Allen Carl T Estrellanes CE 353 BSCE 3-A

1. What is the importance of hydrological cycle to the Earth's processes essay?

Earth is full of mystery, and as our technology advances, we unfold its mysterious processes that
are happening in order to retain its livable state. Each of the processes rely on each other in order to
function effectively. To peek some details about the water cycle, the most important processes are
evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. When one of the processes are
absent, it could possibly mean that the cycle will not be completed and it will result to the imbalance
within the organisms that are involved in the cycle. Especially the hydrologic cycle, so what is the
importance of this cycle to the overall Earth’s processes?

We all know that all life here on Earth depends on water, water gives us life as it hydrates us and
it is also one of the habitats of some animals and other organisms living here in Earth. In order to
have the continuous circulation of water here on Earth, water cycle is present, although the total
amount of water remains constant, its distribution among the various processes is continually
changing. To define, it is a biogeochemical cycle that depicts the continual movement of water on,
above, and below the Earth's surface, also known as the hydrological cycle. Water is essential to
other Earth’s processes as it ties together the major parts of the Earth’s climate system air, clouds,
the ocean, lakes, vegetation, snowpack, and glaciers. Through hydrological cycle, it enables the
availability of water for all organisms here on Earth, and it also helps to regulate weather patterns
here on Earth. For example, if water didn’t recycle itself, we would run out of water which is
essential to life and we would experience great climate change. The water cycle and climate,
humidity and temperature are two factors that influence the climate. The water cycle has an impact
on these weather conditions. Because the water cycle does not evenly disperse water vapor, some
areas are more humid than others. As a result, distinct climates emerge as a result of this. Water
vapor-rich islands and coastal areas are typically significantly more humid than drier inland areas,
where water vapor is scarcer. The temperature of a place is also influenced by the water cycle. Heat
is exchanged and temperatures fluctuate as a result of the water cycle. Water, for example, absorbs
energy and cools the surrounding area when it evaporates. Water releases energy and warms the
surrounding area when it condenses. With this, life on Earth will be imbalanced and it will make
Earth unlivable because of the absence of the water cycle.

As we can see, water cycle is important to all life on earth for many reasons. All living organisms
require water and the water cycle describes the process of how water moves through the planet. All
of these processes sustain life and create the ecosystems around us. Some organisms are very
sensitive to changes in the water cycle. We must save water as it is the life of the Earth.
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2. How does hydrology affect the environment?

Our environment compasses various organisms that depends on it, plants, animals, humans, and
etc. all of them are dependent to each other. And among these organisms, they have a specific similarity
in order to live, and it is the need to have water. Because of this, we have hydrology, to define, it means
the study of water. Because of the importance of water in every organism it is beneficial to have an
understanding about how water can affect our lives as well as the process which the water goes through
to recycle itself. Simply, because of these factors brought by hydrology, throughout the years and
advancements in technology, it affects our environment and also us.

In terms of environmental measurements, hydrology refers to the physical movement of a body

of water, including changes in water level, flow, and other dynamic processes. Most hydrology
applications involve surface water systems, such as rivers, open-channels and estuaries. However,
groundwater and hydrogeological projects can be included in this section, particularly with aquifer
applications. Changes in water quality and quantity can have an impact on hydrology, particularly water
flow. These changes can be induced by human activity or by natural disasters, or by a combination of
both. Hydrologic data can help explain changes in water quality and environmental changes, regardless
of the source. Water is used in a variety of ways by people. People utilize water to drink, cook, clean,
and bathe in their homes. Water is used in agriculture to water crops and cattle, as well as to irrigate
fields. Hydroelectric power is generated by the water in several dams. Through the study of water and
through hydrologists, we can understand the complex water system of the Earth and it can help solve
water problems. Especially now that we are experiencing scarcity of water in some places on Earth and
we experience climate change, through hydrology we can somehow identify what is the problem and
provide some solutions to the problem. Through various studies done, we can observe that dams and
water reservoir are created, it is to conserve water and to avoid scarcity of water, and also it serves
many more functions. Hydrology also studies the assurance of the water we use every day, it determines
the toxicity of water if it is available for drinking and for every day use. Through hydrology, we know the
availability of water and also its distribution below and above its surface.

Hydrology encompasses many factors that affects the environment, such as its distribution to the
community and how to preserve it. It also points out the classification of water and its assurance to be
use every day and also the quality of water as it moves through the water system. Water is life, without
it, we are nothing, every organism need water in order to live through hydrology we are able to see its
importance and build projects where we can preserve water.
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3. What is importance of hydrology?

Through knowledge, we can understand how our environment works and how can we
preserve the things that helps us to survive. And as tackled on previous questions, hydrology is
concerning in the study of fluid dynamics specifically related to water. We all know the
importance of water not just for only us humans but to all organisms that is present in the
ecosystem. The only problem is how can we make it available to all? We observed that water
cycle retains the total amount but distributes it differently through precipitation. There comes
the hydrology wherein it focuses to study the distribution of water to the environment.

