Principles of Hydrology 2025 course will be offered as an intensive field school at the Barrier Lake Field Station, Kananaskis Valley, Alberta. Registration at the University of Saskatchewan will open June 13, 2025. Transfer Agreement forms to be submitted by August 20, 2025.
Course Objectives
This course aims to describe and explain:
- The physical principles and processes that govern hydrology, with special reference to Canadian and cold regions conditions.
- Mass and energy balance calculations and their application in hydrology.
On completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Describe the principal hydrological processes active in Canadian and cold regions contexts
- Assess the effects of variable boundary conditions on hydrology
- Apply coupled energy and mass balance equations to calculate hydrological fluxes including runoff and streamflow.
Course Synopsis
The principles governing hydrological processes in Canadian and other cold regions river basins will be discussed including precipitation, interception, energy balance, snow accumulation, snowmelt, glaciers, evaporation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, soil-water and groundwater movement, surface water storage, runoff generation, streamflow routing, river ice and hydraulics. These processes will be framed within the context of distinctly Canadian river basin features such as mountains, glaciers, peatlands, forests, prairies, agricultural fields, tundra, ponds, lakes, rivers, river ice and frozen ground. Students will be exposed to an overview of each subject, with recent scientific findings and new cutting-edge theories, tools and techniques. They will complete numerical and essay assignments to develop skills in problem solving and in synthesizing complex hydrological concepts. Students will emerge from the course with a deeper understanding of physical hydrological processes and how they interact to produce river basin water budgets and streamflow response.
The course is intended for hydrology and water resources graduate students and early to midlevel career water resource engineers, hydrologists, aquatic ecologists and technologists who are either working directly in hydrology and water resources or are looking to broaden their understanding of hydrological systems and processes. This physical science course is quantitative in nature and so a firm foundation in basic calculus and physics at the first-year university level and some undergraduate hydrology or hydraulics training is strongly recommended.
Important note: The University of Saskatchewan is an English speaking institution, and all lectures and materials will be offered in English. It is expected that all registrants will be proficient in written and spoken English.
The course has been featured in an issue of Water News. Click the issue cover below to view the feature and learn more about the course.
Contact Hours & Schedule
The 2025 course will take place from October 31 to November 10, 2025. A detailed schedule will be provided here when available.
Readings and Textbook
There is no formal textbook assigned for this course, but students are highly encouraged to obtain access to the following text for use in the course.
Physical Hydrology, 3rd Edition, S.L. Dingman, 2014:
Waveland Press, Long Grove, IL, ISBN 978-1-47861-118-9
(https://www.waveland.com/browse.php?t=382)
Readings will be provided via Canvas.
Marking and Evaluation
Marks will be:
- 20% final exam
- 30% literature review on a hydrological process selected in consultation with Dr. Pomeroy
- 50% quantitative exercises
- micrometeorology and evapotranspiration
- groundwater hydrology
- snow accumulation, glaciers and melt
- soil and hillslope hydrology
- river basin hydrology and hydraulics including river ice
Non-credit (audit) students must complete the quantitative exercises and attend all lectures and field excursions. Those taking the course for university credit must complete all assignments, the literature review and the final examination.
Contact Information
Professor John Pomeroy john.pomeroy@usask.ca
Coldwater Laboratory, 200-50 Lincoln Park, Canmore, 403-679-1425 (personal phone)
or 403 678 0579 (general office phone – emergencies during daytime)
or
Centre for Hydrology, 117 Science Place, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon 306-966-1426
or Joni Onclin in Saskatoon, office 306-966-1427
TWO STAGE REGISTRATION PROCESS FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS
Please Note: All fees listed were for the 2024 year. 2025 fees will be posted when available.
Canadian Society for Hydrological Sciences (CSHS)
All participants are encouraged to join or be a member of the CSHS (https://cwra.org/en/membership/individual). Once you complete the course, CSHS will provide a Certificate of Attendance.
CSHS fees will cover all logistic costs (accommodation, meals, etc.) at the Barrier Lake Field Station.
| CWRA Regular Member | $2,750.00 |
| Regular non-member | $2,880.00 |
| CWRA Student member | $1,250.00 |
| Student non-member | $1,280.00 |
| CWRA YP member | $2,750.00 |
| YP non-member | $2,815.00 |
A bus will leave Calgary Airport to Barrier Field Station on Oct 30, please coordinate your arrival if you require transportation.
