Rev_hydrology • Logy = the study of

Earth’s atmosphere
Lecture 1: introduction to - an envelope of gases.
hydrology - Composed of clean dry air,
water vapor and impurities.
Hydrology – the branch of
physical geography focused on Composition of the earth’s
studying water. atmosphere
• Hydro = water • Constant components:
• Logy = the study of

Existence of water
1. Formation – water formed
around 4.5 billion years ago,
through: • Variable components:
• Outgassing from volcanic
activity
• Delivery by comets and
asteroids
2. States
• Solid: ice
• Liquid: water
• Gas: vapor Water vapor – is water in its gas
3. Reservoirs – water is stored in form.
oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes,
The earth’s atmosphere
groundwater, and atmosphere.
1. Troposphere
Distribution of water - 0-10km
• Oceans – 97.5% saltwater - Where we live and
(unsuitable for direct human weather occurs.
use) 2. Stratosphere
• Freshwater – 2.5% freshwater - 10-50km
1. Glaciers & ice caps – 68.7% - Ozone layer is here.
2. Groundwater – 30.1% 3. Mesosphere
3. Lakes – 1.2% - 50-90km
• Atmospheric water – a small - Coldest layer
fraction exists as water 4. Thermosphere
vapor, but it plays a critical - 90-120km
role in weather and climate - Hottest layer
systems. 5. Exosphere
- 120km above
Sources of water - Houses of satellite
1. Atmospheric water –
precipitation Movement of water
2. Surface water – lakes, rivers, • Hydrologic cycle/ water cycle
seas, oceans – water moves through water
3. Subsurface water – cycle, driven by solar energy
groundwater and gravity.
• Movement of water through
Meteorology – the science of the
cycle is erratic both in time
atmosphere, weather, and
and over area:
climate.
• Meteoros = things in the sky
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 1. Drought – prolonged dry lecture 2: weather and climate
period
weather – the condition of the
2. Torrential rain – excessive
atmosphere at a particular
rain
place over a short period of
3. El nino (weakening or
time. (ex. Sunny, rainy, windy)
reversal of trade winds)/ la
nina (strengthening of trade climate – this is the average
winds) condition of the atmosphere over
a longer period of time (30
Water is stored in:
years). (ex. Hot and humid)
1. Atmosphere – water vapor
2. Soil – soil moisture Philippine atmospheric,
3. Surface water – seas, geophysical and astronomical
oceans, streams, lakes, services administration (Pagasa)
wetlands - Is mandated to “provide
4. Plants and animals protection against natural
5. Groundwater calamities and utilize
scientific knowledge as an
7 major processes in hydrologic
effective instrument to
cycle:
ensure the safety, well-being
1. Evaporation – liquid to gas.
and economic security of all
2. Transpiration – plants &
the people, and for the
animals to atmosphere.
promotion of national
3. Condensation – gas to liquid
progress.”
4. Precipitation – atmosphere
to land or water surfaces. Factors affecting weather
5. Runoff – water flows on land 1. Solar radiation
surface or subsurface. o Energy emitted by the sun.
6. Infiltration – water enters o Measured using a
soil surface. radiometer.
7. Groundwater flow – water Greenhouse gases – are
flows beneath soil surface gases that trap heat in
and stored in rock earth causing global
formations. warming.
o Water vapor – most
Water is transformed:
abundant greenhouse gas
• Liquid to gas – evaporation and
in the atmosphere.
transpiration.
o Carbon dioxide – burning
• Gas to liquid – rainfall.
of fossil fuels.
• Gas to solid – solid forms of o Methane – produced from
precipitation. decaying plant or animal
• Solid to liquid – snowmelt. matter.
o Chlorofluorocarbons –
used as refrigerant in
refrigerator and air-
conditioning unit. (remains
100 years in atm.)
o Nitrous oxide – (a.k.a.
laughing gas) used in
surgical and dental
procedures because of
its anesthetic and
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 analgesic properties. o Min temp. – lowest
Produced by microbial temperature recorded.
processes in soil and o Mean temp. – average
water. temperature calculated.
2. Evaporation o Normal temp. – average
o Affects humidity levels temperature.
and contributes to cloud 5. Humidity
formation, influencing o Water vapor content of
precipitation and the atmosphere.
temperature. o Indicates likelihood of
o Measured using precipitation, dew or fog.
evaporation pan. o Measured by hygrometer.
3. Cloud cover 6. Rainfall
o Refers to the fraction of o Amount of water that is
the sky obscured by released from the
clouds. atmosphere.
o Regulates earth’s o Measured in mm by using a
temperature by rain gauge.
reflecting solar 7. Atmospheric pressure
radiation (cooling) or o Force exerted by the
trapping heat (warming). weight of the atmosphere.
o Oktas is the usual unit of o Measured using a
measurement of the cloud barometer.
cover. o Low pressure systems
usually lead to
cloudiness, wind and
Clear sky
precipitation.
o High pressure system
Partly usually leads to fair,
cloudy calm weather.
o Measured using
Scattered barometer.
clouds o Common units used:
§ 1 atm
Mostly § 1013 millibars
cloudy § 101325 pa
§ 760 mmhg
overcast
§ 760 torr
Obscure sky § 14.7 psi
8. Wind
4. Temperature o Air in motion.
o Measure of the heat o Has magnitude and
energy in the atmosphere. direction.
o Measure using o Measured using
thermometer. anemometer and wind vane
o Common units: degree or aero vane.
Celsius, Fahrenheit, kelvin,
Rankine.
o Max temp. – highest
temperature recorded.