We can examine different processes in hydrology and comprehend the relationships

between them, as we can in many other areas of research. Geoscientists have been able to build
a design for the hydro cycle, which is a series of water-related processes, based on their years of
experience and understanding. It's a never-ending circle. Despite the fact that the Earth is
covered in a large amount of water, the majority of it is unsuitable for human use. For human
use, the energy required to remove salt from sea water has surpassed the benefits. It is not a
natural source of drinking water, even if technology advances to lower the cost of cleaning sea
water. To put it another way, relying on technology to meet our most basic needs is not a well-
thought-out approach for dealing with resource scarcity. We now understand the significance of
hydrology. We can improve the water management system by studying the fundamentals of
hydrology in depth. Through the knowledge acquired in hydrology we can use it for example the
agricultural business relied primarily on a complicated irrigation and water management system.
The construction of dams is a result of both engineering and geological successes and failures.
We have made the mistake of underestimating the force of gravity-driven flowing water in the
past by underestimating its power. Other resources, such as oil and gas, can also benefit from
hydrological expertise. Millions of dollars have been spent on hydrological research as a result of
the petroleum industry's economic ineptitude. Despite the fact that the petroleum sector has a
large detrimental influence on the environment, it has also contributed to the development of
novel freshwater management approaches. And hydrology can also help engineers like me in
the future as they seek to discover water sources for towns and cities, develop irrigation
systems for farms and vineyards, manage stream and river flooding, manage soil erosion, and
safeguard the environment by preventing and removing pollution from waterways.

Hydrology is very important as it provides us solutions and also answers in our questions
regarding on how can we preserve water and how can we utilize it for our use in survival.
Although water is the most important element for life on Earth, it is a complicated system that
requires years of research and devotion to completely comprehend.
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4. How do humans affect hydrology?

Humans in nature keep on advancing in terms of knowledge and of course in

technology, we can see the advancements through the development of gadgets, construction of
buildings, and many more. Also, through our advancements we knew to prioritize what is
necessary for survival, like our water sources. Through our knowledge in learning ways on how
to conserve water, we also found ways on how can we utilize the uses of water. Water is life, it
gives life to everything around us and our world just keeps recycling it. But in our actions, we
can affect the processes of water and the water itself. Through our actions there are pros and
cons which can also gives a consequence to us humans. So how do we affect hydrology?

For years and years of research, hydrologists came up with the process of water cycle
wherein the Earth recycles its water for continuous usage here on the surface. But as years goes
by, our advancements created a way on how can we utilize the usage of water here on Earth.
We built dams, water reservoir, irrigations, and many more to meet our supply of water in a
certain period of time. Through our actions, it might give us water for a certain period of time
but it affects the water cycle resulting to imbalanced distribution in some places through
precipitation. We can see in some places like in Africa; scarcity of water is imminent because of
what we called climate change and overpopulation here on Earth. Due to growth of population
here on the surface, supply of water can’t cope up with population even though the presence of
water cycle can recycle the water with the same constant amount but its distribution to places is
different. The potential energy of water that rises above the ocean's surface can be used to
generate power. The growth of hydroelectric resources, on the other hand, usually results in
significant changes in the hydrology. Human activities can also have an impact on the amount of
water stored in hydrologic compartments. The mining of groundwater for agricultural,
industrial, or municipal reasons is a good illustration of this effect. Degradation of ecosystems,
which typically occurs as a result of changes in landscapes such as forest clearing, agriculture
conversion, city growth, road construction, and surface mining, is one of the most important
risks to water supplies. Each sort of modification to a landscape will have its own set of
consequences, which will usually have a direct or indirect impact on natural ecosystems and
water supplies.

Human actions can greatly affect hydrology if not deliberated well, it might destroy the
water system and will result to imbalanced distribution here on the surface. It might trigger
climate change to its extent and people might experience longer drought than usual. It is
important to have ways on how can we save water, because water is life and without it,
everything in our surroundings including us will become life-less.
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5. How do humans disrupt the water cycle?

Water, a very necessary for our survival, we can’t live longer if we lack water in our body. Water
is life, everything here on Earth have life because of water. Humans have come to the different kinds of
advancements, which includes the improving of maintenance of our resources. Through the previous
questions presented, we are able to know the importance of water in us humans and also to our
surroundings. But, with these ideas, we can’t deny that our actions also affect the natural processes that
water must go through.

Through our necessities in using water, we built dams to have a sufficient supply that will last for
a longer period of time. We are turning out to be progressively mindful of our effects on nature. There is
extensive proof that people are liable for interruptions and changes to neighborhood and worldwide
water cycles. Different countries use exclusive quantities of water, however all of us generally tend to
apply them withinside the equal ways, and a number of those moves can affect at the water cycle –
producing hydroelectricity, irrigation, deforestation and the greenhouse effect, in addition to motor
automobile use and animal farming. Man made structures like dams also have an effect to the water
cycle. Rivers that are dammed, which can have an impact on the river's function both upstream and
downstream. Lakes are usually produced from the water pooling above the dam, and silt can pile up,
while the volume of water flowing downstream is reduced. This could be an issue for any plants or
animals that have too much or too little water, and migratory fish will be unable to get through the
dams. Dams that aren't properly managed can lead to droughts in the downstream areas, with minor
streams altogether drying up and leaving the land dry. The next step is to figure out how to get more
water into these arid places. Our demands on the land have escalated as the human population has
grown. We need more food, and we need water to make it. Irrigation is the process of artificially
watering land that does not receive enough water from the rain. Most countries, some more than
others, rely heavily on irrigation. Countries with significant intensive farming communities, as well as dry
areas, require far more water. Irrigation has the disadvantage of removing water from its natural source
and causing leaching and run-off in areas where it is used. Farmers have to use more fertilizers to
maintain their pastures productive as a result of the loss of nutrients, while the waterways get
contaminated.

Priorities in science vary as civilizations change. Previously, water was simply a commodity that
could be manipulated and used by humans. Science and society are now more conscious of the
consequences of our actions on the environment. We should be careful in utilizing the benefits of water
because we don’t know what the future holds, conserving water means saving lives.