The Water Balance of the Land

The article gives a quantitative evaluation of the elements of the hydrologic cycle (precipitation, runoff, evaporation) for the earth as a whole, for natural geographic zones of the USSR (tundra, tayga, steppe, desert) and for types of land within a given zone. The role of man in altering the water balance of individual territories through reclamation measures (irrigation, drainage, plowing up of virgin land) and through changes in agricultural techniques is also discussed.