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Concept
Catchment hydrology
Summary
Catchment hydrology is the study of hydrology in drainage basins. Catchments are areas of land where runoff collects to a specific zone. This movement is caused by water moving from areas of high energy to low energy due to the influence of gravity. Catchments often do not last for long periods of time as the water evaporates, drains into the soil, or is consumed by animals.
Catchment zones collect water from various sources such as surface runoff from snow cover and glaciers, and subsurface flow from groundwater, precipitation, and aquifers. Deposition from fog and clouds is another source of water for catchment zones. These sources of water collect together in a catchment area; which could provide drinking water for a nearby population.
Precipitation in catchment areas is measured through rain gauges. A graduated ruler is used to measure the amount of snowfall. These measurements are taken in a specific location within the catchment and can be used to calculate water balance within the entire catchment area. The best studied catchments cover small areas because of the difficulty of these measurements. Water lost due to interception followed by evaporation represents a large portion of water loss. These measurements are used to obtain the change in water storage over time using the equation of continuity.
The surrounding topography of a catchment zone influences the flow vectors and direction that the water flows. Water flows from areas of high potential energy to low potential energy under the influence of gravity. The geometry of the slope leading to the catchment area influences the amount of water the catchment will contain.
There are many terms involved with and related to catchment hydrology. These basic ones are taken from the glossary of terms in Kendall and McDonnell, 1998:
aquifer
baseflow
catchment
drainage divide
evaporation
evapotranspiration
event water
groundwater flow
Horton flow
hydrograph
infiltration
intensity
interception
overland flow
pre-event water
subsurface runoff
subsurface stormflow
s
Official source
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Related concepts (3)
Catchment hydrology
Catchment hydrology is the study of hydrology in drainage basins. Catchments are areas of land where runoff collects to a specific zone. This movement is caused by water moving from areas of high energy to low energy due to the influence of gravity. Catchments often do not last for long periods of time as the water evaporates, drains into the soil, or is consumed by animals. Catchment zones collect water from various sources such as surface runoff from snow cover and glaciers, and subsurface flow from groundwater, precipitation, and aquifers.
Baseflow
Baseflow (also called drought flow, groundwater recession flow, low flow, low-water flow, low-water discharge and sustained or fair-weather runoff) is the portion of the streamflow that is sustained between precipitation events, fed to streams by delayed pathways. It should not be confused with groundwater flow. Fair weather flow is also called base flow. Baseflow is important for sustaining human centers of population and ecosystems. This is especially true for watersheds that do not rely on snowmelt.
Hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydrologist. Hydrologists are scientists studying earth or environmental science, civil or environmental engineering, and physical geography. Using various analytical methods and scientific techniques, they collect and analyze data to help solve water related problems such as environmental preservation, natural disasters, and water management.
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