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Hydrologist
A hydrologist measures the stream flow in a tributary to the Coeur d'Alene River.
P H OTO G R A P H B Y S M I T H C O L L E C T I O N / G A D O

E N C YC LO P E D I C E N T RY
V O C A B U L A R Y

Hydrology is an extremely important field of study, dealing with one of the most valuable
resources on Earth: water. All aspects of the Earth’s available water are studied by experts from
many disciplines, from geologists to engineers, to obtain the information needed to manage
this vital resource. Hydrologists rely on their understanding of how water interacts with its
environment, including how it moves from the Earth’s surface, to the atmosphere, and then back
to Earth. This never-ending movement is called the hydrologic cycle, or the water cycle. 

Water takes on various forms in the environment in response to changes in temperature and
other influences. Water from the surface of oceans and other bodies of water is warmed by the
sun and evaporates as water vapor. As this moist air rises high into the atmosphere, it cools and
condenses into clouds. Moisture in the clouds then returns to the Earth’s surface as precipitation.
Once it reaches the ground, the water is absorbed, and it becomes groundwater. Groundwater

that is not absorbed will return to creeks, rivers, streams, and eventually to the oceans. The
cycle repeats itself as the surface of bodies of water once again evaporates. Moisture captured
by plants can also return to the atmosphere through a process called transpiration.

The field of hydrology consists not only of studying the natural distribution and movement of
water, it is also concerned with the impact of human activities on water quality and with
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