CEE 221
Hydrology
Dr. Ahmad Hasan Nury
Streamflow Measurement
Fig: Generalised River Channel Section
MEASUREMENT OF STAGE
Manual Gauges
Staff Gauge
Wire Gauge
Automatic Stage Recorders
Float Gauge Recorder
Fig: Stilling well installation Fig: Water depth recorder- Stevens type F
recorder
Bubble Gauge
Fig: Bubble Gauge
Measurement of Velocity
Stage Data Current Meters
Vertical-axis meter
Horizontal-axis meter
Stage Hydrograph
Fig: Vertical-axis current meter
Horizontal-axis meters
Fig: Horizontal-axis current meter
Fig: Propeller type current meter
Measuring the velocity
Area-Velocity Method All topics
covered in the
lecture should
be read from
text book in
detail for the
exam
preparation
• Cross-sectional area of channel
• Calculate velocity
Guidelines to select the number of segments:
Fig: Stream section for Area-Velocity Method
Area-Velocity Method
This method relies on the simple continuity equation for flow: Q=VA
The following figure shows how the velocity varies depending on the cross-section shape.
Question 6. Hydrologic measurements
c) Calculate the discharge in the stream cross section :
1) Discharge of each section
Q=A*V
Area: triangles or trapeziums
6 Velocity:
2) Sum up
1 5
2 3 4
Question 6. Hydrologic measurements
c) Calculate the discharge in the stream cross section using the equations below:
Section Area(A) Velocity(V) Discharge(Q)
Q=A*V
6 1 0.3*0.6/2=0.09 0.44*0.2+0.56*0.1=0.144 0.09*0.144=0.01296
2 (0.6+1)*0.3/2=0.24 0.44*0.4+0.56*0.25=0.316 0.24*0.316=0.07584
3 (1+1)*0.3/2=0.3 0.44*0.6+0.56*0.35=0.46 0.3*0.46=0.138
1 5 4 (1+0.8)*0.3/2=0.27 0.44*0.6+0.56*0.35=0.46 0.27*0.46=0.1242
2 3 4 5 (0.8+0.4)*0.3/2=0.18 0.44*0.4+0.56*0.3=0.344 0.18*0.344=0.06192
6 0.3*0.4/2=0.06 0.44*0.2+0.56*0.1=0.144 0.06*0.144=0.00864
Q=Q1+Q2+Q3+Q4+Q5+Q6 = 0.42 m3/S
Flow measurement structures
Where H is the depth of water above the bottom of the weir and α = 90
degrees is the angle of the V notch. Where H is the depth of water above the bottom of the weir and L is
the length of the weir crest.
Stage-discharge relationships
• Time consuming to measure the velocity and area
every time
• Easier to measure height
• Determine a relationship that relates height to
discharge
Stage-discharge relationship
Stage-discharge relationship
1. Measure the stream stage
Stage-discharge relationship
2. Calculate the stream discharge (velocity-area method)
3. Repeat for different combinations of stream heights and discharge
4. Fit relationship between discharge and height
- Stage-discharge curve
- Rating curve
rating curves
Remote sensing
• Measurements are made over a large area
• Generally using electromagnetic radiation at different
wavelengths
Remote sensing the Earth
• From this… …to this
http://plus.maths.org/latestnews/sep-dec06/CTC/WMAP.jpg
http://www.arp.harvard.edu/atmobs/sciobj/atrain_579.jpg
References:
▪ Engineering Hydrology, K Subramanya
▪ Lecture notes of Prof. Dr. Ashish Sharma, Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNSW,
Australia
▪ Various internet sources All topics
covered in the
lecture should
be read from
text book in
detail for the
exam
preparation
