EARTH 456Numerical Methods in Hydrogeology

Units: 0.50
Faculty: Science
Subject: Earth Sciences

When it runs

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

An introduction to the theory and practice of groundwater flow and contaminant transport modelling. Topics related to variably-saturated flow will focus on derivation of Richard's equation, a control volume finite difference discretization, assembly and solution of the flow equation, material balance error, truncation error analysis, stability and monotonicity. Topics related to contaminant transport will focus on derivation of the contaminant transport equation, a control volume finite difference discretization along with various spatial and temporal weighting schemes and their associated accuracy, monotonicity, and material balance error. Hands-on experience is provided using software applied to industry-standard variably-saturated flow and transport problems, with an emphasis on visualization and interpretation of results.

Prerequisites

Complete 1 of the following
- Complete all of the following
  - Must have completed the following:
    - EARTH458 - Physical Hydrogeology (0.50)
    - MATH128 - Calculus 2 for the Sciences (0.50)
  - Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
    - MATH106 - Applied Linear Algebra 1 (0.50)
    - MATH114 - Linear Algebra for Science (0.50)
- Enrolled in H-Chemical Engineering, H-Environmental Engineering, or H-Geological Engineering

Antirequisites

Not open to students enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics

Leads to

EARTH 651

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	6785	0 / 60	T 18:30–21:20
LEC 701	2545	50 / 9999	Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

50% liked it13% easy38% useful

From 4 ratings and 1 comment on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

DONT TAKE THIS CLASS OR YOU ARE SCREWED!!!!

Mar 2019 · didn’t like itOn UW Flow Remove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

One post or comment in 1 thread mentions EARTH 456, January 2018 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Winter 2018

Jan 11, 2018 GEOG209 - Hydroclimatology or EARTH459 ? 2 points, 3 comments

“Has anyone taken either of these courses? : - GEOG 209 - Hydroclimatology - EARTH 459 - Numerical Methods in Hydrogeology If so, how did you find the course load / time commitment? …”

u/RipplesOfFaith: “459 is chemical hydrogeology and EARTH 456 is numerical hydrogeology. They are quantitative in nature with the former having more chemistry and the latter having more math. …”

View on Reddit Remove this

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them