Principles of Hydrometeorological Phenomena

• Hydro meteorology

  The study of atmospheric and terrestrial faces of the hydrological cycle with emphasis on the interrelationship between them
• Hydrological cycle

  • It is a cycle that does not necessarily have a starting or ending point
• Hydrological cycle

  1. Precipitation

  2. Cloud formation and type

  3. Rainfall associated hazards

  4. Snow-covered mountaintops and melting of snow and ice

  5. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover

  6. Storage and land surface depressions

  7. Infiltration of water in the soil

  8. Evapotranspiration

  9. Recharge of groundwater

  10. River runoff
• Cloud


  A visible aggregate of small water droplets and/or ice particles in the atmosphere above the Earth's surface, formed by the condensation of water vapor
• Types of clouds by height

  • Low clouds (less than 2 km): Cumulus, Stratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulonimbus
  • Middle clouds (2-7 km): Altocumulus, Nimbostratus, Altostratus
  • High clouds (greater than 7 km): Cirrus, Cirrostratus, Cirrocumulus
• Cumulonimbus


  A heavy and dense cloud in the form of a tall tower, with a dark base that produces precipitation like hail or tornado
• Nimbostratus

  A grey cloud layer covering the sky with continuous falling rain
• Rain gauge


  An instrument used to measure the amount of rainfall, usually in milliliters
• Terrestrial phase of the hydrologic cycle

  1. Interception of precipitation by vegetation cover

  2. Storage in land surface depressions

  3. Infiltration of water in the soil

  4. Evapotranspiration

  5. Recharge of groundwater

  6. River runoff
• Interception


  Precipitation that does not reach the soil but is instead obstructed by the leaves, branches of plants, and the forest floor
• Infiltration


  The flow of water through the soil surface, affected by soil properties like texture, structure, and moisture content
• Evapotranspiration


  The movement of water from oceans or land to the atmosphere through the combined process of evaporation and transpiration
• Groundwater recharge


  The hydrologic process where water moves downward from surface water to groundwater
• Surface runoff


  The flow of water over land surfaces, influenced by the size, shape, and slope of the basin
• The steeper the slope, the lower the infiltration rate, and the more likely the water will become surface runoff
• The formation and movement of clouds initiates the transport of water.
• What are Low Clouds?

  Clouds with height of less than 2km
• What are cumulus low clouds?

  • individual dense clouds with sharp outlines
  • "cumulo" means heap or pile
  • cotton-like "fluffy"
• What are stratus low clouds?

  • gray cloud layer with a uniform base which may produce drizzle
  • "strato" means layers
• What are stratocumulus low clouds?

  gray or whitish sheet of layered clouds with regularly arrange small cloud elements
• Types of Low Clouds

  • cumulus
  • stratus
  • stratocumulus
  • cumulonimbus
• What are middle clouds?

  Clouds with height between 2km and 7km
• Types of Middle Clouds

  • altocumulus
  • nimbostratus
  • altostratus
• Altocumulus is a sheet of layered clouds composed of rounded masses or rolls.
• Altostratus is a gray cloud sheets that totally or partially covers the sky, but thin enough to reveal the sun.
• Types of High Clouds

  • cirrus
  • cirrostratus
  • cirrucumulus
• Cirrus are clouds in the form of white, delicate filaments. They have fibrous and/or silky sheen appearance.
• Cirrostratus is transparent, whitish veil clouds with a fibrous appearance.
• Cirrucumulus is a thin, white sheet or layer of clouds without shading.
• Nimbus

  rain producing clouds
• Two general types of rain producing clouds

  cumulonimbus & nimbostratus
• How is rain measured

  rain gauge
• The height of rainwater is the measured amount of rainfall.