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Factors affecting climate of the changes, such as heavy
Philippines rain or storms, especially
1. Typography and location in tropical regions.
o Has varied geographical o Small disturbances that
and topographic can lead to storms.
features that bring a o Common in places like the
variety of climatic Atlantic Ocean and the
conditions and influence western pacific.
the type of rainfall. 5. Monsoon winds
o Divided in to two seasons o Seasonal winds that
(based on rainfall and change direction.
temperature) o Two types of monsoon
§ Rainy season (June- winds:
nov) § Northeast (ne0
§ Dry season (dec- monsoon (amihan:
may) cool, dry air) –
• Cool dry (dec- brings cooler and
feb) drier weather.
• Hot dry (mar- § Southwest (sw)
may) monsoon (habagat:
2. Trade winds warm, moist air) –
o Are steady winds that brings heavy rains.
blow from east to west 6. Weather fronts
near the earth’s equator. o Boundaries between warm
o These winds are consistent and cold air.
and were historically o Caused by the collision of
used by sailors to warm and cold air
navigate trade routes, masses.
which is how they got their o Types of fronts: warm and
name. cold front.
§ Northeast (ne) trade
winds
§ Southeast (se) trade
winds
3. Intertropical convergence
zone (itcz) – a region near
the equator where trade
winds converge, causing 7. Tropical cyclones
heavy rainfall and o A large vortex of air
thunderstorms, especially (usually 25km) spiraling
during the wet season. inwards towards the
4. Easterly waves center where the
o Are weather patterns pressure is at minimum.
where the wind moves in a o Number of tropical
wavelike shape from east cyclones that enter par
to west, typically in (based on 1948-2000
tropical regions. data):
o Are more localized. They § Ave.: 20 per year
occur over a smaller § Min.: 11 per year (1998)
area but can still cause § Max.: 32 per year
significant weather (1993)
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 o Affect the Philippines rainfall. It is 8in in diameter.
from June to December. The rainfall collected will
Weather instruments be measured using dipstick.
1. Campbell stoke sunshine 13. Evaporation pan – is a
recorder device which measures the
o Continuous record of amount of water
bright sunshine hour is evaporated in certain time
obtained by sunshine from a surface. It consists
recorder. of a round reservoir with a
o Consists of a spherical diameter of 47.5 inches and
glass mounted on a stand. depth of 10 inches.
o When the sun rays fall on
the glass, a strip of Lesson 3: precipitation
prepared paper held in a Precipitation
grove at the focus length - discharge of water out of
starts burning. the atmosphere.
2. Radiometer – device used - ¼ of the total precipitation
for measuring radiant flux that falls on continental
of electromagnetic areas is turned to the seas
radiation. by direct runoff and
3. Stevenson screen – is a underground.
standard shelter. - The rainfall pattern in the
4. Min. & max. thermometer – Philippines is affected by the
Consists of two horizontally major air streams, by the
placed thermometers. movement of the itcz, and by
5. Sling psychrometer – the cyclonic disturbances.
instrument is swung freely in - Average of 2,360 mm of
the air or aerated by a fan. rainfall every year.
6. Hygrometer – device use a - Mean annual number of
human or animal hair under about 175 rainy days.
tension. - Deposition of liquid water
7. Barometer – measures droplets and ice particles.
atmospheric pressure.
8. Barograph – tracks and Condensation – process of water
records pressure changes changing from a vapor to a
over a period of time, giving liquid. Water vapor in the air
a visual representation. rises mostly by convection.
9. Aerovane – indicates both Dew point – is the temperature at
wind direction and speed or which air must be cooled to
simply wind velocity. reach 100% relative humidity.
10. Anemometer – used for
measurement of wind speed. Hydrometeor – any product of
11. Tipping bucket recorder condensation of atmospheric
and rain gauge – rainfall water vapor in the free air or at
entering the funnel earth’s surface.
collector is directed to the
Form of precipitation:
tipping bucket assembly,
1. Drizzle (mist) – consists of
which will activate a
tiny liquid water droplets,
magnetic reed switch.
0.1 to 0.5 mm in diameter, it
12. Rain gauge – is device used
falls at rate of < 1mm/hr
for measuring the amount of
(appear to float).
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 2. Rainfall consists of liquid 1. 7MM DIA
water drops mostly larger 2. TERMINAL VELOCITY OF DROPS
than 0.5 mm in diameter. VARIES FROM ABOUT 5 M/S FOR
3. Glaze – ice coating formed A 1 MM DROP TO ABOUT 9M/S
on exposed surfaces by the FOR A 5 MM RAINDROP.
freezing of supercooled 3. SMALL RAINDROPS (RADIUS
water. <1MM) ARE SPHERICAL; LARGER
4. Rime – white, opaque deposit ONES ASSUME A SHAPE MORE
of ice granules. LIKE THAT OF A HAMBURGER
5. Snow – ice crystals, BUN.
branched hexagonal form, 4. LARGER THAN A RADIUS OF
snowflakes. ABOUT 4.5 MM THEY RAPIDLY
6. Sleet – consists of BECOME DISTORTED INTO A
transparent, globular, SHAPE RATHER LIKE A
solid grains of ice formed. PARACHUTE.
7. Hail – precipitation in the
form of ball of ice, DISDROMETER – MEASURES
produced in convective PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT
clouds. HYDROMETEOR.
Hydrometeor in the Philippines
1. Rain IMPORTANT RAINFALL PARAMETERS
2. Drizzle 1. DEPTH
3. Fog 2. INTENSITY
4. Hail (less common) 3. DURATION
5. Snow (rare) 4. FREQUENCY
6. Dew 5. AREA
7. Frost (rare)
RAINFALL ADVISORY
(Fahrenheit)

