Hydrology

Hydrology (from Greek: Yδρoλoγια, Yδωρ+Λoγos, Hydrologia, the "study of water") is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and water resources. A practitioner of hydrology is a hydrologist, working within the fields of either earth or environmental science, or civil and environmental engineering.

Hydrologic Prediction

Observations of hydrologic processes are used to make predictions of future water movement and quantity.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Statistical Hydrology

By analysing the statistical properties of hydrologic records, such as rainfall or river flow, hydrologists can estimate future hydrologic phenomena. This, however, assumes the characteristics of the processes remain unchanged.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

See: return period.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hydrologic Modeling

With an understanding of how changes in the environment affect the movement of water, hydrologists can also construct models to predict how these changes will happen in the future.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~