What is hydrology?

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including thehydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability.

BRANCHES OF HYDROLOGY
Chemical hydrology is the study of the chemical characteristics of water. Ecohydrology is the study of interactions between organisms and the hydrologic cycle. Hydrogeology is the study of the presence and movement of ground water. Hydroinformatics is the adaptation of information technology to hydrology and water resources applications. Hydrometeorology is the study of the transfer of water and energy between land and water body surfaces and the lower atmosphere. Isotope hydrology is the study of the isotopic signatures of water. Surface hydrology is the study of hydrologic processes that operate at or near Earth's surface. Drainage basin management covers water-storage, in the form of reservoirs, and flood-protection. Water quality includes the chemistry of water in rivers and lakes, both of pollutants and natural solutes.

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
The water cycle, or hydrologic cycle, is a continuous process by which water is purified by evaporation and transported from the earth's surface (including the oceans) to the atmosphere and back to the land and oceans.

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE

HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
Precipitation Condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth's surface . Most precipitation occurs as rain, but also includes snow,hail, fog drip, graupel, and sleet. Approximately 505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water falls as precipitation each year, 398,000 km3 (95,000 cu mi) of it over the oceans.[ The rain on land contains 107,000 km3 (26,000 cu mi) of water per year and a snowing only 1,000 km3 (240 cu mi).

 Canopy interception The precipitation that is intercepted by plant foliage, eventually evaporates back to the atmosphere rather than falling to the ground. Snowmelt The runoff produced by melting snow.

 Runoff The variety of ways by which water moves across the land. This includes both surface runoff and channel runoff. As it flows, the water may seep into the ground, evaporate into the air, become stored in lakes or reservoirs, or be extracted for agricultural or other human uses.

 Infiltration The flow of water from the ground surface into the ground. Once infiltrated, the water becomes soil moisture or groundwater.

 Subsurface flow The flow of water underground, in the vadose zone and aquifers. Subsurface water may return to the surface (e.g. as a spring or by being pumped) or eventually seep into the oceans. Water returns to the land surface at lower elevation than where it infiltrated, under the force of gravity or gravity induced pressures. Groundwater tends to move slowly, and is replenished slowly, so it can remain in aquifers for thousands of years.

 Evaporation The transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere. The source of energy for evaporation is primarily solar radiation. Evaporation often implicitly includes transpiration from plants, though together they are specifically referred to as evapotranspiration. Total annual evapotranspiration amounts to approximately 505,000 km3 (121,000 cu mi) of water, 434,000 km3 (104,000 cu mi) of which evaporates from the oceans.[2]

 Sublimation The state change directly from solid water (snow or ice) to water vapor. Deposition This refers to changing of water vapor directly to ice. Advection The movement of water in solid, liquid, or vapor states through the atmosphere. Without advection, water that evaporated over the oceans could not precipitate over land.

 Condensation The transformation of water vapor to liquid water droplets in the air, creating clouds and fog. Transpiration The release of water vapor from plants and soil into the air. Water vapor is a gas that cannot be seen. Percolation Water flows horizontally through the soil and rocks under the influence of gravity

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULICS

Hydrology is the study of the water cycle. It studies how water moves through the Earth system, including precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, percolation, runoff, groundwater flow, snowpack accumulation, snowmelt etc. etc. etc.... Hydraulics is the study of the mechanics of the flow of a fluid. If you're comparing hydraulics and hydrology I'd assume you were looking at hydraulics in terms of the flow of water. In terms of water, hydraulics generally examines the flow in terms of open channel flow, pipe flow, pressurized flow, etc.

For example, a hydrologic study might tell you what the total volumetric flow for a river is based on certain conditions, but a hydraulics study might tell you the velocity, depth, flow regime and turbulence of that flow through a culvert.

HYDROLOGIC CYCLE AND THE HUMAN IMPACT

 Hydroelectricity Most of New Zealands electricity is generated using hydro dams. This involves changing the stored gravitational energy of water held behind the dam into electrical energy that can be used. While this is a non-polluting renewable way to generate electricity, it does have environmental impacts especially when mismanaged. Rivers must be dammed, which can affect the function of the river both upstream and downstream lakes are usually formed from the water accumulating above the dam and a build-up of silt can occur, while the amount of water is reduced further downstream. This can be problematic for any plants and animals that may find themselves with too much or too little water, and migrating fish cannot get through the dams. Seriously mismanaged dams can result in droughts downstream, with smaller streams completely drying up, leaving areas of unwatered land. People then have to look at ways of getting more water into these dry areas.

 Irrigation As the human population has increased, so have our demands on the land. We need more food, and to make food, we need water. Irrigation is the artificial watering of land that does not get enough water through rainfall. Irrigation is used substantially by most countries, some more than others. Arid (dry) lands require far more water, as do countries that have large intensive farming communities. The problem with irrigation is that it removes water from its natural source and often causes leaching and run-off where it is used. This removal of nutrients results in farmers using more fertilisers to keep their pastures productive while the waterways become polluted. Another problem is that salt is brought up from lower levels (salination).

 Deforestation The removal of trees (deforestation) is having a major impact on the water cycle, as local and global climates change. Normally, trees release water vapour when they transpire, producing a localised humidity. This water vapour then evaporates into the atmosphere where it accumulates before precipitating back to the Earth as rain, sleet or snow. Deforestation in one area can therefore affect the weather in another area because if trees are cut down, there is less water to be evaporated into the atmosphere and subsequently less rain. At a local level, the land becomes drier and less stable. When it rains, instead of the water being soaked up, there is increased run-off and leaching. Areas can become more prone to both droughts and flooding, impacting on plants and animals, and also humans living near deforested areas.

 Greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon of Earths atmosphere trapping a range ofgases, which in turn capture infrared radiation to keep our Earth at a moderatetemperature range compared to the other planets in our solar system. Some scientists believe that human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels has an effect on the overall increase of the Earths temperature. Raising the Earths temperature may mean that there is an increase of evaporation, melting of ice or other processes of the water cycle that adversely affect the climate on Earth.