Disciplines

Hydrology

hy-DROL-uh-jee

Water Science

Citation Formats

General Reference

Earth and Environment Atlas. "Hydrology." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/hydrology.

APA Style

Earth and Environment Atlas. (n.d.). Hydrology. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/hydrology

BibTeX

@misc{earthandenvironmentatlas-hydrology,
  author = {Earth and Environment Atlas},
  title = {Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-earth.interactiveatlas.org/disciplines/hydrology},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The study of fresh water on and under land: rivers, lakes, groundwater and the cycle that moves water between the ocean, the air and the ground.

Facts

Central Question

Hydrology is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets. 1

Scope

Hydrology studies the movement, distribution and quality of water on and beneath Earth's land surface, including rivers, lakes, groundwater and the water cycle. 1

Significance

Hydrology underlies flood forecasting, water resource management and the design of dams, wells and irrigation systems. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections