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5 Runoff and Factors Affecting
5 Runoff and Factors Affecting
Portions of runoff
Runoff process
Surface runoff
Factors affecting runoff
Runoff cycle
Conditions of runoff cycle
Summary of Rainfall-Runoff process
Definition of Runoff
Runoff can be defined as the portion of the
precipitation that makes it’s way towards rivers
or oceans etc, as surface or subsurface flow.
This water flow overland and joins the rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, etc,
and is known as surface runoff.
One can say runoff as surface runoff.
1. Precipitation characteristics,
2. Shape and size of the catchment,
3. Topography,
4. Geological characteristics,
5. Meteorological characteristics,
6. Character of the catchment surface,
7. Storage characteristics.
1. Precipitation characteristics
It is the most important factor for runoff
Thus at this stage over land flow mainly contribute to stream flow.
Also the gravity water still not drained up to the water table
continues its downward journey to join water table.
Summary of Rainfall-Runoff Process
The difference between the total rainfall and that which is intercepted is
called ground rainfall.
when the rainfall rate exceeds the interception rate, water starts
reaching the ground and infiltration into the sub soil starts. The
maximum rate at which the soil in a given condition can absorb water is
known as its infiltration capacity.
The excess rainwater gets collected into the innumerable small and
large depressions existing in the basin, filling them to their overflow
levels. This quantity is known as depression storage.
If after the depression storage is filled, the rain intensity (p) continues to
exceed the infiltration capacity of the soil (f), the difference appears as
rainfall excess, which initially accumulates on the ground as surface
detention (D), and then flows as overland flow on the basin surface
before entering a stream channel.
The water that reaches the stream channel of a basin in this manner is
called surface runoff (SRO) or direct runoff (DRO).
The surface runoff can, therefore, occur only from those storms, which
can contribute to excess rainfall, and are simply not dissipated in fulfilling
the interception, depression storage, and infiltration needs of the basin.
Hence,
Excess Rainfall = Rainfall – Interception - Depression storage –
Infiltration
The sum total of initial basin loss and infiltration, is called potential
infiltration.
Since for intense rains, the initial loss is very small as compared to
excess rain, it is usually ignored in hydrological analysis of such rainfalls;
or is considered to be included in the infiltration itself.
The excess rainfall is, thus, represented as:
Excess Rainfall = Rainfall – Potential Infiltration
The rain that falls in the beginning of a storm before the depression
storage is completely filled is called the initial rain,
and
the rain that falls near the end of the storm at a rate less than the
infiltration capacity is called the residual rain.
The intervening period is the net supply interval. The infiltration occurring
after the net supply interval is called the residual infiltration.
Runoff and surface runoff are two different terms and should not be
confused.
Runoff or Discharge or the Stream flow includes all the water flowing
in the stream channel at any given section.
While
Surface Runoff or Direct Runoff includes only the water that reaches
the stream channel without first percolating down to the water table.
700.0000
600.0000
500.0000
Surface
Response
400.0000
Baseflow
300.0000
200.0000
100.0000
0.0000
700.0000
600.0000 Total
Hydrograph
500.0000
Surface
400.0000 Response
300.0000
Baseflow
200.0000
100.0000
0.0000
0.0000 0.5000 1.0000 1.5000 2.0000 2.5000 3.0000 3.5000 4.0000
Continuous
process
represented with
discrete time
steps