Catchment hydrology Introduction

Why study hydrology?

They cause natural disasters such as flooding. With historic events like the 1931 flood of Huang He (Yangtze & Hai) which killed 1 to 2 million people. Or the 1887 Huang He flood which killed 0.9 to 2 million people. Or the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake which flooding was the most prominent killer (830,000 people died). Flooding will be the most prominent form of climate change, as it changes regional weather patterns and how it falls, creating the possibility for extreme flooding. Hence, studying flooding and how to mitigate the extent of disasters is key.

Hydrology also encompasses water quality. This is important as poor water quality creates health issues. The degradation of water goes hand in hand with the development…