Hydrology

Hydrology

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability.
Branches of hydrology :

Chemical hydrology is the study of the chemical characteristics of water.
Ecohydrology is the study of interactions between organisms and the hydrologic cycle.
Hydrogeology is the study of the presence and movement of ground water.
Hydroinformatics is the adaptation of information technology to hydrology and water resources applications.
Hydrometeorology is the study of the transfer of water and energy between land and water body surfaces and the lower atmosphere.
Isotope hydrology is the study of the isotopic signatures of water.
Surface hydrology is the study of hydrologic processes that operate at or near Earth's surface.



Water quality•

Sample collection
• In-situ methods
• Physical measurements (includes sediment concentration)
• Collection of samples to quantify Organic Compounds
• Collection of samples to quantify Inorganic Compounds
• Analysis of aqueous Organic Compounds
• Analysis of aqueous Inorganic Compounds
• Microbiological sampling and analysis


Water Movement :

Surface movement includes rivers, streams, creeks, lakes, ponds, and human-made "flood" control. All surface water is trying to reach sea level due to gravity. As water flows in channels, the streambed and banks of the channel will resist the flow of water. The velocity of the water is dependant on steepness of the slope, type of rock or soil, amount of vegetation, shape of stream bed, and obstructions. Surface water provides the liquid where most evaporation takes place.

Where is Earth's water located and in what forms does it exist? You can see how water is distributed by viewing these bar charts. The left-side bar shows where the water on Earth exists; about 97 percent of all water is in the oceans. The middle bar shows the distribution of that three percent of all Earth's water that is freshwater. The majority, about 69 percent, is locked up in glaciers and icecaps, mainly in Greenland and Antarctica. You might be surprised that of the remaining freshwater, almost all of it is below your feet, as ground water. No matter where on Earth you are standing, chances are that, at some depth, the ground below you is saturated with water. Of all the freshwater on Earth, only about 0.3 percent is contained in rivers and lakes—yet rivers and lakes are not only the water we are most familiar with, it is also where most of the water we use in our everyday lives exists