ABSTRACT
Quite literally hydrology is ‘the science or study of’ (‘logy’ from Latin logia) ‘water’ (‘hydro’ from Greek hudor). However, contemporary hydrology does not study all the properties of water. Modern hydrology is concerned with the distribution of water on the surface of the earth and its movement over and beneath the surface, and through the atmosphere. This wide-ranging definition suggests that all water comes under the remit of a hydrologist, while in reality it is the study of fresh water that is of primary concern. The study of the saline water on earth is carried out in oceanography.
