DENSING, Angela Christine M.

IV-BSCE CVE113-W45 09/07/2021

Hydrology & Its Significance in Engineering

Hydrology is a highly crucial scientific and engineering discipline as it concerns with

studying one of our most essential natural resources which is water. Taken from the site
Educalingo.com (2021), hydrology is derived from the Greek words “hydōr” meaning “water”
and “logos” meaning “study”. Thus, hydrology is basically the study of water. In full definition,
hydrology is the study of the distribution and movement of water both on and below the Earth’s
surface, as well as the impact of human activity on water availability and conditions. (National
Geographic Society, 2019). The overview of the core areas of hydrology includes the global
water cycle, lakes, rivers, wetlands, groundwater, the cryosphere, water resources, aquatic
biology, and water chemistry. (Marshall, 2013). The key hydrological processes are
precipitation, runoff, infiltration, subsurface flow, and evaporation and transpiration. (Han,
2010).

The history of hydrology was classified by Chow into eight periods. Prior to AD 1400
was the period of speculation. It was followed by the observation period which was from 1400 to
AD 1600, and then from 1600 to AD 1700 was the period of measurement. Experimentation
period of hydrology then began in 1700s. A century after, in the year 1800s, the period of
modernization started. Empiricism period followed, which lasted for around three decades and
then comes the period of rationalization which lasted not before the beginning of the 1950s.
From the 1950s until the present is finally the period of theorization. (Subramanya, 2008).

Furthermore, the greatest application of hydrology is found in the design and operation of
water-resources engineering projects, such as those for irrigation, water supply, flood control,
water power, and navigation. In all these projects, hydrological investigations for the proper
assessment of some factors are necessary. These factors include the capacity of storage structures
such as reservoirs, the magnitude of flood flows to enable safe disposal of the excess flow, the
minimum flow and quantity of flow available at various seasons, and the interaction of the flood
wave and hydraulic structures such as levees, reservoirs, barrages, and bridges. (Subramanya,
2008).
 In general, hydrology is a significant subject to study in order to combat water pollution,
protect the earth’s water resources, and provide engineering hydrology – which is an engineering
specialty focusing on water resources. Water is the most essential element to life on Earth, but
our planet has a complex water system that requires many years of study and dedication to fully
understand. That is why we are fortunate enough to have lots of skilled hydrologists in this world
who help us solve water problems and provide extremely valuable information to other important
fields, such as civil engineering. (davronengineering.com.au, 2019).
 References

Davron Engineering Admin. (2019, June 2). Importance of Hydrology in Civil Engineering.
Davron Engineering. https://www.davronengineering.com.au/importance-of-hydrology-
in-civil-engineering

Educalingo. (2021). Meaning of “hydrology” in the English dictionary. educalingo.

https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/hydrology

Han, D. (2010). Concise Hydrology. Ventus Publishing ApS. ISBN 978-87-7681-536-3

Marshall, S.J. (2013). Hydrology. Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental
Sciences. Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-
sciences/hydrology

National Geographic Society. (2019). Hydrology. National Geographic.

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/hydrology/

Subramanya, K. (2008). Engineering Technology, Third Edition. Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing

Company Limited.