Hydrometeorology Is The Study of The Atmospheric and Terrestrial Phases of The Hydrological Cycle With Emphasis

Hydrometeorology is the study of the atmospheric and terrestrial phases of the hydrological cycle with emphasis
on the interrelationship between them. It deals with the transfer of water and energy between land surface and the
lower atmosphere. Fig. 1 shows an illustration of the hydrological cycle.
Here, we will discuss how rain is generated, and what happens to water when it reaches Earth’s surface.
The outline of the discussion is as follows.
Processes of the hydrologic cycle
1. Precipitation
I. Cloud formation and type
II. Rainfall
III. Associated hazards
2. Formation of snow covered mountain tops (not applicable in the Philippines)
3. Melting of snow and ice (not applicable in the Philippines)
4. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover
5. Storage in land surface depressions
6. Infiltration of water into soil
7. Evapotranspiration
8. Recharge of groundwater
9. River runoff
Clouds
Clouds are ubiquitous in our daily lives, so much so that most people don’t pay attention to them
anymore. Clouds are essential in the hydrologic cycle of Earth because their formation and movement initiates the
transport of water.
A cloud is a visible aggregate of small water droplets and/or ice particles in the atmosphere above earth’s surface
and they form in the atmosphere as a result of condensation of water vapor rising from the surface.
There are 10 general cloud types and they are classified depending of their height (low, mid and high), appearance
and their corresponding precipitation (refer to Fig. 2).
Nimbus refers to rain producing clouds, hence the two general type of rain producing clouds have the word
nimbus in it, namely Cumulonimbus (thunderstorm clouds) and Nimbostratus (continuous rain cloud).
Clouds are associated with different types of precipitation and distinguishing between cloud types can give us a
glimpse of an impending hydrometeorological hazard.
How is rain measured?

Rainfall is measured using a rain gauge, rain gauge is thought to be one of the oldest weather instruments.
Rain gauges can be as simple as a cylinder that catches rain water (Fig. 3). The height of rain water that collects in
the cylinder is the measured amount of rainfall, usually expressed in millimeters.
Terrestrial phase of the hydrologic cycle
As water returns to the surface of the Earth from precipitation, it doesn’t just stay in one place, gravity takes it to
the ground either as infiltration, or it begins running downhill as surface runoff. Most of this moving water will
end up in streams or rivers flowing towards the ocean.
Since the Philippines is composed of islands with complex topography and mountainous regions, certain
processes happen while water flows through land.
A watershed (Fig.4) is a basin-like landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that

descend into lower elevations and stream valleys. Water is channeled into soils,
groundwater, creeks and streams making its way to larger rivers and eventually the sea.
The following are the processes that govern terrestrial water flow
1. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover

I. Before reaching the land surface, a part of the precipitation may be intercepted by vegetation
and/or other types of surface cover. A portion of intercepted rainfall evaporates and the other
portion may flow down on vegetation stems
2. Storage in land surface depressions

I. Detention of a part of precipitation on depressions. While most waters flows back to the ocean, some
can flow in streams towards closed lake, or purposely diverted for human use, and stored there for a time.
3. Infiltration of water into soil

I. Flow of water through soil surface
4. Evapotranspiration
I. total evaporation from surface water and plants is referred to as evapotranspiration
5. Recharge of groundwater
I. Water storage in the soil-rock system
6. River runoff
I. Part of the precipitation that flows into river systems
Infiltration is the flow of water through the soil surface. The rate of infiltration depends on certain soil properties
like texture, structure and moisture content. Soil profiles, or the vertical organization of the different soil layers
and the depth of the soil column, also influence the hydrologic processes as infiltration rates will vary with
different soil.
Surface runoff is the flow of water over land surfaces. The size of the basin or the contributing area of the rainfall
in a basin has a significant influence on the amount of runoff. Consider two similarly shaped basins (Fig. 7) but
one is larger than the other. Runoff starting from a further distance will take a longer time to reach the outlet of
the watershed than the one starting from a shorter distance. On the other hand, a single local heavy rainfall event
will affect only a small portion of a big basin. While this same event can cover the whole of a small basin, which
can lead to severe flooding or a flash flood.
Aside from the size, the shape of a basin also has influence on the magnitude and timing of the flow of water
along the basin outlet. Consider two basins of the same size (Fig. 8), but one is round (left image) and the other is
long and narrow (right image). Consider water coming from the furthest point in each of the basins. Water will
flow quicker for the round basin, and water will likely converge in the outlet at the same time, leading to greater
peak flow. The narrower basin, on the other hand, water from multiple locations is less likely to arrive at the
same time, resulting to lower peak flow.
Slope of the basin is also an important factor to consider not only for surface runoff but infiltration as well. The
steeper the slope, the lower the infiltration rate because gravity pulls less water into the land surface.
SUMMARY
1. Heavy rain and efficient runoff leads to more flooding events
2. In certain situations, runoff characteristics can be more important than rainfall
3. Soil properties like texture or vertical profile can significantly influence surface runoff
4. Basin characteristics (e.g. shape, size, slope) also influence infiltration and runoff

Hydrometeorology Is The Study of The Atmospheric and Terrestrial Phases of The Hydrological Cycle With Emphasis

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hydrometeorology Is The Study of The Atmospheric and Terrestrial Phases of The Hydrological Cycle With Emphasis

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hydrometeorology Is The Study of The Atmospheric and Terrestrial Phases of The Hydrological Cycle With Emphasis

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hydrometeorology is the study of the atmospheric and terrestrial phases of the hydrological cycle with emphasis

The outline of the discussion is as follows.

Processes of the hydrologic cycle

How is rain measured?

Terrestrial phase of the hydrologic cycle

A watershed (Fig.4) is a basin-like landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that

1. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover

2. Storage in land surface depressions

3. Infiltration of water into soil

1. Heavy rain and efficient runoff leads to more flooding events

2. In certain situations, runoff characteristics can be more important than rainfall

You might also like