Introduction

to Hydrology

Lecture content

1) Definition and scope of Hydrology

2) Examples of water resources and engineering problems to which Hydrology provides
answers
3) Methodological approach to hydrological sciences

4) Water balance and the hydrological cycle

5) Hydrological processes overview
6) Hydrological data and space and time scales

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Definition and scope

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Hydrology - Definition
Hydrology, which treats all phases of the earth's water, is a subject of great
importance for people and their environment. Practical applications of hydrology
are found in such tasks as the design and operation of hydraulic structures, water
supply, wastewater treatment and disposal, irrigation, drainage, hydropower
generation, flood control, navigation, erosion and sediment control, salinity
control, pollution abatement, recreational use of water, and fish and wildlife
protection. The role of applied hydrology is to help analyze the problems
involved in these tasks and to provide guidance for the planning and
management of water resources.
[Chow et al. 1998]

WATER USE vs WATER CONSERVATION

SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
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Elements of
Hydrology and
other
geosciences

Hydrology as
science behind
water resources
problems
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Examples of water engineering problems

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 Examples of water resources engineering problems to which
Hydrology can provide answers

Control of excess of water Conservation (quantity) Conser-

vation
(quality)
Studies and Flood storm Storm Bridges, Sewerage Water supply Irrigation Hydropower Navigation Pollution
facilities mitigation drainage culverts control
required
How much - - - - x x x x x
water is
needed?
How much
water can be
expected?
Min. flow - - - x x x x x x

Annual yield - - - x x x x x x

Flood peaks x x x - x x x x

Flood volume x x - - - - - - x

Groundwater - x - x x x - - x

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Hydrology for Water Resources Management How much water is needed?
How much water can be expected?

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image provided by electrical-engineering-portal.com
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 Saltina, Brig flood (1993)

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Debris flow Brig, Roberto Loat BAFU 1993 Debris flow Brig, Jean-Pierre Jordan 1993
W. Gujer, Siedlungswasserwirtschaft, 2002

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Frankfort Municipal Utilities
[http://water.usgs.gov/outreach/Posters/water_quality/images/WaterQuality_BW.jpg]

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 140 NATURAL (1929-1953)
POST-DAM (1954-1974)
120 RECENT (1982-2003)

100

Qm (mil m3)
80

60

40

20

MAY

JUN
MAR

AUG

NOV
JAN

JUL

DEC
APR

OCT
SEP
FEB
Q347 - Restwassermenge

Bundesamt fr Umwelt BAFU

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 Hailey King, NASA

[http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/7_water_cycle/activities/groundwater.html#activity]

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Flood irrigation Trickle irrigation
http://photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/Index.asp Wordpress.com

Furrow irrigation
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

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http://www.britannica.com/technology/water-supply-system/Water-treatment

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Fischabstieg am WKW Elz; Quelle: Archiv Wasserkraft Volk AG

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http://www.power-technology.com

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Flood Wallis, 2000

Unwetter 2000 im Wallis (2), PLANAT 16.10.2000

Unwetter 2000 im Wallis (1), PLANAT 16.10.2000

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Unwetter 2000 im Wallis (3), PLANAT 16.10.2000
Ufererosion in Wolfenschiessen, Kanton NW 27.08.2005

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Methodological approach

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 The reference geographical unit: the river basin
terms used as synonymous of river basin:
watershed
catchment

river network
Process understanding
(measurement, observation)

Mathematical Modelling
(simulation, prediction)

unsaturated
soil zone
groundwater/aquifer
(saturated)
http://research.ncl.ac.uk/shetran/images/ShetranProcesses.jpg 27
 Methodological approach
The watershed as hydrologic
system

Physical
Hydrology Engineering
Hydrology

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 Physical Hydrology / System Engineering Hydrology / System
= Process understanding, Monitoring, Measuring = Modelling, Conceptualisation, Reproducing processes

Catchment/ Catchment characteristics

What is a catchment? Influence of catchment characteristics on the hydrograph
How to describe catchment characteristics? (e.g. Relief, Land use, stream density etc.)
e.g. Hypsometric curve, Drainage density

Mechanisms
Distribution in Switzerland
Precipitation Frequency analysis

Measurement (instruments, errors) Generating

DDF / IDF Design hyetograph
Areal rainfall
Storm rainfall SCS method, Alternating block method,
Triangular hyetograph, Chicago, Huff

Snow hydrology

Potential input
Measurement techniques
Characterising variables
Snowmelt
Snowmelt
modelling Modelling R-R-Transformation
Reasons for modelling
Time and space scales of R-R-Modelling
Structure of a hydrological model / Model components?

R-R-Modelling
Types of models
Precipitation Modelling methods:
excess Evapotranspiration Measurement/ Estimation/
Calculation
Evaporation Lumped; Distributed, Semi-distributed

AET vs. PET Modelling approaches for runoff concentration:

Measurement Infiltration - Basin response function (via Nash-cascade, Isochrones method, etc. )
Mechanisms: Dunne, Horton Estimation of model parameter (Method of moments, Least square)
Infiltration models:
Interception
Horton, SCS-CN, Phi-Index, Soil
Percentage method
moisture
Surface flow
Subsurface flow

Groundwater flow Potential input

Total runoff
Measurement
Influencing factors
Streamflow regimes
Hydrologic yearbook / flow duration curve
Hydrograph analysis / Hydrograph components/
Baseflow separation

Erosion & Sediment transport Flood frequency analysis

Problems Using runoff data from measurements or
Influencing factors via synthetic precipitation or runoff data
Estimation of erosion: U.S.L.E. Deterministic Probabilistic
Types of sediment transport e.g. Probable
Maximum Flood (PMF)
direct indirect

29 Extreme value
analysis
Regionalisation
(Index-Flood)
R-R-Modelling
Water balance

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How much water is available on our planet?

