Hydrologic Cycle

Atmospheric Moisture
13,000 km3
(25 mm)
Global Precipitation

Global Evaporation

496,100 km3.yr-1

496,100 km3.yr-1

(973 mmyr-1)

(973 mmyr-1)
Evaporation
71,400 km3.yr-1

Precipitation
Evaporation

Precipitation
3.

385,000 km yr

Ice
27,820,000 km3

424,700 km3.yr-1

-1

Oceans
1,348,000,000 km

111,100 km3.yr-1

Precipitation - Evaporation =
-39,700 km3.yr-1

Runoff

Land

39,700 km3.yr-1

8,287,000 km3

Units are cubic km of water or, in parentheses, mm of water

spread over 510 million square kilometers surface area

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Hydrologic Cycle On Land

Evaporation
Precipitation
Snow pack
Transpiration

Depression storage

Redistribution
Percolation

Evaporation
Evaporation

Infiltration

Soil water

Plant
uptake

Ground water

Interception
Overland
flow

Return
flow
Wetland

Throughfall
Stemflow
Lake
Capillary
rise

Ocean

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Full Leaf
Leafless
Rainfall
Throughfall

Interception
Stem flow

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Storm Rainfall (mm)

10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Interception (mm)

Stemflow Throughfall
(mm)
Or

Interception In A D eciduous Forest

Components of Soil

Air
Water

Solids

Volumetric Water Contents For A Loamy Soil

1.000

Soil Volume

Solids

0.451
0.393

Saturation
Gravitational Water

Field Capacity

Available Water

0.154

0.000

Wilting Point
Unavailable Water

Idealized Soil Water Profile and Movement

Transpiration

Infiltration

Water Content

Evaporation

WP

FC SAT

Root Zone
(wilting point to
saturation)
saturated during
rain, otherwise
depleted
Intermediate Zone
(field capacity to
saturation)
saturated during
heavy rain

Percolation

Capillary Fringe (saturated)

Ground Water (saturated)

Impermeable Layer

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5

Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5

Copyright G. Bonan 2002

3870
3865
3860
570

580

590

600

580

570

(b) June 11, 1992

590

600

(f) June 16, 1992

3870

3870

!.s 3865

3865

a,

3860

3860

570

580

590

600

(c) June 12, 1992

3865

3860

!
c:

3865
3860
570

580

590

600

570

Easting (km)

<0.02 0.06
>0.38

0.10

0.14

0.18

0.22

0.26

580

0.30

0.34

590

Easting (km)

600

Ecological Climatology

Volumetric Soil Water Content

Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Water Potential Along The Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum

Air: -100 MPa

Leaves: -1 MPa

Wet Soil: -0.01 MPa

Roots: -0.1 MPa

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

1000

2.0

800

1.5

600

1.0

400

0.5

200

0.0
Jan-94

Jan-95

Jan-96

Jan-97

0
Jan-98

Cumulative

2.5

Evapotranspiration (mm)

Evapotranspiration (mm per

Old Black Spruce Forest Near Thompson, Manitoba

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

ET/ET p

Effect Of Soil Water On Evapotranspiration

1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0

A
D
C
B

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Relative Water Availability, (-pw p)/(f c -pw

p)

1.0

Infiltration R ate (mm per hour)

Infiltration Rates And Surface C haracteristics

bare-0%
250
bare-8%

200
150

bare-16%
grass y16%

100
50
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Time (minutes)

325
300
275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0

Runoff (mm)

Runoff (mm)

U.S. Soil Conservation Service Runoff

CN 30
CN 40
CN 50
CN 60
CN 70
CN 80
CN 90
CN 100

325
300
275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0

25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300

325

Loamy Soil, Normal Soil Water

forest
lawn
pasture
crop
dirt road
paved road

25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325

24 Hour Rainfall (mm)

325
300

Forest, Good Litter, Normal Soil Water

325
300

dry

Forest, Good Litter, Loamy Soil

sands (A)

275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0

loams (B)
clay loams (C)
clays (D)

25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300

325

24 Hour Rainfall (mm)

Runoff (mm)

Runoff (mm)

24 Hour Rainfall (mm)

275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
0

normal
wet

25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325

24 Hour Rainfall (mm)

Monthly Water Flux (mm)

160
140

A ET=PET

A ET=PE T

120

100
80
60
Runoff

Runoff

40
20

AE T<PET
A ET=
Precipitation

0
Jan Feb M ar A pr M ay Jun
Dec

Jul

P rec ipitation
AET

Aug S ep Oct Nov

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Topographic Definition Of A Watershed

Precipitation (P)

Evapotranspiration (ET)

Overland Flow
Inflow
(Gin)

Bedrock

S = P + Gin - (ET + Q + Gout)

Outflow
(Gout)
Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Water In A Watershed
Evapotranspiration (ET)

Precipitation (P)

Extraction
(E)

Throughfall
Stemflow

Overland Flow

Depression Storage

Infiltration
Percolation
(Rp)

Soil Water

Capillary
Rise (C)

Surface Water

Watershed Boundary

Interception
Storage

Interflow

Return Flow
(Qgw)
Inflow (Gin=0)

Ground Water

Recharge (Rsw)
Outflow (Gout)

Overall Water Balance: S = P - (ET + Q + Gout)

Ground Water Balance: Sgw = Rp + Rsw - (C + Qgw + Gout) - E

Stream
Flow (Q)

Annual ET Or Streamflow

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400

Stream flow

Evapotranspiration

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Annual Precipitation (mm)

1800

2000

Growth Of Saturated Areas During A Storm

Prior To Storm

Rising Hydrograph

At Peak Discharge

Percolation
Unsaturated
Overland flow
Saturated

Base flow

Return
flow

Base flow

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

25 mm

Watershed Runoff

40 mm

1 mm

1 mm

24 mm

5 mm

15 mm

5 mm

25 mm

20 mm

34 mm

25 mm

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Topographically-Defined Variable Contributing Area In A Watershed

qrecharge

A
Stream

qsubsurface

Asat
c

saturated

Topographic Index = ln(a/tan) where a=A/c

A
Asat/A
c
tan
D

= area of hillslope segment (section of hillslope that drains past contour c)

= fraction of hillslope that is saturated
= hillslope width (length perpendicular to direction of flow)
= slope
= depth to bedrock

Ecological Climatology

Ecological Climatology

Discharge

Peak Discharge At
Time Of Concentration

Rising
Limb

Receding Limb

Event Flow
Base Flow
Time

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002

Discharge (cubic meters per

Boulder Creek near Boulder, Colorado - 787 Square Kilometers

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10

Mississippi River at St. Louis - 1,805,230 Square Kilometers

35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0

29-Mar-88
01-Oct-87

Discharge (cubic meters per second)

29-Mar-88
01-Oct-87

D ischarge (cubic meters per second)

St. Lawrence River At C ornwall, Ontario

30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov D ec
Obs erved Flow

Great Lak es

No Great Lak es

Annual River Flow

1---,r

Mississippi

Amazon
Congo
Orinoco
Changjiang
Annual River Flow (cubic meters per second)

1000 5000
5100-10000
11 000 - 41

000
150000 160000

Brahmaputra
Yenisei
Parana
Lena
Mississippi
Ob
Tocantins
Ganges

155430
33317
25068
25032
19674
17683
17300
166221
14703
12475
12174
11123

Ecological Climatology
Chapter 5
Copyright G. Bonan 2002