Due Jan 23, 2018

CIVE 321 Homework #1

(1) List five basic hydrologic processes

(2) What is the hydrologic cycle? Atmospheric water is one of the 3 basic components of the
hydrologic cycle. Name the other two components. What is the primary driving force behind
the hydrologic cycle? Why is it challenging to predict the future water supply and resources of
any place in the world accurately? Name one primary factor. How is the hydrology of a river
basin related to its climate?

(3) A given storage reservoir has a normal pool area of 4000 acres (1 acre=43,560 ft2) and serves a
river basin of area of 200 miles2 (1 mile = 5280 ft). During an average year the annual rainfall
(P) is 37 inches, rainfall excess (R) is 10 inches, and the reservoir annual evaporation (E) is 30
inches (no transpiration since there is no vegetation). Determine the net change in the reservoir’s
storage in ft3 during the year if a local municipality is allowed to take 100 mgd (million gallon
per day, and 7.48 gallon = 1 ft3) from the reservoir. Neglect infiltration loss from the reservoir.
Apply R + Ia (depression storage) = O + ΔS (Change in river basin’s water storage) to get O,
outflow of the river basin. In this problem, the reservoir is the control volume. See Figure 1

(4) Suppose ground temperature is 5oC, and cooling takes place at a dry adiabatic lapse rate. What
is the air temperature at 7 km from the mean sea level? Why the actual lapse rate of rising air
masses usually is smaller than the dry adiabatic lapse?

(5) Assuming dry and wet-bulb temperatures of 20oC and 14oC respectively, at a pressure of 1013.2
mb, using the Table on dew point temperature & saturation vapor pressure provided, determine
(a) dew point temperature (TD), (b) saturation vapor pressure (es), (c) relative humidity (f), and
(d) actual vapor pressure ea.

(6) Given the dry adiabatic lapse rate of air is dT/dZ =-g/Cp, where T = air temperature, Z =
elevation, Cp=specific heat at constant pressure, g = gravity, compute dT/dZ in oC/km if Cp = 1004
J oC-1 kg-1. If air temperature is 20oC and vapor pressure of air is 12.2 mb, estimate the elevation
the air parcel must rise before the vapor pressure of air becomes saturated, assuming the lapse rate
is 7oC/km. Note 1 Joule = 1 Nm, 1 Newton = 1 kg.m/sec2.

200 Sq. Miles

P = 37”
E = 30”
Figure 1

Control
4000 acres Volume

Municipal Withdrawal
at 100mgd