hidrologie

Hidrologie is the science that studies the occurrence, distribution, movement, and properties of Earth's water and its interactions with the environment. It examines the water cycle, surface water bodies, and groundwater systems, as well as human uses and impacts.

It comprises subfields such as surface hydrology (precipitation, runoff, rivers, lakes, wetlands), hydrogeology (groundwater flow and storage), ecohydrology (interaction with ecosystems), hydroclimatology (climate controls on water cycles), and urban hydrology. It also covers water quality and sediment transport, aiming to understand and predict how water behaves in natural and engineered settings.

Methods in hydrology include field measurements (streamflow, water level, groundwater levels, precipitation), remote sensing, data analysis, and mathematical modeling of hydrological processes (mass balance, rainfall-runoff models, groundwater models). Core concepts include evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and storage within the hydrological cycle.

Historically, hydrology advanced from qualitative observations to quantitative analysis in the 17th–19th centuries, with figures such as Pierre Perrault and Edme Mariotte studying rainfall and streamflow, and the development of Darcy’s law for groundwater flow in the 19th century. The 20th and 21st centuries saw expanded measurement networks and the adoption of remote sensing and computer models.

Applications of hydrology encompass water resources planning, flood forecasting, drought assessment, design of hydraulic structures, environmental management, and climate change impact analysis. The field supports sustainable water resource management and informs policies affecting ecosystems, agriculture, and urban development.