GPHY 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Water Cycle, Baseflow, Snowmelt

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geography
• Course: GPHY 102
• Professor: Ryan K Danby

Document Summary

Hydrology: the study of the earth"s water system and its cycling. Stream discharge: volume of water passing a point per unit time. Typically m^3/s: changes at daily (diurnal) and season timescales. Flows of rivers: depending on the climate rivers will flow according to availability of water. Glaciers: in some settings, all of these water sources may contribute, in large catchments, sources may reflect a variety of sources that are not apparent down stream. Largest rivers may have flow under ice in winter: can rapidly form ice-jams during spring break up. Rainfall: droughts, release from lakes and wetlands. Glaciers: multi-year storage of snow as ice, release as discharge when melt energy is present. Often at a maximum during mid to late summer: on a seasonal basis, glacial water is unlimited, over long periods, ice may retreat or expand, changing availability. Flow onto banks, into wetlands or other low lying areas. Floods are measured in terms of their magnitude and recurrence.