Introduction to Hydrology

Hydrology deals with the occurrence, movement, and storage of water in the earth system. Hydrologic science comprises understanding the underlying physical and stochastic processes involved and estimating the quantity and quality of water in the various phases and stores. The study of hydrology also includes quantifying the effects of such human interventions on the natural system at watershed, river basin, regional, country, continental, and global scales. The process of water circulating from precipitation in the atmosphere falling to the ground, traveling through a river basin (or through the entire earth system), and then evaporating back to the atmosphere is known as the hydrologic cyc…