HYDROLOGY

EVD 2223

CHAPTER 1:
INTRO TO HYDROLOGY CYCLE

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Hydrology is a multidisciplinary subject that
deals with the occurrence, circulation, storage,
and distribution of surface and ground water on
the earth. The domain of hydrology includes the
physical, chemical, and biological reactions of
water in natural and man-made environments.

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 Hydrology is a science that studies the
availability and movement of water in
the earth. Hydrology is also defined as a science
related to the occurrence and
distribution of natural water on the
earth. As general, hydrology covers many type of
water, including transformation among liquid,
solid and gas in atmosphere, surface and
subsurface land.
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to civil and environmental engineers, hydrogeologists, and other
earth scientists because of the environmental significance of

• water supply,
• major floods
• droughts
• drainage and urban stormwater

Commonly, cases of hydrology are solved using various sciences

such as:
mathematics, physics, statistic, meteorology, oceanography,
geography, geology, geomorphology, hydraulics, and water
resources engineering.

In addition, many modern hydrology problems include

considerations of water quality and contaminant transport.
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Hydrologic cycle is a continues process
in which water is evaporated from water
surfaces and oceans, moves inland as moist air
masses, and produce precipitation if the
correct vertical lifting conditions exist. The
precipitation that falls from clouds onto the land
surface of the earth is dispersed to the
hydrologic cycle via several
pathways (Fig.1-1).
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 Cloud

Precipitation

Cloud Cloud

Transpiration
Precipitation Precipitation

Evaporation Wind
Evaporation
from Lake/river from Land
Infiltration Run-off

Evaporation
from Ocean
Run-off

Groundwater Flow

impermeable layer

Figure 1-1: Hydrology Cycle

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P = Precipitation
T = Transpiration
F / I = Infiltration
R = Run-off
G = Groundwater flow
E = Evaporation from lake, land surface
and ocean
ET = Evatranspiration
LS = Land surface
WT = Water table

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A watershed describes an area of land
that contains a common set of streams
and rivers that all drain into a single
larger body of water, such as a larger
river, a lake or an ocean.

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 Catchment boundary

Spring
H
I River
G
H C
L O
A A
N
River S
D T
Main River
Spring A
A L
R
E A
A R
Lake
E
River
River A

Spring

Sketch of Movement of Water on the Land Surface

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 Outlet

Outlet
a. Elongated shape b. Concentrated shape

Figure 1-2
Typical watershed areas

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Volume of water in the world  1,358 million km3.

Volume of fresh water  2.8 %, most of fresh water

are in the form of ice and glacier

Fresh water of groundwater, lake, cloud

and rain  8.54 million km3 or only 0.63%.

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 A water budget is an accounting of all
the water that flows into and out of a project area.
This area can be a wetland, a lake, or any other point
of interest. Development can alter the natural supply
of water and severely impact an area, especially if
there are nearby ponds or wetlands.

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 Location Area Volume Percentage
of Water of Water Total
km2 km3 of Water (%)

Surface Water
- Fresh Water in Lake 854,330.73 124,965.285 0.009
- Salt Water in Lake 698,997.87 104,137.738 0.008
- Fresh Water in River & Stream 1,249.652 0.001

Subsurface Water
- Groundwater, upper 800m depth 129,444,050.00 4,165,509.529 0.31
- Groundwater, below 800m depth 129,444,050.00 4,165,509.529 0.31

Soil Moisture
129,444,050.00 66,648.152 0.005
Ice and Glacier
17,863,278.90 29,158,566.703 2.15
Atmosphere
510,009,557.00 12,913.080 0.001
Ocean
361,148,899.50 1,320,466,520.000 97.20

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14
 dS
IQ 
dt

where:
I = inflow [L/t]
Q = outflow [L/t]
dS/dt = change in storage per time [L/t]

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The same concept can be applied to small basins or large watersheds

P – R – G – E – T = ΔS

where:
P = precipitation,
R = surface runoff,
G = groundwater flow,
E = evaporation,
T = transpiration,
ΔS = change in storage in a specified time
period.

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For a given month, a 121 ha lake has 0.43 m3/s of inflow, 0.37 m3/s of outflow,
and total storage increase of 1.97 ha-m. A USGS gage next to the lake recorded
a total of 3.3 cm precipitation for the lake for the month. Assuming that
infiltration loss is insignificant for the lake, determine the evaporation loss, in cm,
over the lake for the month.

