Hydrology
Hydrology - Related Videos
10:30
Soil Lysimeter Excavation for Coupled Hydrological, Geochemical, and Microbiological Investigations
0 Views •
Cited by 5 •
2016
This study presents an excavation method for investigating subsurface hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological heterogeneity of a soil lysimeter. The lysimeter simulates an artificial hillslope which was initially under homogeneous condition and had been subjected to approximately 5,000 mm of water over eight cycles of irrigation in an 18-month period.
06:37
Continuous Hydrologic and Water Quality Monitoring of Vernal Ponds
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Cited by 1 •
2017
Understanding the ecosystem services and processes provided by vernal ponds and the impacts of anthropogenic activities on their ability to provide these services requires intensive hydrologic monitoring. This sampling protocol using in-situ monitoring equipment was developed to understand the impact of anthropogenic activities on water levels and quality.
09:44
Use of Principal Components for Scaling Up Topographic Models to Map Soil Redistribution and Soil Organic Carbon
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Cited by 6 •
2018
Landscape processes are critical components of soil formation and play important roles in determining soil properties and spatial structure in landscapes. We propose a new approach using stepwise principal component regression to predict soil redistribution and soil organic carbon across various spatial scales.
07:08
Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis of Gold Nanoparticles in Aqueous Media through an Inter-Laboratory Comparison
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Cited by 11 •
2020
The protocol described here aims to measure the hydrodynamic diameter of spherical nanoparticles, more specifically gold nanoparticles, in aqueous media by means of Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). The latter involves tracking the movement of particles due to Brownian motion and implementing the Stokes-Einstein equation to obtain the hydrodynamic diameter.
06:26
Capturing Flow-weighted Water and Suspended Particulates from Agricultural Canals During Drainage Events
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Cited by 2 •
2017
Nutrients present in particulate form can contribute significantly to the overall loads in agricultural drainage waters. This study describes a novel method to capture flow-weighted water and suspended particulates from farm canal drainage over the entire duration of the drainage event.
FAQs
Hydrologic analysis follows precipitation through several competing pathways rather than treating all rainfall as runoff. Water may infiltrate soil, contribute to groundwater recharge, remain in storage, return to the atmosphere through evaporation or evapotranspiration, or reach channels as surface runoff and streamflow. Tracking these pathways helps engineers estimate available water and how quickly flows may develop.
Soil properties influence how readily water infiltrates, while topography affects where water accumulates and how it moves across the land. Climate shapes precipitation and atmospheric losses, including evaporation and evapotranspiration. Together, these conditions determine the balance among infiltration, runoff, storage, and recharge, so engineers must evaluate them when assessing water supply or flood behavior.
Water quality is considered alongside distribution, movement, and storage rather than treated as separate from water-resource decisions. This broader perspective supports groundwater protection and watershed management, where engineering choices must address both the quantity of water available and the condition of that resource. It extends hydrologic analysis beyond flow estimates alone.
An assessment begins by examining precipitation and watershed conditions, then evaluates how water is divided among infiltration, surface runoff, evaporation, evapotranspiration, groundwater recharge, and streamflow. Engineers use that accounting to quantify water availability and flood risk before selecting or evaluating drainage systems, dams, reservoirs, bridges, or stormwater infrastructure. The result connects watershed behavior to design requirements.
Hydrology is especially important when an engineering project must accommodate variable water volumes or potential flooding. Drainage systems and stormwater infrastructure depend on estimates of runoff, while bridges, dams, and reservoirs require understanding of streamflow, storage, and water availability. Applying hydrologic analysis during design helps align engineered controls with watershed behavior and manage flood risk.
It provides a basis for watershed management, groundwater protection, drought planning, and climate-resilient infrastructure. By relating precipitation, storage, recharge, streamflow, and atmospheric losses to soil, topography, and climate, hydrologic analysis helps planners evaluate changing water availability and flood risk. In engineering practice, this supports decisions intended to manage water safely and sustainably under different conditions.