SURFACB WATBR HYDROLOGY 11

ance of the precipitated water by streams and rivers to ocean and

lakes etc., and evaporation of water back to the atmosphere.\ Fig. 21l
illustrates, diagrammatically, the complete hydrologic cycle."
The hydrologic cycle consists of the following processes :
Evaporation and Transpiration (E)
The water from the surfaces of ocean, rivers, lakes and also
rom the moist soil evaporates. The vapours are carried over the
and by air in the form of clouds/ Transpiration is the process of
water being lost from the leaves of the plants from their pores.)
Thus, the total evaporation (E), inclusive of the transpiration consists

ri (P ^urface evaporation
he (iiy Water surface evaporation
he (a) From river surface
(6) From oceans
ds (ti)' Evaporation from plants and leaves (transpiratign
nd (iv)Atmospheric evaporation.
Precipitation (P)
Precipitation may be defined as the fall of moisture from the
tmosphere to the earth surface in any form. Precipitation may be
two forms:
(a) Liquid Precipitation : i.e. rainfall.
(6) Frozen Precipitation : This consists of,
(0) SnoW
(it) Hail
(iti) Sleet
(iv) Freezing rain.
Run off (R)
Run off is that portion of precipitation that is not evaporated.
hen moisture falls to the earth's surface as evaporation, a part of
s evaporated from the water surface, soil and vegetation and
fough transpiration by plant, and the remainder precipitation is
ilable as run off which ultimately runs to the ocean through
S face or sub-surface streams. Thus run off may be classiied as
owS:
(1) Surface. run of
Water flows over the land and is first to reach the streams and
rs, which ultimately discharge the water to the sea.