Hydrological cycle can be defined as the continuous process of exchange of water from the earth surface to the atmosphere or vice versa by the influence of solar radiation or solar heat. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydrologist. This module helps students gain a basic understanding of the elements of the hydrologic cycle. Hydrologic cycle on the earth, the continuous process of the movement of water in the earths geographic shell, accompanied by phase. The continuous circulation of water in the ocean, in the atmosphere, and on the land is fundamental to the availability of water on the planet. When we consider the global hydrological cycle, the principal process is water exchange between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans. Of the many processes involved in the hydrologic cycle, the most important are.
Chapter 2 the hydrological cycle the hydrologiccycle is a conceptual model thatdescribes the storage and movement of water between the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and the hydrosphere see figure2. The earths dynamic cryosphere and the earth system global. The process of the hydrological cycle starts with oceans. The mass of water on earth remains fairly constant over time but the partitioning of the water into the major reservoirs of ice, fresh water, saline water and atmospheric water is variable depending on a wide range of climatic. The hydrologic, or water, cycle describes the storage and movement of all water on earth. Hydrologic cycle definition is the sequence of conditions through which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation upon land or water surfaces and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration called also hydrological cycle. Drought is a complex natural hazard that impacts ecosystems and society in many ways. Hydrology is the science that deals with all aspects of the water available on the earth. Definition of hydrologic cycle hydrologic cycle is the series of conditions through which water changes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation upon land surface or water surfaces and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration.
By the rays of the sun, the waters of the ocean, rivers, canals etc. Making use of illustrations, animations, and interactions, this module examines the basic concepts of the hydrologic cycle including water distribution, atmospheric water, surface water, groundwater, and snowpacksnowmelt. Water is the primary medium by which energy and matter move are circulated through the earth. The hydrologic cycle is not described as subterranean waters sucked up into the mountains, to flow forth as springs that feed the rivers of the world. For over two thousand years the dominant theory was that, water stored in the sea found its way into the interior of the earth was lifted by some mechanism or other within the mountains and emerged at a higher level as springs to. Water resources management the hydrological cycle and human impact on it lev s. Besides the water cycle diagram is the imagery plot of the process showing the whole process of water cycle. Hydrologic cycle definition and meaning collins english. In engineering, a hydrological assessment is carried out to quantify the flow or volume of water in a river or stream, over land, in soils, in a pond or in a reservoir. By internalizing a dialectical relation between water and society, the hydrosocial.
The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or the hydrological cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the earth. Urban hydrology is a link in a number of sciences dealing with the problems of ecology, environmental protection, conservation and rational use of the water resources of the earth. The importance of hydrological cycle on earth bhatter college. Solar radiation that reaches earth triggers the start of the hydrologic cycle by evaporating water. Pdf several processes and factors are involved in driving the global water circulation. Entire moving water of the universe whether in atmosphere or on the surface of earth or below the surface is constantly changing its state and passing from one state to the other. Hydrological engineering, sometimes called hydrologic engineering, is an engineering specialty that focuses on water resources. The global hydrological cycle is powered by solar energy. The movement and storage of water in our natural environment is described as the hydrological cycle. The hydrosocial cycle directs our attention towards the social relations, power structures and technological interventions that produce, and reproduce water, in any given context. What form water takes and where it goes once it reaches the earth depends on where it lands. It falls to the earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail and evaporates from the earth back into the atmosphere as water vapor.
The hydrological cycle the hydrologiccycle is a conceptual model thatdescribes the storage and movement of water between the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and the hydrosphere see. All of the water on our planet is recycled and a given molecule of water is used over and over throughout time. To mitigate these hardships, humans have significantly altered the hydrologic cycle with construction of dams, cultivation of farmland, urbanization, draining of. Rainfall or snow interception depression storage evapotranspiration infiltration surface storage runoff interflow groundwater flow. Natural processes of groundwater and surfacewater interaction the hydrologic cycle and interactions of ground water and surface water the hydrologic cycle describes the continuous movement of water above, on, and below the surface of the earth. This may condense to form clouds and be returned to the earths surface as precipitation e.
