The field, scope, and status of the science of hydrology
Abstract
Introduction—In some of its aspects hydrology is as old as its foster parents—geography and meteorology. Among the earliest engineering operations of record is the construction of wells, frequently described in the Book of Genesis—an example of applied hydrology. (Some wells of extremely ancient and probably pre-historic construction are still existent and in service in Arabia. They are fully described in Thomas Ewbank's “Hydraulics and Mechanics,” New York, 1870.) As in the case of geography and meteorology, so also hydrology has been mainly qualitative in character until recently. Only with the beginning of its quantitative development could it be considered that hydrology definitely emerged from the other Earth-sciences.
- Publication:
-
Transactions, American Geophysical Union
- Pub Date:
- 1931
- DOI:
- 10.1029/TR012i001p00189-2
- Bibcode:
- 1931TrAGU..12..189H