ABSTRACT
The term hydrology can be divided into two terms: hydro, relating to water, and loge, a Greek word meaning knowledge. Thus, hydrology is the study, or knowledge, of water. Questions we might ask are: Why should we acquire knowledge of water? How might this knowledge help society? A simple starting point in understanding our societal need to study water is that, at many points in time, every place in the world will experience an excess or decit of water that will have an adverse impact on society or a fragile ecosystem. At each location, the available mean water resources, the magnitude and frequency of high and low values of these resources, and other prevailing factors will have an impact on the communities (human and other) that inhabit a location and strategies that might be implemented to help protect these communities. Of particular concern is providing adequate sustainable water resources and food for an ever-expanding global population. Furthermore, factors like global warming could have a signicant impact on global food and water supplies.
