Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
hydrology appear an imprecise science and it will be
discussed further in the remaining chapters of this
topic.
frequency analysis. The latter mostly concentrates
on
flood frequency analysis
, although there is a
short description of how the techniques can be
applied to low flows. The chapter also has sections
on hydrological modelling and combining ecology
and hydrology for instream flow analysis.
Chapter 7 is concerned with water quality in
the fresh water environment. This chapter has a
description of major water quality parameters,
measurement techniques and some strategies used
to control water quality.
The final chapter takes an integrated approach
to look at different issues of change that affect
hydrology. This ranges from water resource man-
agement and a changing legislative framework
to climate and land use change. These issues are
discussed with reference to research studies inves-
tigating the different themes. It is intended as a
way of capping off the fundamentals of hydrology
by looking at real issues facing hydrology in the
twenty-first century.
OUTLINE OF THE TOPIC
Fundamentals of Hydrology
attempts to bring out the
underlying principles in the science of hydrology
and place these in a water management context.
By and large, water management is concerned with
issues of water quantity (floods, droughts, water
distribution . . .) and water quality (drinking water,
managing aquatic ecosystems . . .). These two
management concerns forms the basis for discussion
within the topic. It starts with the four components
of the water balance equation (i.e. precipitation,
evaporation, change in storage and runoff) in
Chapters 2-5. Precipitation is dealt with in Chapter
2, followed by evaporation, including canopy inter-
ception, in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 looks at the storage
term from the water balance equation, in particular
the role of water stored under the earth's surface
as soil water and groundwater and also storage as
snow and ice. Chapter 5 is concerned with the runoff
processes that lead to water flowing down a channel
in a stream or river.
Each of Chapters 2-5 starts with a detailed
description of the process under review in the
chapter. They then move on to contain a section on
how it is possible to measure the process, followed
by a section on how it may be estimated. In reality
it is not always possible to separate between mea-
surement and estimation as many techniques
contain an element of both within them, something
that is pointed out in various places within these
chapters. Chapters 2-5 finish with a discussion on
how the particular process described has relevance
to water quantity and quality.
Chapter 6 moves away from a description of
process and looks at the methods available to analyse
streamflow records. This is one of the main tasks
within hydrology and three particular techniques
are described: hydrograph analysis (including
the unit hydrograph), flow duration curves and
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1
Discuss the nature of water's physical
properties and how important these
are in determining the natural climate
of the earth.
2
Describe how the hydrological cycle
varies around the globe.
3
How may water-poor countries
overcome the lack of water resources
within their borders?
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