hydrography
- noun
- /haɪˈdrɒɡrəfi/
- Specialized
- The hydrography of the area helps sailors plan safe routes during their voyages.
Examples
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We used the U.S. Geological Survey's National Hydrography Dataset (nhd.usgs.gov) to define perennial water features.
Academic text (2017) -
MAP: FIG. 1—The Great Basin, as defined by the hydrography of the region.
Academic text (2005) -
Themes such as elevation, orthoimagery, land cover, hydrography, geographic names, boundaries, transportation, and structures are available.
Academic text (2015) -
The importance of coastal topography and hydrography may be accentuated by Hawaii's relative isolation in the northern tropical Pacific.
Academic text (1993) -
The Baltic Sea has a total surface area of 415 square kilometers and is naturally vulnerable to pollution because of its semi-closed character and particular hydrography.
Academic text (1993) -
They are relatively large regions on the order of 200,000 km or greater, characterized by distinct bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and trophically dependent populations.
Academic text (2005) -
The commission consists of twenty-one people who, according to the convention, shall be experts in the field of geology, geophysics, or hydrography, elected by States Parties to this Convention from among their nationals, having due regard to the need to ensure equitable geographical representation.
Academic text (2008) -
It would be a brave academic or politician who argued that Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana are not Amazonian countries, even though regional hydrography clearly shows that among them they cannot muster a single river that drains into the Amazon.
Academic text (2001) -
LMEs are "relatively large regions on the order of 200,000 km or greater, characterized by distinct: (1) bathymetry, (2) hydrography, (3) productivity, and (4) trophically dependent populations" (www.lme.noaa.gov/Portal/).
Academic text (2007) -
The hydrography of the Great Lakes is crucial for understanding navigation in North America.
Surface Forms
Morphology
hydrography = hydro + graphy
The word is built from classical combining forms, but the technical sense 'scientific study and mapping of waters' is not readily derivable for an average learner.
Etymology
Hydrography comes from two Greek parts: hydro- meaning 'water' and -graphy meaning 'writing' or 'drawing', the same root you see in photography and graph. So hydrography is like 'writing about water', which is why it means the study and mapping of oceans, rivers and lakes to help navigation.