INTRODUCTION TO HYDROLOGY • Water Balance – The basic components of the

hydrologic cycle include precipitation, evaporation,

• Hydrology is a multidisciplinary subject that deals evapotranspiration, infiltration, overland flow,
with the occurrence, circulation storage, and streamflow, and ground water flow.
distribution of surface and ground water on the earth.

STUDIES THAT CONNECTED IN HYDROLOGY • The hydrologic continuity equation for any system is:
𝑑𝑆
𝐼−𝑄 =
• Geomorphology – the study of landforms, their 𝑑𝑡
processes, form and sediments at the surface of the 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒:
Earth (and sometimes on other planets). Study 𝐼 = 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐿3 /𝑡
includes looking at landscapes to work out how the 𝑄 = 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝐿3 /𝑡
earth surface processes, such as air, water and ice, 𝑑𝑆 𝐿3
can mold the landscape. = 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛
𝑑𝑡 𝑡
• Meteorology – the scientific study of the atmosphere
that focuses on weather processes and • The SIMPLEST SYSTEM is an impervious inclined
forecasting. Meteorological phenomena are plane, confined on all four sides with a single outlet.
observable weather events which illuminate and are • a conceptual mathematical model for the budget for
explained by the science of meteorology. Those the urban hydrologic cycle
events are bound by the variables that exist in Earth's 𝑃 − 𝑅 − 𝐺 − 𝐸 − 𝑇 = ∆𝑆
atmosphere. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒:
• Geology – the study of the Earth, the materials of 𝑃 = 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
which it is made, the structure of those materials, and 𝑅 = 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑛𝑜𝑓𝑓
the processes acting upon them. It includes the study 𝐺 = 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤
of organisms that have inhabited our planet. 𝐸 = 𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
• Oceanography – the study of the physical, chemical, 𝑇 = 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
and biological features of the ocean, including the ∆𝑆
ocean's ancient history, its current condition, and its = 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑
future.
• Ecology – the study of the relationships between • Watershed – Also called as basin area is an important
living organisms, including humans, and their physiographic property that determines the volume of
physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital runoff to be expected from a given rainfall event that
connections between plants and animals and the falls over the area.
world around them. • Watershed divide – Is the loci point (the ridge line)
that separates two adjacent watershed, which drain
TOPICS INCLUDED IN HYDROLOGY
into two different outlets.
• Fluids Mechanics • Watershed Relief – Is the elevation difference
• Hydrodynamics between two reference points within a watershed.
• Water Resources Engineering Maximum relief is the difference between the highest
point on the watershed divide and watershed outlet.
• Runoff Coefficient
Can be defined as the ratio R/P for any watershed.
• HYDROLOGIC CYCLE – a continuous process in
volume = (flow rate)(time) = (depth)(watershed area)
which water is evaporated from water surfaces and
• Simple Rainfall Runoff
the oceans, moves inland as moist air masses, and
One of the simplest rainfall-runoff formulas is
produces precipitation if the correct vertical lifting
RATIONAL METHOD.
conditions exist. The precipitation that falls from
clouds onto the land surface of the earth is dispersed
to the hydrologic cycle via several pathways.

• WATERSHED – an area of land that drains or

“sheds” water into a specific waterbody.

• WEATHER SYSTEM – a section that reviews major

elements of atmospheric processes that directly
impact the hydrologic cycle. STREAMFLOW AND THE HYDROGRAPH
• Stream flow or discharge – is the volume of water
that moves over a designated point over a fixed
period. It is often expressed as cubic feet per second
 (ft3/sec). The flow of a stream is directly related to MOISTURE RELATIONSHIPS
the amount of water moving off the watershed into
the stream channel. • Atmospheric Moisture – is a necessary source for
• Surface runoff – (also known as overland flow) is precipitation and is generally provided from
the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface, evaporation and transpiration. Common measures of
in contrast to channel runoff (or stream flow). It atmospheric moisture, or humidity, include vapor
occurs when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, pressure, specific humidity, mixing ratio, relative
or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly humidity, and dew point temperature.
infiltrate in the soil.

RECESSION AND BASE FLOW SEPARATION

• The recession curve can be described by an

exponential depletion equation of the general form:
• Partial Pressure – the pressure that would be exerted
on the surface of a container by a particular gas in a
mixture. The partial pressure exerted by water vapor
is called vapor pressure and can be derived from
Dalton’s law and the ideal gas law as:

THUNDERSTORMS

• Thunderstorms – characterized by cumulonimbus

clouds that can produce heavy rainfall, thunder,
lightning, and occasionally hail. They require warm,
moist air, which when lifted will release enough
latent heat to provide the buoyancy needed to
maintain its upward motion.

Thunderstorms develop in three characteristics stages: • Saturation Vapor Pressure – is the partial pressure of
water vapor when the air is completely saturated (no
• Cumulus Stage further evaporation occurs) and is a function of
• Mature Stage temperature.
• Dissipating Stage • Relative humidity (RH) – is approximately the ratio
of water vapor pressure to that which would prevail
under saturated conditions at the same temperature. It
• Tropical cyclones/Hurricanes – intense cyclonic can also be stated as RH = 100 e>es.
storms that form over the tropical oceans, between 5- • Specific humidity – the mass of water vapor
and 20-degrees latitude. With extreme amounts of contained in a unit mass of moist air (g/g) and is
rainfall and winds that can exceed 186 mph (300 equal to rw>rm, where rw is the vapor density and rm
km/hr), tropical cyclones are the most destructive is the density of moist air.
storms on earth.

• The local name for this storm varies throughout the

world: typhoon in Eastern Asia, cyclone in India, and
baguio in the China Sea.
• By international agreement, a storm is a hurricane if
it has wind speeds of at least 74 mph (119 km/hr)
and a rotary circulation. When its wind speeds are
between 39 mph (63 km/hr) and 73 mph (119
km/hr), it is a tropical storm. Tropical disturbances
with winds that do not exceed 39 mph (61 km/hr) are
tropical depressions.
• Hurricanes develop most often during the late
summer when the oceans are warm (26°C or higher)
and are thus able to provide the necessary heat and
moisture to the air.