What we study in Hydrology

In hydrology we study Hydrologic cycle, its processes, water balance, precipitation types, estimation of
precipitation, and analysis of precipitation data.

Methods of measurement of stream flow, stage discharge relation, unit hydrograph theory, Transposition
of Hydrograph, Synthesis of hydrograph from basin characteristics, stream flow routing, flood frequency
analysis and attenuation of flood flows are also studied in Hydrology.

Definition of hydrology:
Hydrology is the science that study the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of
the earth and their relationship with the environment within each phase of the hydrologic cycle.
The study of water in all its forms (rain, snow and water on the earths surface), and from its origins to all
its destinations on the earth is called hydrology.

Scope of Hydrology
1. Water is one the most valuable natural resources essential for human and animal life, industry
and agriculture.
2. It is also used for Power generation, navigation and fisheries.
3. Tremendous importance is given to the hydrology all over the world in the development and
management of water resources for irrigation, water supply, flood control, water-logging and
salinity control, Hydro power and navigation.

Engineering Hydrology
It uses hydrologic principles in the solution of engineering problems arising from human exploitation of
water resources of the earth. The engineering hydrologist, or water resources engineer, is involved in the
planning, analysis, design, construction and operation of projects for the control, utilization and
management of water resources.
Hydrologic calculations are estimates because mostly the empirical and approximate methods are used
to describe various hydrological processes.

Uses of Engineering Hydrology

Engineering Hydrology Helps in the following ways:
1. Hydrology is used to find out maximum probable flood at proposed sites e.g. Dams.
2. The variation of water production from catchments can be calculated and described by hydrology.
3. Engineering hydrology enables us to find out the relationship between a catchments surface
water and groundwater resources
4. The expected flood flows over a spillway, at a highway Culvert, or in an urban storm drainage
system can be known by this very subject.
5. It helps us to know the required reservoir capacity to assure adequate water for irrigation or
municipal water supply in droughts condition.
6. It tells us what hydrologic hardware (e.g. rain gauges, stream gauges etc) and software
(computer models) are needed for real-time flood forecasting

Branches of Hydrology

Hydrological cycle
1. The hydrologic cycle describes the continuous re-circulating transport of the waters of the
earth, linking atmosphere, land and oceans.
2. Water evaporates from the ocean surface, driven by energy from the Sun, and joins the
atmosphere, moving inland as clouds. Once inland, atmospheric conditions act to condense and
precipitate water onto the land surface, where, driven by gravitational forces, it returns to the
ocean through river and streams.
3. The process is quite complex, containing many sub-cycles.
4. Engineering Hydrology takes a quantitative view of the hydrologic cycle.
5. The quantification of the hydrologic cycle which is an open system can be represented by a mass
balance equation, where inputs minus outputs are equal to the change in storage.
6. It is a basic Hydrologic Principle or equation that may be applied either on global or regional scale
I - O = S
The water holding elements of the hydrological cycle are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Atmosphere
Vegetation
Snow packs
Land surface
Soil
Streams, lakes and rivers
Aquifers
Oceans

Hydrological Processes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Precipitation
Evaporation
Transpiration
Infiltration
Overland flow
Surface Runoff
Groundwater outflow

Water Balance Components

Inflow:
1. Precipitation
2. Import defined as water channeled into a given area.
3. Groundwater inflow from adjoining areas.

Outflow:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Surface runoff outflow

Export defined as water channeled out of the same area.
Evaporation
Transpiration

Change in Storage:
This occurs as change in:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Groundwater
Soil moisture
Surface reservoir water and depression storage
Detention Storage

Global Water Balance

In the atmosphere:
Precipitation (P) = Evapo-transpiration (ET)
100+385 = 61+424

On land:
P = Evapo-transpiration (ET) + Surface runoff (R) + Groundwater outflow
100 = 61 + 38 + 1

Over oceans and seas:

Ocean precipitation + Surface runoff + Groundwater outflow = Evaporation (E)
385 + 38 + 1 = 424

Hydrological Systems

A hydrologic system is as a structure or volume in space, surrounded by a boundary, that

accepts water and other inputs, operates on them internally, and produces them as
outputs.
The structure (for surface or subsurface flow) or volume in space (for atmospheric
moisture flow) is the totality of the flow paths through which the water may pass from the
point it enters the system to the point it leaves.
The boundary is a continuous surface defined in three dimensions enclosing the volume
or structure.
A working medium enters the system as input, interacts with the structure and other
media, and leaves as output.
Physical, chemical and biological processes operate on the working media within the
system; the most common working media involved in hydrologic analysis are water, air
and heat energy.
The global hydrologic cycle can be represented as a system containing three
subsystems: the atmospheric water system, the surface water system, and the
subsurface water system.

Catchment and Basin

A Catchment is a portion of the earths surface that collects runoff and concentrates
it at its furthest downstream point, referred to as the catchment outlet.
The runoff concentrated by a catchment flows either into a larger catchment or into
the ocean.
The place where a stream enters a larger stream or body of water is referred to as
the mouth.
The terms watershed and basin are commonly used to refer to catchments.
Generally, watershed is used to describe a small catchment (stream watershed),
whereas basin is reserved for large catchments (river basins).

Watershed and Stream order

The watershed or basin is defined by the surrounding topography, the perimeter of

which is called a divide. It is the highest elevation surrounding the watershed. All of
the water that falls on the inside of the divided has the potential to be shed into the
streams of the basin encompassed by the divide. Water falling outside of the divide
is shed to another basin.
The water flowing in streams is called stream flow

Horton suggested a classification of stream order as a measure of the amount of branching

within a basin. A first order stream is a small, un-branched tributary. A second order stream has
only first order tributaries. A third order stream has only first and second order tributaries and so
on. When a channel of lower order joins a channel of higher order, the channel
downstream retains the higher of the two orders.

Water Balance Problem

In a given year, a catchment with an area of 2500 km2 received 1.3 m of precipitation. The
average rate of flow measured in a river draining the catchment was 30 m3s-1.
7. How much total river runoff occurred in the year (in m3)?
8. What is the runoff coefficient?
9. How much water is lost due to the combined effects of evaporation, transpiration, and
infiltration? (Expressed in m).
Solution

Total runoff volume

= number of seconds in a year average flow rate
= 31 536 000 30
= 9.4608108 m3

Runoff coefficient
= Runoff volume/ precipitation volume
= (9.4608108) / (1.3 2500 106)
= 0.29 (29 %)
The water balance equation can be arranged to produce:
ET+F= P - R - S
Where: P = (1.3 2500106)
= 3.25109 m3
R = 9.4608108 m3 (from Total runoff volume)
S = 0 (i.e. no change in storage)
So,
ET + F = 3.25109 - 9.4608108
= 2.30392109 m3
= (2.30392109) / (2500106)
= 0.92 m