Hydrology

Water Systems

Watersheds, groundwater dynamics, and hydrological modelling for water resource management and flood risk assessment.

Watersheds

A watershed (catchment or drainage basin) is the area of land where all surface water converges to a single outlet point. Watershed delineation uses DEM-derived flow direction and flow accumulation grids. Understanding watershed boundaries is fundamental for water resource management, flood risk assessment, and pollution source tracking.

Key Topics

DEM-based delineation
Flow direction algorithms (D8, D∞)
Flow accumulation
Stream network extraction
Sub-basin segmentation

Groundwater

Groundwater accounts for ~30% of global freshwater. Aquifer characterisation, recharge estimation, and sustainable yield assessment are critical for water security. Remote sensing (GRACE gravity data), geophysical surveys, and numerical groundwater models (MODFLOW) support groundwater management.

Key Topics

Aquifer mapping
Recharge estimation
GRACE gravity data
MODFLOW modelling
Groundwater-surface water interaction

Hydrology

The study of water movement through the Earth system: precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, runoff, and streamflow. Hydrological models (HEC-HMS, SWAT, VIC) simulate the water cycle for flood forecasting, drought prediction, and infrastructure design.

Key Topics

Rainfall-runoff modelling
Evapotranspiration estimation
Flood frequency analysis
Low-flow analysis
Water balance modelling

Under Development: Interactive watershed delineation tool, groundwater recharge calculators, and flood return period analysis are planned.