Untitled Quiz

Introduction to Hydrometeorology

• Hydrometeorology is the study of the Earth's waters and the atmosphere.
• Hydrology is the study of the Earth's waters, including their occurrence, circulation, distribution, properties, and reaction with the environment.
• Meteorology is the study of the atmosphere.

Sources of Water

• Atmospheric water: Precipitation
• Surface water: Lakes, rivers, seas, oceans
• Subsurface water: Groundwater

Waters of the Earth

• World water supply (fresh and saline): 97.5% saline, 2.5% fresh
• World water supply (fresh only): 0.4% lakes, rivers, etc., 30.9% groundwater, 68.7% snow and ice

Residence Time

• Reservoir: A term describing the time a water molecule stays in a certain body or area. Measuring the time a water molecule spends in a certain reservoir.
• Oceans: 1370 km³ x 10,000,000, 97.25%, 40 years
• Ice Caps and Glaciers: 29 km³ x 10,000,000, 2.05%, 40 years
• Groundwater: 9.5 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.68%, 200 (shallow) / 10,000 (deep) years
• Lakes: 0.125 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.01%, 100 years
• Soil Moisture: 0.065 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.005%, 100 years
• Atmosphere: 0,013 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.001%, 0.2 years
• Streams and Rivers: 0.0017 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.0001%, 0.04 years
• Biosphere: 0.0006 km³ x 10,000,000, 0.00004%, ——- years

Earth's Atmosphere

• An envelope of gases surrounding the Earth, held by gravity
• Composed of clean dry air, water vapor, and impurities

Composition of Earth's Atmosphere

• Constant Components (always the same): Nitrogen (78.08%), Oxygen (20.95%), Argon (0.93%), Neon, Helium, Krypton (trace)
• Variable Components (vary): Water vapor (0-4%), Carbon dioxide (0.039%), Methane (trace), Sulfur dioxide (trace), Ozone (trace), Nitrogen oxides (trace)

Water Vapor

• Changes phase easily (solid, liquid, gas)
• 0-4% by volume
• Important for heat transfer in the atmosphere
• Less abundant in polar regions compared to equatorial regions

Layers of the Atmosphere

• Troposphere: Weather and climate occur here (ground level to 10 km)
• Stratosphere: 10 to 50 km
• Mesosphere: 50 to 90 km
• Thermosphere: 90 to 120 km
• Exosphere: >120 km

Hydrologic Cycle

• Deals with water storage, movement/transport, and transformation on Earth.
• The cycle is not continuous or steady, with erratic movement.
• Drought, torrential rains, and El Niño/La Niña episodes are examples of variability.

Components of the Hydrologic Cycle

• Water storage: Atmosphere (water vapor), Soil (soil moisture), Surface water (seas, oceans, streams, lakes, wetlands), Plants and animals, Groundwater
• Water transport: Evaporation, Transpiration, Precipitation, Runoff, Infiltration, Groundwater flow
• Water transformation: Liquid to gas (evaporation, transpiration), Gas to liquid (precipitation), Gas to solid (solid forms of precipitation), Solid to liquid (snowmelt)
• Key components: evaporation, evapotranspiration, precipitation, infiltration, runoff/streamflow, groundwater

Applications of Hydrometeorology

• Studying processes like precipitation, runoff, and evaporation
• Addressing problems like floods and droughts
• Weather forecasting
• Cropping calendar preparation
• Determining suitable cropping systems
• Irrigation design
• Dam, culvert, and reservoir construction
• Soil conservation practice design