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Water balance

The water balance defines the conservation of mass across the different compartments
of the hydrological cycle (atmosphere, water bodies, soil and ground, vegetation,
snowpack and ice, )
it is computed with regard to a reference geographical unit / scale
Earth
continent
region
river basin
The concept of conservation of mass implies the identification of an incoming and an
outgoing flux, and of a storage variation over a given unit of time.

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The hydrological cycle

33 [Chow et al. 1998]

Global annual water balance

estimates and not measurements

[Chow et al. 1998]

34
Water balance continental scale
average annual volumes

estimates
and not
measurements

average annual volumes per area

[L'vovich, 1973] 35
Water availability continental scale estimates
and not
measurements

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Water balance fluxes

Volumes volumes
and [km3]

average residence time

of water in the different
compartments of the
hydrological cycle fluxes
[km3/yr]

estimates and not measurements

residence time in the atmosphere:

T = V / Q

V = 14103 km3
Q = (416 + 108) = 524103 km3/yr
T = 14/524 0.027 yr 9.75 days

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Water balance country scale

the water balance is

computed for the
hydrologic year
(in CH starting in
October)

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Water balance river basin scale
P = R + E + S

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Water balance of the Nile river (process variability in space and time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqjXTebE5I0

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http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=4044
Water balance urban scale

water

wastewater

food
waste

41
!
The hydrological cycle at the event scale

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Flowchart representation of the hydrological cycle

[Chow et al. 1998] 43

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Characteristic temporal and spatial scales
and
hydrological data

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Space and time scales of hydrological processes

typically:

space: 1 m point scale

1 m2

106 m
106 km2 watershed

time: 1 s instantaneous

1 year

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Technical space and time scales of hydrological processes

[s]
1 3.6 103 8.6 104 2.6 106 3.2 107

instantaneous hourly daily monthly / annual multi annual

seasonal
1 point
hillslope () () ()
[m]

watershed
regional
>106 global

used, consistent with typical process scales

() generally not used, inconsistent with typical process scales

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Temporal and spatial nature of hydrological data

point / local

continuous = sequence of instantaneous data

hillslope

discrete =
a) aggregated from continuous to larger
temporal scales (e.g. from 1h to 1 day, watershed
from 1h to 1 month, etc.)
b) measured at discrete times

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Use of hydrological data in water engineering problems

average values are used in

planning problems and
preliminary analyses
extreme values are used to
design water engineering
infrastructures against complexity of the analysis
extreme events (e.g. floods,
low flows, droughts, ) uncertainty
continuous data (time series)
are used in management and required data
and optimization of water
resources infrastructures
PLANNING DESIGN MANAGEMENT

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Water engineering problems and hydrologic variables

Water engineering problem Typical reference hydrologic variable

Design of flood protection measures Peak flow discharge
Flood volume and duration
Design of storm drainage Extreme values of rainfall depth
Peak flow discharge
Design of a reservoir Annual water yield
Seasonal/monthly water yield
Design of an irrigation system Evapotranspiration
Soil water content
Landslide risk analysis Extreme values of rainfall depth and
intensity
River bed erosion River discharge
Surface erosion Overland flow
Water allocation to multiple users Discharge time series
(hydropower, irrigation, water supply, )

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Uncertainties
HYDROLOGICAL MODEL CONCEPTUALIZATION

meteorological forcing simulated hydrological variables

(precipitation, temperature, watershed representation (topography, (streamflow, soil water content,
radiation, wind, etc.) land cover, soil, ) evapotranspiration, )
mathematical model of basin hydrological
processes (infiltration,and runoff
formation, evapotranspiration, etc.)

typical uncertainties typical uncertainties output is uncertain

due to lack of data due to poor knowledge
of the physical system
due to climate variability design values are
due to spatial uncertain
uncertainties due to heterogeneities and
spatial variability of anisotropies
meteorological forcing
model approximations probabilistic analysis
uncertainties due to
measurement errors model parameters 58
From physical processes to hydrological models

Models can be
empirical: description of hydrological processes based
on cause-effect relationships experimentally
derived or inferred from data analysis

conceptual: description of hydrological processes based

on the conceptualisation of the physical
mechanisms

physically based: description of hydrological processes based on

the representation of the physical mechanisms
by means of physics laws

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Keywords
water balance precipitation river basin /
watershed /
time scales interception
catchment
spatial scales evaporation
river network
volumes evapotranspiration
fluxes infiltration
storage percolation
hydrological cycle unsaturated zone
systems analysis saturated zone
hydrological data water table
continuous groundwater
discrete runoff
event overland flow
hydrological process interflow
hydrological model baseflow
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