HYDROLOGY

Science of water that deals with the occurrence, circulation and

distribution of water of the earth and earths atmosphere

Hydrological data
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5. Engineering Hydrology by K Subramanya

6. Hydrology by H M Raghunath
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Lectures_ 1 &2
Definitions
Hydrological Cycles and Water Distribution
Water Budget
Space-time Scales
Catchment Area
History of Hydrology
Applications

1.0 Hydrologic Cycle

A global schematic of the hydrologic cycle

ET=evapotranspiration; SF = surface runoff ; TF=tidal flow; SR = sea rise;

GW int. = ground water intrusion

A schematic of the hydrologic cycle in the earth system

A schematic of the hydrologic

cycle in land system

More complete cycle

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Water Distribution

Land and Water Resources of India

Source-CWC, India

Water Resources Potential (km3) in Major River Basins of India

Source-CWC, India

2. Hydrologic Budget
The water budget represents the inventory of water for a specific water
body (or hydrologic region) during a certain time interval.
It can be estimated using the mass conservation equation, which
expresses the balance between the inflows, outflows and change of
storage in any water body / hydrologic region over a period of time. For a
drainage basin
P - R - G - E - T = S

(1)

P=precipitation; R= runoff; G= ground water flow; E=evaporation;

T= Transpiration; S = storage

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For a drainage basin

dS
I O
dt
d
Ss Sm S g Si I r I sn Osr Osb Og e et f
dt
Subscripts s=surface storage; m = soil moisture storage; g = ground water storage;
i = interception storage
Ir = rainfall intensity; Isn = rate of snowfall; Osr= surface runoff; Osb= subsurface
runoff; Og = ground water runoff; e = rate of evaporation; et = rate of transpiration;
f = infiltration rate

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3. Space-Time scales
Depending on the hydrologic problem under consideration, the
hydrologic cycle or its component can be treated at different scales of
time and space.
The global scale is the largest spatial scale and the drainage basin, the
smallest spatial scale.
The time scales used in hydrologic studies range from a fraction of an
hour to a year or perhaps many years. The time scale used in a
hydrologic study depends on the purpose of the study and the problem
involved.

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4. Catchment Area (drainage area, drainage basin, Watershed in USA)

The area of land draining into a stream or water course at a given
location is known as catchment area
Ridge line is also called Divide in USA and Watershed in UK
The line of the ground water table from which the water table slopes
downward away from the line on both sides, is called the ground water
divide.

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Catchment
boundary of
the Kosi river
Almora

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Stream
Drainage
Pattern

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Dendritic Drainage: A stream drainage pattern that resembles the veins of

a leaf in map view. Occurs mainly where the rocks below have a uniform
resistance to erosion.
Trellis Drainage: A drainage pattern in which streams intersect at right angles. This
forms in areas of long parallel valleys such as in folded mountain belts. Rivers
occupy the valleys and tributary streams .

Radial Drainage: A system of streams running in a radial pattern away

from the center of a circular elevation, such as a volcano or dome.

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Characteristics of the drainage

1.The number of streams
2.The length of streams
3. Stream density,

Ds

4. Drainage densityDd

Nunmber of streams N s
Catchment area A

km -2

Total length of all streams channels (perennial and intermittent) Ls

A

Drainage density varies inversely as the length of overland flow and

indicates the drainage efficiency of the basin.
A high value indicates a well-developed network and torrential runoff
causing intense floods while a low value indicates moderate runoff
and high permeability of the terrain.
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The shape of a drainage basin can generally be expressed

by:

L2b
Bs
Shape factor,
A

Form factor,
Ff b 2
1
L
Lb
Wb=axial width ofb
basin
Lb=axial length of basin, i.e., the distance from the measuring
point to the most remote point on the basin.

Elongation
ratio ,

Diameter of circle of watershed area

Watershed length

Circularity
ratio,

Watershed area

Area of circle of watershed perimeter

1
1

Pb
Compactness
Cc
1
coefficient,
2 A
Pb=perimeter of the basin
2 A =circumference of circular area having area equal to the
area of the basin

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Basin slope = difference in elevation between farthest point

and outlet/ distance from farthest point to outlet
Stream slope
1. Average stream slope=total fall of the longest water
course/length of the entire longest water course.
2. The channel is divided into N number of reaches each having Slope Si,
and length Li. (Johnstone and Cross, 1949)
The equivalent stream slope

L S 1/ 2

i i

Sm

i 1

i 1

Li

History of Hydrology
It is not easy to answer the question How and where the science of
hydrology began?.
In ancient times various hydrologic principles were successfully
applied in practice.
Early Chinese irrigation and flood control works and Greek and
Roman aqueducts are worth mentioning.
The Roman engineer Marcus Vitruvius (1st century B.C.) developed
an early theory of the hydrologic cycle in his treatise 'On Architecture'.
During the Middle Ages, Vitruvius's work was the standard reference
book on Hydrology.

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15th century: Leonardo da Vinci and Bernard Palissy gave, independently of

each other, an accurate explanation of the hydrologic cycle.
17th century: the modern science of hydrology was established by Perrault,
Mariotte and Halley. Perrault measured the rainfall and runoff in the Seine
River and proved that rainfall contributes significantly to river flow. He also
measured evaporation and capillarity. Mariotte recorded the velocity of flow
in the Seine River and made measurements of the cross section, estimating
the discharge. Halley measured evaporation of the Mediterranean Sea.
18th century: The Bernoulli piezometer and theorem, the Pitot tube and
Chezy's formula are representative achievements
19th century: experimental hydrology made considerable progress: Darcy's
law of flow in porous media and Dupuit-Thiem's well formula were
elaborated.
Early 20th century: governmental agencies developed their own programs of
hydrologic research. Sherman's unit hydrograph, Horton's infiltration theory
and Theis's non-equilibrium approach to well hydraulics were based on their
analyses and were the results of research programs.
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Chow classifies the history of hydrology into eight

periods as:
Period of Speculation prior to AD 1400
Period of Observation 1400 1600
Period of Measurement 1600 1700
Period of Experimentation 1700- 1800
Period of Modernization 1800 1900
Period of Empiricism 1900 1930
Period of Rationalization 1930 1950
Period of Theorization 1950 to date
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Applications In Engineering
1. Scientific Hydrology-a study concerned with academic aspects.
2. Engineering or applied Hydrology- a study concerned with
engineering applications

Hydrology finds its greatest application in the design

and operation of water resources engineering, such as
those for
(i)Irrigation,
(ii) Water supply,
(iii) Flood control,
(iv) Hydropower, and
(v) Navigation
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Hydrological Data
The basic hydrological data required are:
1.Precipitation and climatological data - IMD
2.Topographic maps - SOI
3.Stream-flow records - CWC
4.Ground water data Central Ground Water Board
5.Evaporation and transpiration data -IMD
6.Cropping pattern, crops and their consumptive use Irrigation Dept
7.Soil map
8.Water quality data of surface streams and groundwater
9.Geological maps - GSI

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