Module 1: Hydrology and the Hydrologic Cycle

Objectives:

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Describe the hydrologic cycle and
2. Explain the importance of hydrology in engineering.

Lesson:

Hydrology is the study of the waters of the earth including its occurrence,
circulation, distribution, properties, and reaction with the environment. In general, the
waters of the earth are classified into three as follows:

▪ atmospheric water – precipitation

▪ surface water – lakes, rivers, seas, oceans
▪ subsurface water – groundwater

The hydrologic cycle treats the storage, movement or transport and

transformation of water in the earth-atmosphere system.

In terms of storage, the largest reservoir is the oceans because 97 percent of

the waters is stored here (Table 1). The freshwater constitutes 3 percent of the total
available water on earth and most of this is stored in polar ice and glaciers.

Table 1. Reservoirs of the earth’s water resources

Size
3
% of Water in
Reservoir
(volume of water in km Hydrologic Cycle
x 10,000,000)
Oceans 1370 97
Polar Ice and Glaciers 29 2
Groundwater 9.5 0.7
Lakes 0.125 0.01
Soils 0.065 0.005
Atmosphere 0.013 0.001
Rivers and Streams 0.0017 0.0001
Biosphere 0.0006 0.00004
Source: www.enviroliteracy.org

The cycle “should not give the impression of a continuous mechanism through
which water moves steadily at a constant rate. Movement of water through the cycle
is erratic both in time and over area.” Examples are drought conditions and periods of
torrential rains.

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 There are four phases of interest, namely:
• precipitation
• evaporation and transpiration
• runoff/streamflow
• groundwater

I P
P
Ro
ET
P

E ET

GW flow E

Figure 1. The hydrologic cycle

References/Readings

To read more about the hydrologic cycle, you may refer to the following
resources:

The earth’s water and the hydrologic cycle:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/earth-atmospheric-and-planetary-sciences/12-090-the-
environment-of-the-earths-surface-spring-2007/course-textbook/earthsurface_12.pdf

Where does water come from? Water balance equation:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/civil-and-environmental-engineering/1-72-groundwater-
hydrology-fall-2005/lecture-notes/1_72_lecture_1.pdf

Activity

From the lesson and the suggested readings, share your reflections in the
Discussion Forum on the following issues. Indicate in the subject heading Module 1
and the letter of the question to be discussed.

a. Water is the lifeblood of the ecosystem. What does it mean to you?

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 b. What do you think is the importance or application of hydrology in agricultural
and biosystems engineering?

Congratulations! You are now ready to proceed to the next module.

Module 1 I-3