Discharge (Hydrology)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids, dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material, which is transported through a given cross-sectional area. Frequently, other terms synonymous with discharge are used to describe the volumetric flow rate of water and are typically discipline dependent. For example, a Fluvial Hydrologist studying natural river systems may define discharge as streamflow, whereas an Engineer operating a reservoir system might define discharge as outflow, which is contrasted with inflow. The units that are typically used to express discharge include m³/s, ft³/s and/or acre-feet per day. For example, the average discharge of the Rhine river in Europe is 2,200 m³/s, 77,704 ft³/s or ~154,000 acre-feet per day.