Department of Civil Engineering

Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University

Lecture Notes
EGEN 612 Applied Hydrology

Areeya Rittima, D.Eng.

E-mail: egart@mahidol.ac.th
Department of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University

Chapter 1
Introduction
Hydrologic Cycle
Systems Concept
Hydrologic System Model
 Hydrology

Hydrology is the science of water.

It is the study of the occurrence, character,

and movement of water within and between
the physical and biological components of
the environment.

The practical application of hydrology is

called Applied Hydrology.
 Applied Hydrology

Applied Hydrology are found in such tasks as

Design and operation of hydraulic

structures.
Water supply
Wastewater treatment and disposal
Irrigation
Drainage
Hydropower generation
Flood control
 Applied Hydrology

Navigation
Erosion and sediment control
Salinity control
Pollution abatement
Recreation use of water
Fish and wildlife protection
 Role of Applied Hydrology

The role of applied hydrology is

to help these tasks

to provide guidance for planning and
management of water resource
 Hydrologic Cycle

15 km Hydrosphere
Water on earth exists :
1 km Lithosphere in a space called Hydrosphere
(15 km up into the atmosphere)
Earth in the crust of the earth (1 km
down into the Lithosphere)

Water circulates in the hydrosphere through the

maze of paths constituting the Hydrologic Cycle
 Hydrologic Cycle

The hydrologic cycle is the central focus

of hydrology.
The cycle has no beginning or end.
Its processes occur continuously.
 Hydrologic Cycle
Hydrologic
Hydrologic Cycle
cycle

Atmospheric Subsystem

Surface Subsystem

Groundwater Subsystem
 Hydrologic Cycle

96.5% of all the earths water is in the oceans.

1.7% of all the earths water is in

the groundwater.

1.7% of all the earths water is in

the polar ices.

0.1% of all the earths water is in the surface and

atmospheric water system.

Estimated world
water quantities
 Hydrologic Cycle
Hydrologic cycle with global annual average water balance.

Average Water Balance in 1978

 Hydrologic Cycle

Average Water Balance in 2005

 Hydrologic Cycle

100%

61%
Global annual
water balance
39%
 Example 1

Estimate the residence time of global

atmospheric moisture.
Tr = Residence time (the average duration for a water
S molecule to pass through a subsystem of the
Tr
Q hydrologic cycle).
S = Volume of water
Q = Flow rate

S 12,900 km3 Table km3

Q 458,800 119,000 Table
yr
km3
577,000
yr
S 12,900 (km3 )
Tr 0.033 yr 8.2 days
Q 577,000 (km / yr)
3
Systems Concept

Global hydrologic cycle is

represented in a simplified
way by means of The System
Concept

Most hydrologic system is

inherently random, because
their major input is
precipitation, a highly variable
and unpredictable
phenomena.

The statistical analysis plays a

large role in hydrologic
analysis.

Block diagram
representation of the
global hydrologic system.
 Example 2

Represent the storm rainfall-runoff process on

a watershed as a hydrologic system.

Input A watershed is the area of

land draining into a stream
at a given location.

The watershed divide is a

line dividing land whose
drainage flows toward the
Output given stream from land
whose drainage flows away
from that stream.

A Watershed as a Hydrologic System

 Basic Equation of Hydrologic Cycle

Input Process Output

(Rainfall) (Basin) (Runoff)

Simple Hydrologic System Model

Unsteady Flow Equation ; I-Q=dS/dt

I = Input (volume/time)
O= Output (volume/time)
dS/dt = Time rate of change of storage
 Basic Equation of Hydrologic Cycle

P
Region A P=Precipitation
Earths surface E=Evaporation
R1 T=Transpiration
Rg Eg Tg
R2
R=Surface Runoff
G=Groundwater Flow
Es Ts

Rg=Subsurface Flow
I=Infiltration
G1
I
S=Storage
Sg G2

s=Land Surface
g=Groundwater

Level of plastic rock

 Basic Equation of Hydrologic Cycle

Water Budget in Land Surface

(P+R1+Rg)-(R2+Es+Ts+I)=Ss (1)

Water Budget in Groundwater

(I+G1)-(G2+Rg+Eg+Tg)=Sg (2)

P-(R2-R1)-(Es+Eg)-(Ts+Tg)-(G2-G1)= Ss+Sg *

R (Net Surface Flow)=R2-R1

E (Net Evaporation) =E2+E1
T (Net Transpiration)=Ts+Tg
G (Net Groundwater Flow)=G2-G1
P-R-E-T-G=S
S= Ss+Sg