ABSTRACT
The previous chapter has introduced some of the patterns and dynamics of the global water cycle. It has touched upon some measurement issues. This chapter explores the components of the water balance, but can only provide a generalised introduction to the key concepts: more details and examples can be found in the cited papers. Understanding of the catchment water balance is largely based on field observations, and it is therefore important to appreciate how these observations are made and where the major measurement errors and problems lie. Measurement techniques are therefore described in boxes.
