The Blue Planet
"Water never stays still. It changes state and carves landscapes."
The Circulatory System
We now move from the static forms of the lithosphere into the circulatory system of Earth. Water moves continuously through the atmosphere, surface, soil, rock, lakes, groundwater and oceans—sculpting the landscape and determining the exact locations where human civilization can thrive or fail.
SOLAR ENERGY
↓
EVAPORATION & TRANSPORT
↓
PRECIPITATION
↓
|||
INFILTRATION↓GROUNDWATER
RUNOFF↓RIVERS
STORAGE↓LAKES / ICE
↓
OCEANS
↺ (Cycle Repeats)
WHERE IS IT? HOW DOES IT MOVE? HOW MUCH? WHO NEEDS IT?
The 45 Domains of Hydrology
Deconstructing Realm 07
DOMAIN 01
Water on Earth
- Global Distribution
- Saltwater (97%)
- Freshwater (3%)
- Ice, Ground & Surface Split
Hydrological Cycle
- Evaporation & Transpiration
- Condensation & Precipitation
- Infiltration & Runoff
- Continuous Circulation
Water Reservoirs
- Oceans & Ice Caps
- Lakes & Rivers
- Soil Moisture & Aquifers
- Atmosphere & Biosphere
Water Balance
- Inputs (Precipitation)
- Outputs (Evap/Runoff)
- Storage Changes
- Surplus vs Deficit
Basin Budget
P = E + R ± ΔS
- Soil Moisture Storage
- Groundwater Storage
- Runoff Coefficients
- Seasonal Variations
Precip to Runoff
- Infiltration Capacity
- Hortonian Overland Flow
- Saturation-Excess Runoff
- Rainfall Intensity Effects
Surface Water
- Rivers & Streams
- Lakes & Ponds
- Wetlands & Reservoirs
- Surface Connectivity
River Systems
- Main Stem & Tributaries
- Source to Mouth
- Perennial vs Seasonal
- The River Continuum
Drainage Basins
- Catchment / Watershed
- Water Divides
- Drainage Density
- Stream Ordering (Strahler)
Drainage Patterns
RADIAL
PARA.
- Dendritic & Trellis
- Radial & Centripetal
- Structural Control
- Lithological Control
River Discharge
- Flow Velocity & Area
- The Hydrograph
- Rising & Falling Limbs
- Peak Flow & Lag Time
River Regime
- Annual Flow Variation
- Snowmelt vs Rainfall Fed
- Monsoonal Regimes
- Equatorial Regimes
Groundwater
- Vadose (Unsaturated) Zone
- Zone of Saturation
- The Water Table
- Recharge & Discharge
Aquifers
- Confined vs Unconfined
- Aquitards & Aquicludes
- Porosity & Permeability
- Artesian Conditions
Groundwater Movement
- Hydraulic Gradient
- Darcy's Law
- Baseflow to Rivers
- Subsurface Flow
Springs
- Contact & Fault Springs
- Karst & Thermal Springs
- Groundwater Emergence
- Geographic Indicators
Lakes
- Tectonic & Volcanic Lakes
- Glacial & Fluvial Lakes
- Freshwater vs Saline
- Endorheic Basins
Wetlands
- Marshes, Swamps & Bogs
- Mangroves & Peatlands
- Water Storage & Filtration
- Ecosystem Services
Waterfalls
- Knickpoints
- Differential Erosion
- Plunge Pools
- Waterfall Retreat
Rapids
- Steep Gradients
- Uneven Channel Beds
- Turbulent Flow
- Hydraulic Roughness
Floods
- River vs Flash Floods
- Urban & Coastal Floods
- GLOFs & Dam Breaks
- Flood Frequency
Flood Causes
- Extreme Rainfall & Melt
- Saturated Soils
- Impervious Surfaces (Urban)
- Deforestation Effects
Flood Hydrographs
- Flashy vs Controlled
- Lag Time Analysis
- Peak Flow Variations
- Basin Response Time
Flood Management
- Forecasting & Warning
- Levees & Embankments
- Floodplain Zoning
- Nature-Based Solutions
Droughts
- Meteorological Drought
- Agricultural Drought
- Hydrological Drought
- Socioeconomic Drought
Drought Processes
Rain Deficit ↓
Soil Moisture Loss ↓
Aquifer Decline
- High Evapotranspiration
- Reservoir Depletion
- Ecosystem Stress
- Water Competition
Groundwater Depletion
- Over-Abstraction / Pumping
- Cone of Depression
- Land Subsidence
- Seawater Intrusion
Groundwater Quality
- Salinity & Hardness
- Fluoride & Arsenic
- Agri/Industrial Pollution
- Geogenic vs Anthropogenic
Water Conservation
✓
- Demand & Supply Mgmt
- Leakage Reduction
- Recycling & Wastewater
- Efficient Technologies
Rainwater Harvesting
- Rooftop Harvesting
- Surface Runoff Capture
- Recharge Pits & Trenches
- Farm Ponds & Check Dams
Watershed Mgmt
- Ridge-to-Valley Planning
- Contour Bunding & Terracing
- Afforestation
- Community Participation
IWRM
- Integrated Water Mgmt
- Surface + Ground Systems
- Sectoral Demand Allocation
- Governance & Equity
Water for Agriculture
- Canal vs Well Irrigation
- Micro-Irrigation (Drip)
- Crop Water Requirement
- Water Productivity
Water for Cities
- Municipal Sources
- Distribution Networks
- Non-Revenue Water
- Sewage & Reuse
Water for Industry
- Process & Cooling Water
- Mining & Power Demand
- Industrial Effluent
- Water Footprint
Water Quality & Poll.
><>
- Eutrophication
- Sewage & Runoff
- Plastics & Heavy Metals
- Biological/Chemical Pollution
Aquatic Ecosystems
- River & Lake Ecosystems
- Riparian Zones
- Freshwater Biodiversity
- Ecosystem Services
Water-Sediment
- Suspended vs Bed Load
- Reservoir Sedimentation
- Delta Building
- Sediment Budgets
Human Modification
- Dams & Reservoirs
- Inter-Basin Transfers
- River Channelisation
- Desalination
Conflict & Governance
- Inter-State River Disputes
- Transboundary Rivers
- Upstream vs Downstream
- Water Rights & Pricing
Water Security
- Physical vs Economic Scarcity
- Availability & Access
- Quality & Reliability
- Water-Food-Energy Nexus
Water-Climate
↑↓
- Climate Controls on Hydrology
- Rainfall Variability
- Snow/Glacier Melt Changes
- Sea-Level Effects
Water-Landscape
- River Incision & Erosion
- Floodplain Formation
- Canyon & Waterfall Creation
- Drainage Evolution
Water Cycle as System
RESERVOIR
FLUX
- Reservoirs & Fluxes
- Residence Times
- Feedbacks & Thresholds
- System Resilience
The Great Blue Engine
- Solar Energy Driven
- Evap → Precip → Runoff
- Global Redistribution of Heat
- The Ultimate Circulatory System
Exit Portal
We have mapped the movement of water across the continents. But rivers, lakes, and aquifers represent only a tiny fraction of the Earth's water. We must now follow the runoff to its final destination: the massive, deep, and dynamic basins that cover 71% of the planet's surface.