook (not mandatory) -Introduction to Environmental Soil Physics, by: D. Hillel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 701-1343-00L | Soil-Plant Water Relations | 3 credits | 2V | A. Carminati | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Water limitation is a primary constraint on plant growth and terrestrial fluxes worldwide. In this course, the principles of water flow in soil and plants are discussed, with particular attention on the effect of drought on root water uptake, transpiration and plant growth. Strategies of plants to tolerate drought are discussed in relation to both agricultural and ecological implications. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The students are able to: explain and compare systematically the drivers of water stress to plants; to solve the equations of water flow in soil and plants and to calculate plant water status for varying soil and climatic conditions and plant traits; to critically review and present one research question in soil-plant water relations; to openly debate on the current trends in soil and plant water research and climate change ecology. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Part 1 - Lectures Week 1: Introduction. Week 2: Soil water relations; Principles of soil water retention and soil water flow; Soil hydraulic properties. Week 3: Root water uptake; soil hydraulic constraints on transpiration Week 4: Rhizosphere processes and properties; root-soil contact; root hairs; mycorrhiza; rhizodeposition. Week 5: Water flow in roots and xylem; root anatomy, architecture and plasticity; cavitation. Week 6: Transpiration; Vapor Pressure Deficit; Photosynthesis; Stomatal regulation. Week 7: Soil-plant-atmospheric continuum; Below- and above-ground feedbacks; Soil and atmospheric drivers of transpiration losses. Part 2 - Seminar Week 8: Plant response to drought and consequences for agriculture and forests. Open questions and introduction to seminar topics. Week 9: Class work - preparation of the presentations/Debate Week 10: Class work - preparation of the presentations/Debate Week 11: Seminar/Debate (presentations) Week 12: Seminar/Debate (presentations) Week 13: Seminar/Debate (presentations) Week 14: Feedback, Summary, Conclusion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Lecture notes; selection of articles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Vadose Zone Hydrology/Environmental Soil Physics (recommended but not required) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 701-1673-00L | Environmental Measurement Laboratory | 5 credits | 4G | P. U. Lehmann Grunder, A. Carminati | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Measurements are the sole judge of scientific truth and provide access to unpredictable information, enabling the characterization and monitoring of complex terrestrial systems. Based on lectures and field- and laboratory training, the students learn to apply modern methods to determine forest inventory parameters and to measure subsurface properties and processes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The students will be able to: - explain measurement principles that are used for characterization of landscapes and terrestrial systems - select appropriate measurement methods and sampling design to quantify key variables and processes above ground and in the subsurface - deploy sensors in the field - interpret collected laboratory and field data and report main conclusions deduced from measurements | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Week 1: Plant-Soil interactions – short introduction before sensor demonstration and installation in forest lab; Scholander pressure bomb (suction in leaves); LiCOR soil chamber Weeks 2 to 6 - Experimental Methods for Soil Health Assessment - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Week 2: Lecture on soil health and soil indicators; defining measurable soil health indicators for case studies for different soil threats and climate regions Week 3: Short lecture on sampling, sensors and data logging; preparing sensors and data loggers in the lab; measurements on water content and temperature in the lab Week 4: Short introduction on field installation; sensor installation at field site Hönggerberg Week 5: Lecture on geophysical methods on subsurface characterization: basic principles of ERT, GPR, and EM; planning of field experiment to assess soil health Week 6: Short introduction on data analysis; field sampling and conducting field experiment to assess soil health Week 7: Analysis of experimental data and soil health assessment; poster presentation and discussion - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Week 8: Lecture on plant soil relationship; connecting information below and above ground – data analysis Weeks 9 and 10: Forest characterization/ inventory: Principles of LiDAR; structures and features of the tree crowns, size/volume of the leaf area tree positions and diameters at breast height Weeks 11 and 12: Eddy covariance methods -Principles for field measurement of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and energy exchange between terrestrial surfaces and the atmosphere; Analysis of measured time series to determine evaporation rate and CO2-fluxes Week 13: Swiss Soil Monitoring networks – Monitoring of soil water content and potential; climate change and droughts Week 14: Global data – Global modeling and data interpretation; SoilGrids and OpenLandMap; exercises on Budyko analysis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Lecture material will be online for registered students using moodle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The details of the schedule will be optimized based on the number of students; some blocks of the course will be offered as well to students of Environmental Engineering | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 701-1695-00L | Soil Science Seminar | 0 credits | 1S | R. Kretzschmar, A. Carminati, S. Dötterl, E. Frossard, M. Hartmann | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Invited external speakers present their research on current issues in the field of soil science and discuss their results with the participants. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Master and PhD students are introduced to current areas of research in soil sciences and get first-hand experience in scientific discussion. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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