The U.S. educational effort in unsaturated zone hydrology

Abstract

The region of the earth below the land surface and above the water-saturated zone plays a major role in determining the behavior of hydrologic systems. To help educators and other interested individuals evaluate and continue molding the U.S. educational effort in the hydrology of the unsaturated zone, the AGU Hydrology Section Committee on Water in the Unsaturated Zone conducted a study of the number and level of university educational programs involved in unsaturated zone hydrology. The basis for this report was the questionnaire shown here as Figure 1. A total of 189 questionnaires were sent to departments in schools of engineering, earth science, and agriculture. Nine of the 114 returns were rejected because of mistakes or duplication. The remaining 105 could be divided almost half and half into those from departments in schools of engineering and schools of earth science (58) and those from schools of agriculture (47).