The hydrological cycle involves the continuous circulation of water in the. It also denotes the uninterrupted exchange of water between the land surface, oceans and subsurface and the organisms. The module includes a discussion of water movement in the united states, and it also provides specific information about water movement in oregon. At its most basic level, hydrology is often defined as the study of water. Water on this planet can be stored in any one of the followingreservoirs. Hydrological definition of hydrological by the free. Water evaporates from the ocean surface, driven by energy from the sun, and joins the atmosphere, moving inland as clouds. Due to dry hydrological cycle the water level in reservoirs of tajikistan has approached. Be able to draw a diagram of the hydrological cycle. Environmental scientists know that the hydrologic cycle includes various processes that change water from solid to liquid to gas form and transport it to every corner of earths surface and below. Dictionary grammar blog school scrabble thesaurus translator quiz more resources more from collins.
Hydrologic cycle definition of hydrologic cycle at. Hydrologic cycle definition of hydrologic cycle by the. Water in the hydrosphere is liquid, solid or gaseous. The water cycle, also referred to as the hydrological cycle, is basically the movement of water on the planet. The water balance equation is a mathematical model for the hydrological cycle. The hydrologic cycle, or the water cycle, refers to the continuous circulation of water within the earths hydrosphere. Water evaporates from the oceans and other water bodies on earth to form water vapour in the atmosphere. It is a closed system where the water gets transformed either from one place to other or from one form to other under the action of sun heat. Of the many processes involved in the water cycle, the most important are evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. The hydrologic cycle involves water moving from the surface most importantly the oceans to the atmosphere, across the land, and everywhere in between. This section presents a strategic overview of planned and new watercycle missions and mission concepts that the panel on water resources and the global hydrologic cycle believes should constitute the u. Explain how balance is maintained within the system. Hydrologic cycle definition of hydrologic cycle by.
Hydrologic cycle oklahoma state 4h oklahoma state university. Global hydrological processes, definition, mechanism and. The hydrologic cycle is a conceptual model that describes the storage and movement. Hydrologic cycle article about hydrologic cycle by the. Jan 28, 2019 for scientists, five main processes are included in the hydrologic cycle. The hydrologic cycle involves the continuous circulation of water in the earthatmosphere system. The hydrological cycle is the circulation of water within the hydrosphere of earth in different forms such as liquid, solid and gaseous states. Cycle, since it is the driving wheel for all the movements of available water resources on the planet earth. Hydrology definition is a science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on and below the earths surface and in the atmosphere. Most of the clouds condense and precipitate in any form like rain, hail, snow, sleet. During its journey, water is continuously reused and recycled. Groundwater is an important part of this continuous cycle as water evaporates, forms clouds, and returns to earth as precipitation. Continual flow of water between land, sea, and atmosphere, through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation rain. The water on the earths surfacesurface wateroccurs as streams, lakes.
The hydrologic cycle is the process by which the earths water is circulated from the surface to the atmosphere through evaporation and back to the surface through rainfall. Hydrologic cycle definition of hydrologic cycle by the free. Hydrology basics and the hydrologic cycle virginia cooperative. This means that there is a definite amount of water in the system and that this. Read this article to learn about the definition, scope, history and application of hydrology. The watery vapour is the reservoir of hydrological cycle. It follows a cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. It is spread over 15 km in the environment and 1 km in lithosphere.
