Fundamentals of Hydrology

About this book

Water is essential to sustain life on planet Earth, and an understanding of water quantity and quality issues is vital for anyone involved in environmental management. Providing new and updated case studies and added depth to the subject areas Fundamentals of Hydrology 2nd edition provides an absorbing and comprehensive introduction to our understanding of how fresh water moves on and around the planet and how humans affect and manage the quantity and quality of water available to them. It also now includes a new chapter on the important area of water resource management.

Fundamentals of Hydrology consists of three parts, each of fundamental importance in the understanding of hydrology: the first section deals with processes within the hydrological cycle, our understanding of them, and how to measure and estimate the amount of water within each process. This also includes an analysis of how each process impacts upon water quality issues. The second section is concerned with the assessment of important hydrological parameters such as streamflow and water quality. It describes analytical and modelling techniques used by practising hydrologists in the assessment of water resources. The final section of Fundamentals of Hydrology draws together the first two parts to discuss the impact of water quality on aquatic ecology and out of stream uses of the water; how society can manage water for the maximum benefit; and how hydrology reacts to environmental change.

Throughout the text examples and case studies from around the world are used to clearly explain ideas and techniques. Short chapter summaries, essay questions, guides to further reading and a glossary are also included.

Contents

1. Hydrology as a Science
2. Precipitation
3. Evaporation
4. Storage
5. Runoff
6. Streamflow Analysis and Modelling
7. Water Quality
8. Water Resource Management in a Changing World

Glossary
References
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Tim Davie is a research scientist working in the areas of land use change hydrology and Integrated Catchment Management in New Zealand. He is President of the New Zealand Hydrological Society and previously lectured in Environmental Science and Geography at Queen Mary College, University of London.