Water Budget
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23715672 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard A Earl (Texas State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Pages | 1-4 |
| Publication date | 2017-03-06 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | CHAPTER |
| Venue | International Encyclopedia of Geography (SOURCE_BOOK) |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0386 |
| OpenAlex | W4252170970 |
| ISBN | 9781118786352 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 3 |
The analysis of the source of the Earth's waters has long been a subject of first speculation, and, since the scientific revolution, a source of scientific inquiry. The components of the hydrologic cycle were commented upon in classical times and put into a cyclical model of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation by the Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius circa 0 bce . By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, actual measurements of precipitation, stream flow, and evaporation demonstrated that no mysterious processes were required to account for the waters in the Earth's hydrologic cycle. Improved measurement of precipitation and stream flow permitted calculation of the first water budgets for surface basins. Accurate modeling of water budgets for specific areas has been hindered by the difficulty in measuring evapotranspiration and groundwater input, storage, and release. The work of C.W. Thornthwaite was fundamental in developing models to estimate potential and actual evapotranspiration. Groundwater models were initially developed from solving for the residual from other components of the water budget, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, and surface runoff. Since the 1960s data on aquifer characteristics and measurements of groundwater flow have produced more accurate assessment of groundwater inputs, storage, and outputs. The increasing demand on water supplies has led to legal mandates to develop computer‐based water budget models to assess and manage both surface water and aquifers.
Aquifer · Drainage basin · Evaporation · Evapotranspiration · Geography · Groundwater · Groundwater flow · Hydrology (agriculture) · Meteorology · Precipitation · Streamflow · Surface runoff · Surface water · Water cycle · Water resources · Environmental Engineering · Environmental Science · Geology · Groundwater and Isotope Geochemistry · Groundwater flow and contamination studies · Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |