Concepts in

Hydrology

Hydrology

is the science of the water of the earth and its atmosphere.

It deals with occurrence, circulation, distribution and movements
of the waters over the globe and their interaction with physical
and biological environments

Engineering Hydrology

Is the branch of hydrology which deals with estimation and

analysis of water resources and related hydrologic quantities.
It also investigates hydrologic problems such as floods and
droughts, and develops strategies to migrate them.

Water Balance

awater balanceequation can be used to describe the flow of

water in and out of a system.
A system can be one of several hydrological domains, such as a
column of soil or a drainage basin.
It also refer to the ways in which an organism maintains water in
dry or hot conditions.
It is often discussed in reference to plants or arthropods, which
have a variety of water retention mechanisms, including a lipid
waxy coating that has limited permeability.

Within a watershed, all of the water falling as precipitation is either:

1) stored in the soil,
2) returned to the atmosphere, or
3) released from the watershed via runoff or subsurface flow.
These processes can be summarized in thewater balance
equationas follows:

Q = P - ET St
Where:
Q = discharge of water outside of watershed via runoff or subsurface
flow
P = precipitation
ET = evapotranspiration (both evaporation and evapotranspiration)
St = soil storage

 This equation is useful because it shows that given a

steady amount of precipitation, Q will increase if ET is
decreased. That is, if plant cover within a watershed is
decreased, evapotranspiration may also decrease,
thereby possibly increasing runoff. These effects may or
may not be desirable. Similarly, if more stream flow (Q)
is desired, such as for recreational uses, either P must
be increased via irrigation, or ET or St must somehow
be decreased. This is often accomplished by
increasingimperviousor impenetrable surfaces such
as pavementwithin a drainage basin.

 A water balance can be used to help manage water supply and

predict where there may be water shortages.
It is also used in irrigation, runoff assessment, flood control
and pollution control.
It is also used in the design of subsurface drainage
systems which may be horizontal or vertical.
To estimate the drainage requirement, the use of
an hydrogeological water balance and a groundwater model
may be instrumental.

Schematic flow chart of hydrologic cycle

How does it help?

Manage water supply and predict where there may
be water shortages.
Used in irrigation, runoff assessment, flood control,
and pollution control
Also used in design of subsurface drainage
systems.

Applications
Evaluate the components of the hydrologic
cycle
Snowmelt stimulation
Climate change impact assessment
Flow forecasting and project design
Assess agricultural water management

Types of water balance

Models using
Models using
Models using
as input
Models using

precipitation as input
rainfall and temperature as input
rainfall and potential evaporation
daily input data

Hydrological Cy

What is a Hydrological Cycle?

The hydrological cycle is the system which describes
the distribution and movement of water between the
earth and its atmosphere.
The model involves the continual circulation of water
between the oceans, the atmosphere, vegetation and
land.

Evaporation
Evaporation occurs when
the physical state of
water is changed from a
liquid state to a gaseous
state.

Transpiration
Transpiration is the process
wherein plants release water
into the atmosphere.
While plants lose water to the
atmosphere pretty much all the
time (sort of like sweating),
transpiration is higher during
photosynthesis, when plants
release water into the
atmosphere in exchange for
taking in carbon dioxide.

Condensation
Condensation is the
process by which
water vapor
changes it's physical
state from a vapor,
most commonly, to
a liquid.

Precipitation
Precipitation is
the process that
occurs when any
and all forms of
water particles
fall from the
atmosphere and
reach the
ground.

Stemflow and
Throughflow
Stemflow (red arrows)
Precipitation flows down
stems and branches to
ground
Throughflow (yellow)
Rate at which
precipitation flows
through branches

Runoff
Runoff is flow
from a drainage
basin or
watershed that
appears in surface
streams.

Physical characteristics
affecting surface runoff

Land use
Vegetation
Soil type
Drainage area
Basin shape
Elevation
Topography, especially the
slope of the land
Drainage network patterns
Ponds, lakes, reservoirs,
sinks, etc. in the basin, which
prevent or delay runoff from
continuing downstream

Human factors affecting surface

runoff
Urbanization - more
impervious surfaces
reduce infiltration and
accelerate water motion
Removal of vegetation
and soil - surface grading,
artificial drainage
networks increases
volume of runoff and
shortens runoff time to
streams from rainfall and
snowmelt