hydrology > Chapter 1 part2 > Flashcards

Chapter 1 part2 Flashcards

(56 cards)

Study These Flashcards
1
Q

Define watershed

A

basin-like landform defined by highpoints and ridgelines that descend into lower elevations and stream valleys.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happens in the watershed

A

carries water “shed” from the land after rain falls and snow melts.

water is channeled into soils, groundwaters, creeks, and streams,

making its way to larger rivers and eventually the sea.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

water is affected by

A

all that it comes in contact with:

  1. the land it traverses,
  2. and the soils through which it travels.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what we do on the land affects

A

water quality for all communities living downstream.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Hydrologic processes encompass a suite of

A

space and time scales

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

thunderstorm space and time scale

A

space scale: few kilometers or less

time scale: minutes to hours

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

development of major river basins space and time scale

A

Space scale: 1,000 - 10,000 km

time scale: millions to tens of millions of years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Within watershed, water exists as

A
  • precipitation
  • surface water (or runoff)
  • groundwater
  • evaporation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

principle of conservation of mass is applied assuming

A

watershed is a closed system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

the principle of conservation of mass is used to

A

track how much water is in storage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is conservation of mass?

A

for any closed system, mass is conserved over time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

equation of conservation of mass

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

the following equation is

A

conservation of mass

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are the inputs of water into our watershed?

A

Precipitation and any groundwater flowing in.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the outputs of water into our watershed?

A

Runoff, evaporation and any groundwater flowing out.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

The regional water balance equation

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

The following equation is for

A

Regional water balance equation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what does P, GWin, GWout , E, Q and S resemble?

A
  • P: precipitation
  • GW in: ground water (in)
  • GWout: ground water (out)
  • E: Evaporation
  • Q: Runoff
  • S: Storage
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the equation?

A

simplification of the regional water balance equation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What happens to water after it rains?

A
  • water can infiltrate into the ground and replenish our groundwater supply,
  • evaporate, returning to the atmosphere.
  • flows into rivers and streams and discharges into oceans or reservoirs. (runoff)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What happens to runoff? (starts, flow, …..)

A
  • starts in streams
  • flows into rivers
  • empties into the ocean
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Why is runoff important to a community?

A

For people to use as a drinking water source, irrigation source, etc.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Why is runoff important to plants and animals?

Study These Flashcards
A

It keeps them alive and healthy. It provides habitat for aquatic freshwater organisms

24
Q

Why would estimating the amount of runoff be important for engineers?

Study These Flashcards
A

For engineering purposes such as flood management, hydropower applications, dam design, water resource/supply management, etc

25
what would occur if it rains a lot?
There will be a lot of **runoff**. If the amount of runoff is too much for a riverbed to carry, then **water rises** up over the riverbanks and creates a **flood**.
26
Water balance equation in terms of rate of change in storage
27
What does I, R and ΔS/Δt mean?
* I: inflow in [L3/T] * O: outflow in [L3/T] * ΔS/Δt : rate of change in storage over a finite time step in [L3/T] of the considered control volume in the system.
28
The equation can be used when
The equation holds for a specific period of time and may be applied to any given system provided that the boundaries are well defined
29
other name for the water balance equation
* Storage Equation * Continuity Equation * Law of Conservation of Mass
30
types of water balances
* the water balance of the earth surface; * the water balance of a drainage basin; * the water balance of the water diversion cycle (human interference); * the water balance of a local area like a city, a forest, or a polder.
31
Water over the earth is
conserved
32
Area in % of water surfaces and continents
* Water surfaces: 71% * Continents: 29%
33
Area in % of deserts and forests of continents
* Deserts: 35% * Forests: 30%
34
river basin is also called
* watershed * catchment * drainage basin
35
A river basin
is the area contributing to the discharge at a particular river cross-section.
36
water balance equation
37
water balance equation means
precipitation - evapotranspiration - river discharge = change of storage with time
38
Precipitation and evapotranspiration are usually measured in
mm/d
39
river discharge is usually measured in
m3/s
40
water balance is often applied to a
river basin
41
The size of the catchment increases if
the point selected as outlet moves downstream
42
the water balance equation is applicable if
If no water moves across the catchment boundary indicated by the broken line
43
percentage of water in world oceans
97% of water
44
percent of polar ice (water and fresh water)
% of water = 2.14 % of fresh water = 77.6
45
percent of atmospheric water (% of water & fresh water)
% of water= 0.001 % of fresh water= 0.03%
46
percent of fresh lakes (fresh water)
0.335%
47
a time that the amount of water in store is expected not to vary much for each successive year **is known as**
hydrologic years or as water years
48
The storage equation is especially useful to
study the effect of a change in the hydrologic cycle
49
The figure shows
The catchment area increases as the control point moves down stream
50
The topographic divide between two watersheds is usually taken as the
boundary of the catchment, the water divide
51
the figure shows that
the topographic divide applies to surface runoff, but may not necessarily coincide with the boundary for groundwater flow, the phreatic divide (water balance due to human interaction)
52
Between two high areas is a
water shed
53
The water diversion cycle including ................................ results in the following water balance equation
human interference
54
The water diversion cycle including human interference results in the following water balance equation
55
Runoff Coefficient
the percentage of rainfall that comes to runoff
56
what does each symbol mean?
P = precipitation on the ground surface E = evapotranspiration from the ground surface A = net water consumption due to water use R = runoff from land to ocean Is = intake of water from surface runoff Ig = intake of groundwater D = drainage of waste water
hydrology
flashcards
Decks in class (8)
# Cards
Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2026 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions