Hydrological Cycle

•  Closed system, water balance equation: Q = P – Et ± ΔS

•  Q – Runoff
•  P – Precipitation
•  Et – Evaportation/Transpiration
•  ΔS – Storage change, e.g. snow
•  Long term balance: dS -> 0
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•  Hydrologic year, Norwegian 1/9 – 31/8
 Catchment
Precipitation in red areas drains to
this point
•  Area in which all water drains
to an outlet point

•  The boundary is termed the

water divide

•  The area is usually called the

catchment area

•  To find the catchmet:

–  Start at the outlet
–  Draw boundaries
perpendicular to elevation
contours
–  Make sure you do not cut
rivers or lakes
–  Pay attention to flat areas
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such as marshes.
• Feltareal: 18.5 km2
• Snitthøgde: 598 m
 Hypsographic curve
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•  The hypsographic curve of 0.9

0.8
a catchment shows the 0.7

% of area below
elevation distribution 0.6
0.5
•  It is typically an 0.4

accumulated curve over 0.3

elevation zones 0.2

•  Example table:

0.1
0



<0 10-100 100-200: 200-300 300-400 > 400

Elevation Area (m2) Area(%)

< 10 0 0
10-100: 55 22.4
100-200: 125 73.5
200-300 40 89.8
300-400 20 98
3
> 400 5 100
 Hydrological variables

•  Hydrological variables, as Q, P og Et has a temporal and

spatial variation .
•  An important task in hydrology is to describe this variation
through computations and measurements

Spatial distribution of



precipitation Time series of discharge

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 Heat balance and green house effect
•  The earth receives and emits radiation
–  Short wave radiation from the sun. Long wave radiation from
the earh surface. Stefan-Boltzman: G = εσT4
–  Solar constant (Radiation at the top of the atmosphere): 1367
W/m2
–  Radiation divided on the earth surface: 239.25 w/m2.
–  Earth temp from radiation: T = (239.25/ εσ=)1/4=-18.1 gr.C
–  Measurements show an average of 17 gr.C => heating due to




insulation in the atmospehere cause by absorption and back
radiation (green house effect).

•  Climate gases increases the adsorption potential in the

atmosphere

•  Uneven heating – more around equator, less in far northern/

southern areas => leads to circulation of air and is the
driving force in the hydrological cycle.
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 Phase changes
Add heat energy

Melting Evaporation

Ice Water Vapour

Freezing



Condensation

Release heat energy

•  Latent heat – heat related to phase change

•  Sensible heat – heat released to surroundings

•  Latent heat of Evaporation 2500 J/g, Latent heat of Fusion:

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335 J/g
 The circulation
•  2/3 in the atmosphere (sensible/latent), 1/3 in the ocean
(sensible)
•  In the atmosphere:
–  Evaporation in hot areas (energy added)
–  Condensation to clouds (energy released)
–  Uneven heating sets air in motion: Highpressure -> Low pressure
– 



Affected by the earth rotation and continents

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 Extra tropical cyclone

•  Polar front (cold) meets southern. Creates a front. (see book p.

95-96)
•  Typical between 30-60 north, important for Norwegian
weather pattern
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 Temperature gradient

•  The most common: Adiabatic gradients.

–  Adiabatic – temperature change without adding/releasing heat.
–  Reversible process
–  Dry-adiabatic (dry, mixed) air, ca -1 gr.C/100 meter.
–  Wet-adiabatic (saturated, mixed) air, ca -0.6 gr.C/100 meter.
The wet process may create clouds, and in case of precipitation




the process is not reversible

•  Other:
–  Inversion – Cold air drains to low areas in the terrain.
Temperature profile inverted for a distance above ground level

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 Climate
•  Climate – The long term average of weather (e.g. over 30
years)
–  Climate normals – averages of different weather variables such
as temperature and precipitation for a time period. In Norway
we are using 1961 – 1990.
–  Climate change – Changes in the long term climate pattern over
long time periods (decades



•  Weather – The current state of the atmosphere (weather
today)

http://tamino.wordpress.com

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Red line – climate trend, black dots - annual variation