Water cycle the process of moving the earths water above and below the surface is called the water cycle. Hydrology definition of hydrology by merriamwebster. Aug 28, 2018 energy from the sun and interior powers the hydrologic cycle. Whether precipitation falls as rain or snow can be a crucial distinction for water managers and scientists studying earths hydrologic cycle. Urban hydrology encyclopedia of life support systems. Most land surface models use the simple air temperature threshold of 32degreesf to predict rain or snowtemperatures below that threshold produce snow, while temperatures above it generate rain. Instead the bible paints a flawless picture of the dynamics and components of the water cycle more than a thousand years before the first scientific measurement confirmed that this was so. Analysis of the global water balance components has been made for a. Water droplets are increased in size by means of collision and coalescence until they attain approximately 2 mm in diameter. The water cycle the water cycle and river terminology ks3. Hydrology definition of hydrology by the free dictionary. This lesson will cover the different reservoirs where. The main land area units where this process occurs is the river watersheds.
From the time the earth was formed, it has been endlessly circulating through the hydrologic cycle. The hydrological cycle is a process of constant water exchange or water circulation in the hydrosphere, i. Hydrologic cycle was defined by the national research council nrc, 1982 the as the pathway of water as it moves in its various phases to the atmosphere. The terrestrial hydrological cycle the key component of the terrestrial hydrological cycle is generation of river runoff and movement of water in the river networks. It includes study of occurrence of water, its properties, its distribution and circulation and also its effects on the. This water vapor moves upwards to higher altitudes forming clouds. Water in oceans, gets evaporated due to heat energy provided by solar radiation and forms water vapor. Dictionary term of the day articles subjects businessdictionary business dictionary dictionary toggle navigation. Hydrologic definition, the science dealing with the occurrence, circulation, distribution, and properties of the waters of the earth and its atmosphere. Water is found in liquid rain, river flow, solid snow, ice and gas water vapor, evaporation forms. Hydrology definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Hydrosphere, hydrological cycle, precipitation, evaporation, river runoff. Hydrologic cycle definition, the natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation. A conceptual diagram of the hydrologic cycle after wisler and brater, 1959. There are both undergraduate and graduate degree programs available.
Description of the hydrologic cycle this is an education module about the movement of water on the planet earth. Water moves into and from the various reservoirs on, over, and under the surface of the earth, and in the process transforms into its various phases of solid ice, liquid water, and gas. Water cycle process evaporation, condensation, precipitation. Definition of hydrology from the collins english dictionary. The water cycle and river terminology the water cycle is the journey water takes as it moves from the land to the sky and back again. The importance of hydrological cycle on earth arabinda paul bhatter college, dantan abstract the other name of water is life. The continuous movement of water from the surface to clouds and from clouds to the surface is also called as the hydrologic cycle.
The hydrosocial cycle redefines the notion of cycle in relation to water. Hydrology and hydrological cycle in water resource engineering. The geographical name of all types of water in the world is hydrosphere. The process of the water cycle mainly includes 4 steps they are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff and infiltration. Several processes and factors are involved i n driving the global water circulation. Definition of hydrologic cycle from the collins english dictionary. At its core, the water cycle is the motion of the water from the ground to the atmosphere and back again. The hydrological cycle is the system which describes the distribution and movement of water between the earth and its atmosphere. As a whole it forms an endless chain of various processes and is known as a hydraulic cycle. The most evaporation happens at the equator because it has the most sunlight. The hydrologic cycle begins with the evaporation of water from the surface of the.
The key storages and processes within the hydrological cycle are. The elements that influence hydrological cycle are 1 evaporation. It is, therefore, crucial to understand the development and recovery of hydrological drought. The science or study of hydrology focuses on the distribution, occurrence, circulation, and properties of water in the environment. Hydrologic cycle hydrologic cycle cycling of water in and out of atmosphere and between all the earths components. Water cycle, also called hydrologic cycle, cycle that involves the continuous circulation of water in the earthatmosphere system. Hydrology is the study of the processes of the water cycle such as evaporation, evapotranspiration, rainfall, runoff, infiltration and storage of water. Urban hydrology is a science investigating the hydrological cycle and its change, water regime and quality within the urbanized landscape and zones of its impact. The hydrological cycle article about the hydrological. The hydrologic cycle describes the continuous recirculating transport of the waters of the earth, linking atmosphere, land and oceans. Hydrologic cycle definition of hydrologic cycle by merriam.
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