Introduction to Physical Hydrology

by Hendriks, Martin

• ISBN13: 9780199296842
• ISBN10: 0199296847
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Water dominates our lives: we live on a planet with much water and our lives depend on it in many ways. Despite the seeming abundance of water on the planet - with over 70% being salt water - human activity and prevailing climate conditions are placing more pressure on our supply of water thanever before, however. With this pressure comes a need to understand the physical principles of hydrology - the study of the occurrence, movement, and physical properties of non-oceanic water on and below the earth's surface - an understanding that can then be applied to water management and relatedinnovations. Introduction to Physical Hydrology provides a solid grounding in the principles of the subject. Exploring the principal rules that govern the flow of water on the land, it considers the three major types of water: atmospheric, ground, and soil. It gives insights into the major hydrologicalprocesses, and shows how the principles of physical hydrology inform our understanding of climate and global hydrology - the large-scale study of hydrology with which we need to grapple to fully understand the impact of the climate on water supply.The study of physical properties is done most effectively through mathematical representations of concepts and processes. Introduction to Physical Hydrology includes a carefully-developed and class-tested learning framework: an extensive range of examples and exercises, and further maths support inthe form of a series of Maths Toolboxes help the reader engage with and understand the maths required to master the subject.With hydrology now being approached from environmental and social perspectives, in addition to the more traditional physical geography and civil engineering perspectives, there has never been a more important time to develop a sound understanding of the subject. Introduction to Physical Hydrology isthe perfect course companion while you develop this understanding. Online Resource CentreThe Online Resource Centre to accompany Introduction to Physical Hydrology features:For registered adopters of the book:DT Figures from the book, available to downloadFor students:DT A series of interactive spreadsheets related to topics introduced in the bookDT A selection of multiple-choice questions to help check your understanding of the key concepts covered.DT A library of web links

Author Biography

Martin Hendriks is Associate Professor of Physical Hydrology at Utrecht University, where he teaches hydrology and physical geography at all levels, and co-ordinates their MSc programme in Physical Geography and Hydrology.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the book	p. xi
Table of SI units	p. xvii
Figure acknowledgements	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
Major water types	p. 1
The hydrological cycle	p. 3
Drainage basin hydrological processes	p. 6
The water balance	p. 9
Summary	p. 12
Atmospheric water	p. 14
Introduction	p. 14
Cloud formation	p. 14
Generation of precipitation	p. 20
Precipitation types	p. 21
Measuring precipitation	p. 27
Areal precipitation	p. 30
Evaporation types and measurement	p. 32
Estimating evaporation: Penman-Monteith	p. 34
Summary	p. 47
Groundwater	p. 49
Introduction	p. 49
Misconceptions	p. 51
Drilling a hole …	p. 51
Bernoulli to the aid	p. 52
Aqui…	p. 55
Effective infiltration velocity and infiltration rate	p. 58
The soil as a wet sponge	p. 61
Brothers in science: Darcy and Ohm	p. 62
Refracting the water	p. 77
Keep it simple and confined	p. 80
Continuity and its consequences	p. 85
Going Dutch	p. 92
Flow nets	p. 96
Groundwater flow regimes and systems	p. 99
Fresh and saline: Ghijben Herzberg	p. 104
Groundwater hydraulics	p. 106
Summary	p. 138
Soil water	p. 141
Introduction	p. 141
Negative water pressures	p. 142
Determining the total potential	p. 146
The soil as a dry filter paper or a wet sponge	p. 148
The soil moisture characteristic	p. 151
Drying and wetting: hysteresis	p. 160
Unsaturated water flow	p. 163
Moving up: capillary rise and evaporation	p. 167
Moving down: infiltration and percolation	p. 169
Preferential flow	p. 190
Summary	p. 196
Surface water	p. 200
Introduction	p. 202
Bernoulli revisited	p. 202
Measuring stage, water velocity, and discharge	p. 225
Hydrograph analysis	p. 244
Conceptual rainfall-runoff models	p. 252
Variable source area hydrology	p. 263
Summary	p. 274
Epilogue	p. 277
Conceptual toolkit	p. 278
If You cannot do the maths	p. 280
Mathematical differentiation and integration	p. 290
Quick reference to some differentiation rules	p. 290
Mathematics toolboxes	p. 291
Confined aquifer: horizontal flow	p. 291
Unconfined aquifer: horizontal flow	p. 292
Leaky aquifer: inverse landscape	p. 293
Unconfined aquifer with recharge: canals with equal water levels	p. 296
Unconfined aquifer with recharge: streams with different water levels	p. 297
Confined aquifer: radial-symmetric flow	p. 299
Unconfined aquifer: radical-symmetric flow	p. 301
Derivation of the Richards equation	p. 303
Other forms of the Richards equation	p. 305
Open channel flow	p. 307
Answers to the exercise	p. 308
References	p. 317
Index	p. 323
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