TYPES OF PRECIPITATION ACCORDING

TO LIFTING MECHANISM
1. CONVECTIVE – DUE TO UPWARD
MOVEMENT OF AIR.
MEASUREMENT OF PRECIPITATION
2. OROGRAPHIC – CAUSED BY AIR
• Wind is the most important
MASSES STRIKING SOME
factor in rain-gauge
NATURAL TOPOGRAPHIC
accuracy.
BARRIERS LIKE MOUNTAINS.
3. CYCLONIC – LIFTING OF AIR • To reduce the effects of
CONVERGING INTO A LOW- wind, rain-gauge can be
PRESSURE AREA. provided with windshields.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RAINDROPS:
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 • Obstacles should be kept climate conditions for that
far from the rain-gauge location.
(distance at least twice the
height of such an object) Estimating average rainfall over
and the height of the gauge an area
should be minimized. 1. Arithmetic mean method
Types of rain gauge 2. Thiessen polygon method
1. Standard rain gage –
storage type.
2. Weighing gage – recording
type.
3. Tipping-bucket-recording
type. 3. Isohyetal method – most
Analysis and interpretation of accurate method.
precipitation data Isohyet – line on a map which
The quality of precipitation data connects points that have
is affected by change in: the same amounts of
1. Gauge location precipitation in each period
2. Gauge exposure or for a particular storm.
3. Instrumentation Isohyets represent equal
4. Observational procedure rainfall.
Estimating missing data
1. Arithmetic mean method –
simple average of the
precipitation at the index
station is obtained if the
normal annual precipitation Comparison
at each of the index stations
is within 10% of that for the
station with the missing
record.

2. Normal-ratio method – if the

normal annual precipitation
at any of the index stations
differs from that at the
station in question by more
than 10%, the amounts at the
index station are weighted
by the ratios of the normal-
annual-precipitation values.

- this value is calculated

usually 30 years or more so
it reflects the typical
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