HYDROLOGY

LESSON 1
Introduction
• Hydrology means the science of water. It is the
science that deals with the occurrence, circulation
and distribution of water of the earth and earth’s
atmosphere.

• Inter-disciplinary nature
1. estimation of water resources
2. the study of processes such as precipitation,
runoff, evapotranspiration and their interaction
3. the study of problems such as floods and
droughts, and strategies to combat them
Global Water Resources
Global Water Usage
Hydrologic Cycle
• Water occurs on the earth in all its three states such
as solid, liquid and gaseous and in various degrees
of motion.
• Evaporation water from water bodies such as oceans
and lakes, formation and movement of clouds, rain
and snowfall, streamflow and groundwater
movement are some examples of the dynamic
aspects of water.
• The various aspects of water related to the earth can
be explained in terms of a cycle known as the
hydrologic cycle.
Evaporation

• Heat from the sun starts

the hydrologic cycle
causing water into water
vapor that is held in the
air of the atmosphere.
• Occurs from oceans,
lakes, streams and land
surface
Transpiration

• Occurs when plants take

in water through the
roots and release it
through the leaves, a
process that can clean
water by removing
contaminants and
pollution.
Condensation

• As water vapor rises

higher in the
atmosphere, it starts to
cool and become a
liquid again.
• When a large amount of
water vapor condenses,
it results in the
formation of clouds.
Condensation can be a form of fog, dew and clouds

• Fog forms when air near the surface is cold and nearly saturated with
water. Now when water from the ground evaporates, it condenses
immediately forming tiny water droplets that create a low-lying cloud
we call fog.

• Dew forms at night when air becomes saturated with water vapor.
When this saturated air encounters plants or other objects it
condenses, leaving tiny water droplets behind on the object.

• When the air containing water vapor is heated by the sun, it rises into
the atmosphere by convection. The water vapor in the air is then
cooled by the colder air higher in the atmosphere causing the relative
humidity increase. As the relative humidity increases, the air
eventually become saturated. The water vapor then condenses into
tiny water droplets around particles of dust or salt in the air. These
tiny water droplets make up clouds.
Precipitation

• When the water in the

clouds gets too heavy,
the water falls back to
the Earth.
• Types of precipitation:
 Drizzle
 Rain
 Freezing
 Sleet
 Snow
 Hail
Types of precipitation:
Some of the falling raindrops evaporate before
reaching the surface which is called Virga.
Interception

• Refers to precipitation
that does not reach the
soil but is instead
intercepted by the
leaves and branches of
the plants and forest
floor.
Infiltration
• The process of precipitation
seeping into the ground water.
• Some precipitation seeps into
the groundwater and is stored
in layers of rock below the
surface of the Earth.
• This water stays there for
varying amounts of time.
Some water may evaporate
into the hydrologic cycle
within days while other water
will stay in the ground for
centuries or more.
Evapotranspiration

• Water evaporating
from the ground and
transpiration plants.
• Evapotranspiration is
also the way water
vapor re-enters the
atmosphere.
Percolation

• It is a part of infiltered
water that percolates
into deeper strata and
become part of ground
water.
Runoff
• The flow of water occurring
on the ground surface when
excess rainwater,
stormwater, meltwater, or
other sources, can no longer
sufficiently
rapidly infiltrate in the soil. 
• Occurs when the soil is
saturated by water to its full
capacity, and that the rain
arrives more quickly than
the soil can absorb it.
Two kinds of Runoff:

• Surface Runoff
 Running water over the land which
ultimately discharges water to the sea.
• Subsurface Runoff
 Water getting infiltrated into pervious soil
mass, making its way towards the rivers
and lakes.
Catchment Area
• The area of landing draining into a stream or a water
course at a given location.

• Also known as Drainage Area, Drainage Basin as

well as Watershed.

• A catchment area
is separated from
its neighboring
areas by a ridge
call divide.
Water Budget
• A hydrological tool used to quantify the flow of water
in and out of a system. In other words, it is an
accounting of all water stored and exchanged on the
land surface (rivers, lakes), subsurface (aquifer,
groundwater), and atmosphere (precipitation,
evaporation).
• The concept behind a water budget is that the rate of
change of water stored in an area is balanced by the
quantity and rate at which water flows into and out of
that area. This concept is used by hydrological
engineers to form the basis of effective water-resource
sustainability, management, and environmental
planning.
Why is water budget important?

• An understanding of consumption patterns

• Information that helps determine how to best
control irrigation
• Facts that can help manage demand during a
drought
• Reduced energy costs of treating and pumping
water
• Criteria to achieve water conservation
Discharge (also called Flow rate)
• The amount of fluid passing a section of a
stream in unit time is called the discharge.
• If v is the mean velocity and A is the cross-
sectional area, the discharge Q is defined by Q
= Av which is known as volume flow rate.
• Discharge is also expressed as mass flow rate
and weight flow rate.
• Flow rate is the measure of the volume of liquid
that moves in a certain amount of time
Q = V/t
Discharge (also called Flow rate)
Water Budget Equation
• The quantities of water going through various
individual paths of the hydrologic cycle in a given
system can be described by the continuity principle
known as Water Budget Equation or Hydrologic
Equation.
• The hydrologic equation is anchored on the law of
mass conservations and is given as:
I = O + ΔS
Where: I – inflow volume of water during a
given period
O – outflow volume of water during a
given period
ΔS – change in the storage of water
during a given period
Water Budget Equation
• The equation can be further expanded as

P + Rin + Gin = Rout + Gout + E + T +/- ΔS

Where: P – precipitation, mm
Rin – surface inflow
Gin – groundwater inflow
Rout – surface outflow
Gout – groundwater outflow
E – evaporation
T – transpiration
ΔS – change in lake storage
Sample Problem
Sample Problem
ASSIGNMENT:
1. Describe the Hydrologic cycle. Explain briefly the
man’s interference in various parts of this cycle.
2. List the major activities in which hydrological
studies are important.
3. Two and a half centimeters of rain per day over an
area of 200 km2 is equivalent to average rate of
input of how many cubic meters per second of
water to that area?