Solution:

Solving the water balance for inflow I and outflow Q in a lake gives,
for evaporation,

E = I – O + P – ΔS,

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  m 3  30day  24hr  3,600sec 
 0.43 1month   
 sec  1month  1day  1hour  = 0.92 m = 92 cm
I
 10,000m 2 
121ha   
 1ha 

 m3   30day  24hr  3,600sec 

 0.37 1month     
 sec   1month  1day  1hour  = 0.79 m = 79 cm
Q 
 10,000m 2 
121ha   
 1ha  P = 3.3 cm

ΔS 
1.97ha  m 
121ha 
= 0.0163 m = 1.63 cm

E = 92 – 79 + 3.3 – 1.63 = 14.67 cm

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A swimming pool (6m  6m  1.5m) has a small leak at the bottom.
Measurements of rainfall, evaporation, and water level are taken daily for 10
days to determine what should be done for repair. Estimate the average daily
leakage out of the swimming pool in cm3/day. Assume the pool is exactly 1.5 m
deep at the end of day 1.

Day Evaporation Rainfall Measured Level

(mm) (mm) (mm)

1 12.7 - 1,524
2 0 25.4
3 12.7 -
4 0 50.8
5 12.7 -
6 12.7 -
7 0 101.6
8 12.7 -
9 12.7 -
10 12.7 - 1,321

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 SOLUTION

The water balance equation becomes: Q = P – E – ΔS

Total change in storage, S = 1,321 – 1,524 = -203 mm
Total precipitation, P = 25.4 + 50.8 + 101.6 = 177.8 mm
Evaporation, E = (7)  (12.7) = 88.9 mm

Thus, outflow = 177.8 – 88.9 – (-203) = 291.9 mm

Outflow should be in cm3/day.

The height change is distributed over the pool area.

Q=
 291.9mm   1cm    6m   100cm  6m   100cm 
 10mm   1m   1m 
10days
Q = 1,050,840 cm3/day
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A reservoir has the following inflow and outflows ( in cubic meters)
for the first three months of the year. If the storage at the beginning
of January is 60 m3 , determine the storage at the end of March.

Month January February March

I (m3) 4 6 9
O (m3) 8 11 5

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 SOLUTION

Solution:

( I1 + I2 + I3 )/3 - (O1 + O2 + O3)/3 = S2 – S1 /3 months

(4 + 6 + 9)/3 – (8 + 11 + 5 )/3 = (S2-60)/3 months
(6.33 – 8) ( 3 months) = S2 – 60 m3
-1.67 ( 3 months ) = S2 – 60 m3

S2 = 54.99 m3

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Estimate the constant rate of withdrawal from a
1375 ha. reservoir in a month of 30 days during
which the reservoir level dropped by 75 cm in
spite of an average inflow into the reservoir of 5 x
105 m3/day. During that month, the average
seepage loss from the reservoir was 2.5 cm, total
precipitation on the reservoir was 0.185 m and the
total evaporation was 9.5 mm.

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 SOLUTION

General Equation :
I – O = ΔS

Input Volume – Output Volume = ΔS

(Ī f . Δt + P.A) – (Ōf .Δt + E.A + Lseep . A) = Δz.A

Inflow = Ī f . Δt
=5 x 105 m3/d x 30 days =15.00 x 106 m3
Precipitation = P.A =0.185 m x 1375 x 104 m2 =2.544 x 106 m3
Evaporation = E.A =9.5 x 10-3 m x 1375 x 104 m2=1.306 x 106 m3
= (0.1306 x 106 m3)
Seepage Loss = Lseep A =2.5 x 10-2 m x 1375 x 104 m2=0.344 x 106 m3
Storage Change = Δz.A = – 0.75 m x 1375 x 104 m2

= – 10.313 x 106 m3

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 SOLUTION

Outflow / withdrawal volume

= Ōf .Δt = to be calculated

(15.00 x 106 m3 + 2.544 x 106 m3 ) – (Ōf .Δt + 0.1306 x 106 m3 +

0.344 x 106 m3 ) = – 10.313 x 106 m3

17.544 x 106 m3 – Ōf .Δt – 0.4746 x 106 m3 = – 10.313 x 106 m3

Ōf .Δt = 17.544 x 106 m3 – 0.4746 x 106 m3 + 10.313 x 106 m3

= 26.207 x 106 m3 @ (27.38 X 106 m3)

Ōf = 26.207 x 106 m3 @ (27.38 X 106 m3)

30x24x60x60 sec

= 10.111 m3/s @ (10.56 m3/s)

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•Wind

•Temperature

•Humidity

•Evaporation

•Precipitation

•Solar radiation

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• Calculation of rainfall.
• Calculating surface runoff and precipitation.
• Determining the water balance of a region.
• Determining the agricultural water balance.
• Designing riparian restoration projects.
• Providing drinking water.
• Designing dams for water supply or hydroelectric
power generation.
• Designing bridges.
• Designing sewers and urban drainage system

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Hydrology is the science of water.

It embraces the occurrence, distribution, movement and

properties of the waters of the earth.

A mathematical accounting system may be constructed

for the inputs, outputs and water storages of a region
so that a history of water movement over time can
be estimated.

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