Hydrologic Cycle and Hydrology Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the definition of hydrology, its importance in engineering, the processes of the hydrologic cycle, and storage locations.

Hydrology

The science that deals with the occurrence, movement, distribution, and properties of water on Earth, studying it in the atmosphere, land surface, rivers, lakes, oceans, and groundwater systems.

Civil Engineering Hydrology

The application of hydrologic principles used in flood control design, drainage design, water supply systems, dam engineering, irrigation systems, watershed management, and environmental engineering.

The Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous circulation of water between the atmosphere, land, and oceans.

Precipitation

describe water falling from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth.

Convection

Differential heating of the ground surface causes some blocks of air to heat up and then to rise.

Orographic

Air meets a mountain range and is forces to rise, causing clouds to form on mountain tops and rainfall/snow to fall.

Cyclonic Rainfall

Caused when cold air from Polar Regions meets warm air from the tropics.

Infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil through its pores and openings.

Infiltration capacity

the maximum rate at which soil can absorb water under given conditions.

I=P/A

rainfall characteristics formula

P=P/n

Arithmetic Mean Method formula

Hydrologic Storages

Locations where water can be stored, including oceans, rivers, lakes, soil moisture, groundwater, glaciers, and the atmosphere.

P=PA/A

Thiessen Polygon Method formula

P=PavA/A

Isohyetal Method formula

P=P/n

Station average method formula

P=1/n(nx/nn(p))

Normal ratio method formula