ABEN 3410

HYDROMETEOROLOGY

Jophet D. Flores
Instructor
 Outline

• Define Hydrometeorology.

• Discuss the scope and application of hydrometeorology in

engineering and agriculture.

• Define and understand what hydrologic cycle is.

• Determine the different components of hydrologic cycle.

 Introduction
• Hydrometeorology
– a branch of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water
and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere.
– a branch of meteorology that deals with water in the atmosphere
especially as precipitation.
– the study of atmospheric water, especially precipitation, as it affects
agriculture, water supply, flood control, power generation, etc.
– the branch of meteorology that deals with the occurrence, motion and
changes of state of atmospheric water.
– the science that studies the cycle of water. It is intimately related to
meteorology, hydrology and climatology sciences.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology

• The development of hydrometeorology as a science is closely

linked with the increasing use of meteorology to the problems
of hydrology.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– Evaporation is commonly used to determine water losses from lakes,

ponds, and reservoirs as well as in assessing the water requirements
of crops. Estimation of evaporation is used for the conceptual
hydrological model.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– In case of a strong storm, to protect the dams, spillways are designed

and built into dams. This requires estimates of the highest floods
using discharge records. A designed flood will be made depending on
the type, location, and scope of a particular dam. Designed storm, an
analysis of long-period rainfall data from stations in and around the
river basin, is used into the designed flood.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– Rainfall data are used for the design and construction of water
resources projects such as dams and reservoirs. A long record of
rainfall data was used to estimate the streamflow which is vital for
the assessment of the water yield of river basins and for sizing the
storage capacity of dams. These dams serve as a source of renewable
energy as well as freshwater for agriculture sectors. Also, dams
reduce the hydrological risks like flooding and drought.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– The data of recording rain gauges are used for the design of drainage
structures for purposes of sizing waterway openings under bridges,
culverts for highways and railways, urban storm sewers, airfield
drainage, stream control works, and so on.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– Based on rainfall forecasting, the magnitude of inflow is determined

and the reservoir is operated to accommodate the incoming
floodwaters.
 Applications of Hydrometeorology
• Here are some examples to illustrate various aspects of the use
of meteorological data in hydrological and agricultural studies:

– An assessment of the probable wind over reservoirs is needed for

calculating water wave heights for the determination of free board
requirements.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• Earth contains enormous amounts of water in the form of reservoirs.

• Water exists in the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

• Among all these segments, water masses are in continuous circulation.

• It is, in general, called as the hydrologic cycle.

• It is also called as the World’s Great Water Cycle, since it is the driving wheel
for all the movements of available water resources on the planet earth.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• Water gets transformed from liquid to solid, solid to liquid,
liquid to vapor, vapor to liquid, vapor to solid and solid to
vapor states.

• The sun’s radiation, acceleration due to gravity, ability of the

water to flow and several other properties of water, make this
transformation more effective and regular.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• The circulation of water masses seen in all spheres of the earth involves several causative
factors and components. The major component/ elements of the hydrologic cycle are:

– Precipitation
– Evaporation
– Transpiration
– Evapotranspiration
– Surface Runoff
– Condensation
– Infiltration
– Groundwater base flow
– Sublimation
– Interception
The Hydrologic Cycle

• Figure 1. The hydrologic cycle. Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-

overview-of-the-global-hydrological-cycle-The-different-components-of_fig1_233388624
 The Hydrologic Cycle

• The hydrologic cycle is a continuous chain of movement and

interchange of water between the oceans, the atmosphere, the land
surface and below the land surface.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• These hydrologic cycle involves the following processes:

– Let’s begin with evaporation (actually, it’s hard to determine the

beginning and end of the hydrologic cycle, if ever there were a beginning
and end, since it is a cycle). This is the change of state of water from liquid
to vapour caused by the heating of the earth’s surface by the solar
radiation. Evaporation occurs from oceans, lakes, streams, and land
surface and transpiration from vegetation, plant leaves, and forests.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• These hydrologic cycle involves the following processes:

– The water vapor then moves upward, cools down and transforms back to
liquid water which eventually forms clouds, or dew in higher latitude. This
process is called condensation. The dew point temperature is the
temperature at which the air becomes saturated and dew can form.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• These hydrologic cycle involves the following processes:

– When the clouds become saturated or heavy enough for the ascending air
to support them, precipitation occurs. Most clouds fall back on the ocean
however, due to wind, part of the clouds is driven towards the land area
(advection). When rain falls from clouds some of it already evaporate
before reaching the ground surface, these are called virga.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• These hydrologic cycle involves the following processes:

– Meanwhile, the rest seeps into the soil which enriches the moisture
content of the soil (infiltration). Some of the soil water is used up by
plants and is returned to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration. The
remaining water percolates deep to become groundwater (percolation).
The groundwater may come out of the soil surface through springs and
other outlets.
 The Hydrologic Cycle
• These hydrologic cycle involves the following processes:

– When rainfall is heavy and the soil is saturated the water flows over the
land, this is called runoff. Surface runoff flows into streams and lakes and
eventually, reach back to the oceans. There are two types of runoffs, the
surface runoff, and the sub-surface runoff. Surface runoff is the running
water over the land surface and which ultimately discharges water to the
sea. While, subsurface runoff is the water getting infiltrated into pervious
soil mass, making its way towards rivers and lakes.
 References
• Balasubramanian, A. and D. Nagaraju (2017). The Hydrologic Cycle. Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science, University of
Mysore, Mysore-6.2.

• http://crahi.upc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75%20%3Aque-es-la-
hidrometeorologia&catid=36&Itemid=85&lang=en

• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hydrometeorology

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrometeorology

• https://www.thefreedictionary.com/hydrometeorology

• Peck, Eugene L. (1978). "Hydrometeorology". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 59 (5): 609–612.
Bibcode:1978BAMS...59..609P.doi:10.1175/1520-0477-59.5.609

• Rakhecha, P. R., & Singh, V. P. (2009). Applied Hydrometeorology (First edition). New Delhi:Capital Publishing Company.

• Sene, Kevin (2015). Hydrometeorology: Forecasting and Applications. Springer International Publishing Switzerland. p. 1. ISBN
978-3-319-23546-2.