Hydrogeology Field Camp
This 2-credit intensive field- and lab-based course introduces students to groundwater flow, karst hydrogeology, and surface water-groundwater interactions through classroom instruction, laboratory exercises, and multi-day field investigations. Students will collect, analyze, and synthesize hydrogeologic and hydrochemical data into professional technical reports. These concepts and practical skills are directly relevant to careers in environmental and consulting work and help prepare students for the Professional Geologist (PG) licensure exam.
Instructor: Dr. Sean Yoon
Term: Summer B
Location: O’Leno State Park and River Rise State Preserve, and Williamson Hall on the UF campus.
Application
Please fill out the Google form to apply!
Course Fee Support (Summer 2026)
A $200 cost per student for course materials and supplies will be covered for all Geology majors enrolled in the Summer 2026 course through a scholarship made possible by alumni donations to the Department of Geological Sciences Foundation funds. This one-time financial support is intended to help launch the HydroCamp program. In future offerings of the course, the materials and supplies fee will be incorporated into the standard course fee structure.
Goals
- Quantitatively interpret groundwater levels and construct potentiometric surface maps.
- Understand well hydraulics and design, execute, and interpret aquifer and well tests.
- Design and conduct dye-tracing and hydrogeochemical field investigations.
- Analyze fluorescence, ion chromatography (IC), gas chromatography (GC), isotopic, and in situ sensor datasets.
- Synthesize multi-source datasets into clear, professional technical reports.
Format
This course combines classroom lectures, laboratory practice, fieldwork, and technical reporting. The course will meet either on campus (mostly in classrooms and laboratories) or at field sites.
- Classroom Lectures introduce theoretical concepts and field methods.
- Laboratory practices include sampling preparation, calibration, surveying, and data analysis.
- Fieldwork includes four full field days of groundwater, hydrochemical, and tracer investigations. Students will meet in Williamson Hall in the morning and depart for the field sites (O’Leno State Park and River Rise State Preserve) using a Geological Sciences Department van.
- Reports integrate daily data and culminate in a final synthesis report.
Prerequisites
- None, but background coursework in hydrogeology and hydrochemistry is recommended.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
- Field notebook (waterproof recommended)
- Laptop with QGIS (free and open-source) and Microsoft Excel (available free to UF students through Microsoft 365) installed
- Appropriate field clothing and footwear
- Refillable water bottle and sun/rain protection
Textbooks (optional)
- Goldscheider, N., & Drew, D. (Eds.). (2007). Methods in karst hydrogeology: IAH: International Contributions to Hydrogeology, 26.
A useful reference for students interested in deeper background on field methods and concepts in karst hydrogeology.
Grading
- Assignments 1 - 8: 5 points each (40 points total)
- Final Synthesis Report: 40 points
- Participation in fieldwork and lab activities: 20 points
- Attendance and punctuality (8 points)
- Attends all field and lab sessions and arrives prepared and on time.
- Minor absence/late arrival results in proportional deduction.
- Active engagement in field/lab tasks (6 points)
- Contributes to measurements, sampling, equipment setup, and data recording.
- Demonstrates initiative and willingness to assist team members.
- Preparation and adherence to safety protocols (3 points)
- Comes prepared with required materials and follows safety and field protocols.
- Teamwork and professionalism (3 points)
- Works collaboratively, communicates respectfully, and contributes to group progress.
- Attendance and punctuality (8 points)
Schedule (TENTATIVE)
| Date | Topic | Data | Due | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20 | Lec 1: orientation / field site intro / dye Tracing intro. Lab 1: standard tracer sample production | standard tracer sample scans | A1: tracer calibration curve | |
| Jul 21 | Field 1: dye injection / water table Measurments / diver deployment | water level data / diver data | ||
| Jul 22 | Lec 2: SW-GW interaction / nutrient cycling (Piper Diagram / N2O / Water Isotope) Lab 2: Gas & water sampling practice | tracer data (1/4) | A2: Hydrograph analysis | |
| Jul 23 | Field 2: YSI / Hydrochemistry sampling / dye sample collection | |||
| Jul 24 | Lec 3: Instruments: IC, GC, Picarro, Fluorospectrometer Lab 3: Instrument practice (GC) | tracer data (2/4) / N2O scans (std & field) | A3: Well water level analysis | |
| Jul 27 | Lec 4: Potentiometric mapping basics Lab 4: surveying practice on UF campus | A4: N2O STD & field data analysis | ||
| Jul 28 | Field 3: Surveying / dye sample collection | surveying data | ||
| Jul 29 | Lec 5: Well hydraulics intro / Slug Test Intro Lab 5: slug test data processing practice | tracer data (3/4) | A5: Potentiometric map analysis | |
| Jul 30 | Field 4: Slug Test /dye sample collection | slug test data | ||
| Jul 31 | Lec 6: DOM spectroscopy Lab 6: CDOM / FDOM data acquisition | tracer data (4/4) / CDOM & FDOM | A6: slug test analysis | |
| Aug 3 | Lec 7: isotopes in hydrology | water isotope data | A7: CDOM/FDOM analysis | |
| Aug 4 | Lec 8: River discharge estimation | A8: Water isotope analysis | ||
| Aug 5 | work on final report | |||
| Aug 6 | work on final report | Final report on SW-GW interaction |