HYDROLOGY

The Hydrologic Cycle

Difference between Hydrology and
Hydraulics
Hydrology
is an earth science. It compasses the occurrence,
distribution, movement, and properties of the waters of the earth
and their environmental relations.

Hydraulics
branch of science concerned with the practical
applications of fluids, primarily liquids, in motion.
Hydrology as an inter-disciplinary science. It draws
many principles from other branches of science like:

❑ Meteorology and Climatology ❑ Hydraulics

❑ Physical Geography ❑ Probability and Statistics
❑ Agronomy and Forestry ❑ Ecology
❑ Geology and Soil Science
❑ Oceanography
Hydrology concerns itself with three forms of water:

✓ Above land as atmospheric

water or precipitation
✓ On land or surface as stored
water or runoff
✓ Below the land surface as
ground water or percolation
The Importance of Hydrology is seen in:

A. Design of Hydraulic Structures

B. Municipal and Industrial Water Supply
C. Irrigation
D. Hydroelectric Power Generation
E. Flood Control in Rivers
F. Navigation
G. Pollution Control
The Hydrologic Cycle and the Human Impact:

Water, which is found everywhere on the earth, is one of

the most basic and commonly occurring substances. It
is the only substance on earth that exists naturally in the
three basic forms of matter, i.e., liquid, solid, and gas.
The quantity of water varies from place to place and
from time to time.
 Although at any given moment most of the the earth's
water is found in the world's oceans, there is a constant
interchange of water from the oceans to the atmosphere
to the land and back to the ocean. This interchange is
called the hydrologic cycle.
What is hydrological cycle?

It is a sequence of conditions through which water

passes or circulates on and below the earth’s surface
and the atmosphere. It is commonly known as the water
cycle.
In simpler term,
Water cycle is the nature’s way of recycling water on
Earth.
 Evaporation

This is the process by which state of substance (water)

is changed from liquid state to vapor form. Evaporation
occurs constantly from water bodies, soil surface and
even from vegetation. In short evaporation occurs when
water is exposed to atmosphere (during sunlight).
 Transpiration

This is the process by which the water extracted by the roots

of the plants is lost to the atmosphere through the surface of
leaves and branches by evaporation. Hence it is also known
as evapo-transpiration.
Transpiration

• Emission of water vapor from plants

1. Plants absorb water from soil to use in
photosynthesis
2. Water vapor released through stomata (pores) under
leaves
Condensation

Water vapor (gas) turns into liquid water

• Warm, moist air rises in atmosphere
• Vapor in air cools as it rises, thus turning back to liquid
 Precipitation

It is the return of atmospheric moisture to the ground in

solid or liquid form.
Solid form: (Snow, sleet, snow pellets, hailstones)
Liquid form: (drizzle, rainfall)
 Precipitation

It is the return of atmospheric moisture to the ground in

solid or liquid form.
Solid form: (Snow, sleet, snow pellets, hailstones)
Liquid form: (drizzle, rainfall)
Human activities that impacts the water cycle:
Vast usage of chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and
other forms of pollutions can cause Eutrophication.

Eutrophication is a process in which bodies of water (lakes,

ponds, and river) receive excess nutrients that stimulate
excessive growth of algae.