Applying for Admission at USask
All participants must apply for admission as a graduate student with the University of Saskatchewan if they are not already a graduate student at the U of S or another Canadian institution.
USask PDF’s will contact CGPS/PDF Coordinator for internal admission. PDF's must be registered two (2) weeks prior to start of term.
- Students request permission to register in the course, GEOG 827, by emailing Dr. John Pomeroy (john.pomeroy@usask.ca) and outlining how they meet the course prerequisites listed in the course synopsis.
- Students should then contact the department of Geography and Planning (geography.planning@usask.ca) and provide their student number so that a permission to register can be entered.
- After getting email confirmation from the department, students taking the course for credit can register themselves on PAWS. Students wishing to audit the course can contact Student Central at askus@usask.ca using their PAWS email account and request to be registered as an audit student in the course.
- Students request permission to register in the course by emailing Dr. John Pomeroy (john.pomeroy@usask.ca) and outlining how they meet the course prerequisites listed in the course synopsis
- Students submit either a Canadian Universities Graduate Transfer Agreement (CUGTA) form or a Western Dean's Agreement (WDA) form, depending on the home institution.
- Students will have their home institution sign the form and send it to the department of Geography and Planning (geography.planning@usask.ca) at the University of Saskatchewan. They will be automatically registered in the course, but must pay student fees and tuition directly to the University of Saskatchewan.
- CUGTA-based students will pay tuition and student fees
- WDA-based students should expect to only pay student fees
NOTE: transfer agreement forms must be submitted two (2) weeks prior to September 4th, start of term. If you are submitting after the deadline, please state why the delay when the form is emailed to Geography and Planning.
Please note: You must complete all 5 steps below in order to apply for admission.
- Request permission to register in the course by emailing Dr. John Pomeroy (john.pomeroy@usask.ca) and outlining how they meet the course prerequisites listed in the course synopsis
- Apply for admissions here, choose Graduate program, Non-degree and term.
Note: International students and professionals will pay $120 CDN non-refundable application fee, but DO NOT submit transcripts, or submit proof of English equivalency and should ignore these requests if prompted automatically by the form. - International students and professionals MUST submit a letter of support from their home institution or employer on official letterhead, listing the course, the term it will be taken, and the dates that the course will be held. This letter should be submitted to grad.studies@usask.ca
- Once an application has been received by Graduate Studies, students can log back into the application created to monitor their application status. Upon receiving a letter of admission, students should then notify the department of Geography and Planning (geography.planning@usask.ca) that they have been admitted and provide their student number so that a permission to register can be entered.
- After getting email confirmation from the department, students taking the course for credit can register themselves and pay their tuition on PAWS. Students wishing to audit the course can contact Student Central at askus@usask.ca using their PAWS email account and request to be registered as an audit student in the course, tuition will be paid on PAWS.
Tuition
Tuition and Student Fees for Canadian Students
Credit- $837.30 CAD + $58.11 CAD
Audit- $418.65 CAD + $58.11 CAD
Tuition and Student Fees for non-Canadian Students
Credit- $1,883.92 CAD + $58.11 CAD
Audit- $941.96 CAD + $58.11 CAD
If you would like to request transfer of credit to your home institution, please order your transcript for the course directly through your PAWS account or this link.
Withdrawal from Course, or Switching from Credit to Audit
If while taking the course or after completion, you decide to withdraw or switch from credit to audit, please contact U of S Student Central (askus@usask.ca, or phone 1-877-650-1212) for details.
Further Information
For further information...
- For questions about course content - Prof. John Pomeroy (john.pomeroy@usask.ca)
- For CSHS-related matters - Jennifer Pellerin (jennifer.pellerin@ec.gc.ca)
- For queries related to registration - Joni Onclin (joni.onclin@usask.ca)
- For information related to switching from credit to audit - U of S Student Central (askus@usask.ca, or phone 1-877-650-1212)
- Note: it is important to use your USask email address.