Hydro

"Hydro" comes from the Greek word for... water.
Hydrology is the
study of water and hydrologists are scientists who study water.
Read on to learn more.
• Water Science School HOME • Water Basics topics •
What is Hydrology?
Water is one of our most precious natural resources. Without it, there would be no life
on earth. Hydrology has evolved as a science in response to the need to understand the
complex water system of the earth and help solve water problems. This hydrology
primer gives you information about water on Earth and humans' involvement and use of
water.
Jump to...
• Introduction
• Water and People
• What is Hydrology?
• What Hydrologists Do?
• Surface Water
• Groundwater
• Careers in Hydrology
►► Listen up! Hear a podcast sound file describing what a hydrologist

does.
Introduction
Hydrology is the study of water
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Research Hydrologist Martin Briggs (USGS) collects ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
data. He is wearing special ice cleats on his shoes to have better traction walking on the
ice. (April 2017)
Water is one of our most important natural resources. Without it, there would be no life
on earth. The supply of water available for our use is limited by nature. Although there is
plenty of water on earth, it is not always in the right place, at the right time and of the
right quality. Adding to the problem is the increasing evidence that chemical wastes
improperly discarded yesterday are showing up in our water supplies today. Hydrology
has evolved as a science in response to the need to understand the complex water
systems of the Earth and help solve water problems. Hydrologists play a vital role in
finding solutions to water problems, and interesting and challenging careers are
available to those who choose to study hydrology.
Water and People

Estimates of water use in the United States indicate that about 355 billion gallons per
day (one thousand million gallons per day, abbreviated Bgal/d) were withdrawn for all
uses during 2010. This total has declined about 17 percent since 1980. Fresh
groundwater withdrawals (76.0 Bgal/d) during 2010 were 8 percent less than during
1980. Fresh surface-water withdrawals for 2010 were 230 Bgal/d, 18 percent less
than in 1980.
Much of our water use is hidden. Think about what you had for lunch. A hamburger, for
example, requires water to raise wheat for the bun, to grow hay and corn to feed the
cattle and to process the bread and beef. Together with french fries and a soft drink, this
all-American meal uses about 1,500 gallons of water — enough to fill a small swimming
pool. How about your clothes? To grow cotton for a pair of jeans takes about 400
gallons. A shirt requires about 400 gallons. How do you get to school or to the store? To
produce the amount of finished steel in a car has in the past required about 32,000
gallons of water. Similarly, the steel in a 30-pound bicycle required 480 gallons. This
shows that industry must continue to strive to reduce water use through manufacturing
processes that use less water, and through recycling of water.
What is Hydrology?
Hydrology is the science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement and
properties of the waters of the earth and their relationship with the environment within
each phase of the hydrologic cycle. The water cycle, or hydrologic cycle, is a
continuous process by which water is purified by evaporation and transported from
the earth's surface (including the oceans) to the atmosphere and back to the land and
oceans. All of the physical, chemical and biological processes involving water as it
travels its various paths in the atmosphere, over and beneath the earth's surface and
through growing plants, are of interest to those who study the hydrologic cycle.
There are many pathways the water may take in its continuous cycle of falling as rainfall
or snowfall and returning to the atmosphere. It may be captured for millions of years in
polar ice caps. It may flow to rivers and finally to the sea. It may soak into the soil to be
evaporated directly from the soil surface as it dries or be transpired by growing
plants. It may percolate through the soil to ground water reservoirs (aquifers) to
be stored or it may flow to wells or springs or back to streams by seepage. The cycle
for water may be short, or it may take millions of years.
People tap the water cycle for their own uses. Water is diverted temporarily from one
part of the cycle by pumping it from the ground or drawing it from a river or lake. It is
used for a variety of activities such as households, businesses and industries;
for irrigation of farms and parklands; and for production of electric power. After use,
water is returned to another part of the cycle: perhaps discharged downstream or
allowed to soak into the ground. Used water normally is lower in quality, even
after treatment, which often poses a problem for downstream users.
The hydrologist studies the fundamental transport processes to be able to describe the
quantity and quality of water as it moves through the cycle
(evaporation, precipitation, streamflow, infiltration, groundwater flow, and
other components). The engineering hydrologist, or water resources engineer, is
involved in the planning, analysis, design, construction and operation of projects for the
control, utilization, and management of water resources. Water resources problems are
also the concern of meteorologists, oceanographers, geologists, chemists, physicists,
biologists, economists, political scientists, specialists in applied mathematics and
computer science, and engineers

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"Hydro" comes from the Greek word for... water.

►► Listen up! Hear a podcast sound file describing what a hydrologist

Water and People

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