Hydrologic cycle

Guah Kennedy
Hydrometric Supervisor
Liberian Hydrological Service
Ministry of Mines and Energy

February 20, 2024

 Table of contents

Ø What is Hydrologic cycle?

Ø Processes involved in the hydrologic cycle

Ø Definitions

Ø Introduction to Staff Gauge

 What is Hydrologic cycle?

Hydrologic cycle, cycle that involves the continuous

circulation of water in the Earth-atmosphere system.
 Processes involved in the hydrologic cycle

Of the many processes involved in the hydrologic cycle, the most

important are:

Ø Evaporation is the process that changes liquid water to gaseous water (water
vapor). Water moves from the earth’s surface to the atmosphere via
evaporation

Ø Transpiration is the evaporation of water from plants through stomata

Ø Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the air is changed liquid
water; it’s the opposite of evaporation.
Processes involved in the hydrologic cycle

Ø Precipitation is the water that falls from the atmosphere in either liquid or
solid form

Ø Runoff is the precipitation that does not soak into the soil but instead moves
on the Earth’s surface toward streams
Processes involved in the hydrologic cycle
Processes involved in the hydrologic cycle
Hydrologic cycle
 Definitions

Ø Bank, right or left the margin of a river

channel as viewed facing downstream

Ø Cross-section is a vertical plane

extending from one edge of the stream to
the other and up from the stream bottom
to the surface

Ø Cross-section width is the width of the

water surface measured at right angles to
the direction of flow and at a specific
discharge

Ø Current meter is a piece of equipment

used to measure the stream velocity at
point.
 Definitions

Ø Discharge is the volume of liquid (water) flowing through a cross-

section of the river, stream, open channel in a (given) unit of time.
Term used interchangeably with streamflow

Ø Discharge measurement is the process of measuring the discharge

of liquid (water) in a river or an open channel.

Ø ADCP Abbreviation for Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. An

instrument that uses sound waves to measure velocity, depth, width,
and boat speed

Ø Stage or stage height the elevation of the free surface of a stream,

lake or reservoir relative to a gauge datum. It is used interchangeably
with the terms “gauge height” and “water level”
 Definitions

Ø Stream edge the point on the stream bank where the stream water
surface meets it

Ø Headwaters is the source of the river

Ø Transect one sweep across a water course from one bank to the
opposite bank with an ADCP on a moving boat

Ø Vertical is a line on a cross-section where a measurement of depth or

velocity is made
 Definitions

Ø Streams & Rivers bodies of flowing water moving in

one direction
found everywhere—they get their start at headwaters,
which may be snowmelt or even lakes
travel all the way to their mouths, usually another water
channel or the ocean

Ø Upstream vs. Downstream related to the flow

direction
Outlet (mouth)

Ø Gradient the slope or fall of the river, usually

decreases as the river gets larger
 Introduction to Staff Gauge

What is a Staff Gauge?

A Staff gauge is an instrument used to
measure the water level of rivers, irrigation
channels, sewage plants, etc.

Types of Staff Gages

Staff gages can have different type of
graduation
 Introduction to Staff Gauge

Which Staff Gage is suitable?

The T style staff gauge is most
frequently use because it is easy
to read
 Introduction to Staff Gauge

Description of Staff Gage used by LHS

Each staff gage used by LHS is 1m

(100cm) long and it is arranged in black
and red 1m length.

It is designed in the E-Pattern

It is a Metric Gage
It is a 150mm wide staff Gage
It is divided into decimeter
It has a 1 cm interval
 Introduction to Staff Gauge

Why use a Staff Gage?

To know the daily water
level of a particular
river/stream.

To know the change in

river depth on a daily basis.

To know the relationship

between river depth and
river flow
Thank You!!