UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES, RAICHUR

College of Agricultural Engineering, Raichur

Department of Soil and Water Engineering
SEMINAR- IV
on
Hillslope Hydrology-Characterization of Subsurface Flow
Name : Praveen.P (II Year Ph.D) Date : 21-05-2021
ID No.: PHD19AEG9030 SYNOPSIS Time : 2:30 pm.

Hillslope provide critical water-related ecosystem services to the society by maintaining

base flow and ground flow used for drinking water, irrigation, recreation, industry and by acting as
a temporary storage buffer to reduce flood peaks and potential damage that may result from
flooding (Hallema et al, 2016). The hillslope ability to retain and release water largely controls the
hydrologic response over the course of a given rainfall events and affects the propagation of
generate runoff from the hillslope to the nearest channel in response to precipitation.

Characterizing subsurface flow is the aim of many hydrological field and modeling studies.
In hilly area with steep slopes and structured soils, subsurface flow is controlled by high gradients
and high heterogeneity of hydraulic properties of the soil, resulting in a highly heterogeneous flow
and preferential flow paths. The specific challenge of investigating preferential flow lies in its
manifestation across scales, its high spatial variability, and pronounced temporal dynamics. While
heterogeneity is seen as a purely random variation of soil properties, organized heterogeneity
implies a spatial co-variance of these properties and connected flow paths. Due to limited direct
observability of subsurface flow, most evidence is either inferred from integral responses or derived
from model applications; in the field, a large spectrum of methods is applied to investigate
subsurface connectivity and to quantify preferential flow (Jackish, et al., 2017).
Angermann et al., (2017) applied the concept of form and functionality to hydrological
systems to separate and analyze their two main characteristics: their form, which is equivalent to
the spatial structures and static properties and their function, equivalent to internal responses and
hydrological behavior. These two characters are closely correlated and co-evolve; hence basic
hydrological monitoring methods were accompanied by isotope sampling and a novel application
of 2-D time-lapse ground-penetrating radar to characterize the subsurface flow. Authors concluded
that response and observation were well suited to describe subsurface response patterns, as well as
the combination of stream-centered and hillslope-centered approaches allowed to link processes
and connecting them in large context.
Scaini et al., (2018) investigated surface slope and bedrock cleavage control subsurface
flow pathways using a range of experimental techniques, including field observations of soil and
bedrock characteristics and a sprinkling experiment at a site located 40 m upslope from the stream
channel to estimate velocity and celerities with well and stream hydrometric responses. The
comparison between velocity and celerity estimates suggested a fast flowpath component
connecting the hillslope to the stream. In addition, different estimates of celerities suggest a
seasonal influence of both rainfall intensity rate and residual water storage on the celerity
responses.
McGuire and McDonnel (2010) examined the controls on hillslope‐stream connectivity on
the basis of observations of hydrometric, stable isotope, and applied tracer responses and computed
transit times for multiple runoff components for a series of storms during the wet up phase of the
2002–2003 winter rainy season. Hillslope discharge was distinctly threshold like with a near linear
response and average quick flow ratio of 0.58 when antecedent rainfall was greater than 20 mm.
Hillslope and stream stormflow varied temporally and showed strong hysteretic relationships.
Event water mean transit times (8–34 h) and rapid breakthrough from applied hillslope tracer
additions demonstrated that subsurface contributing areas extend far upslope during events.
The relation between hillslope topography and hillslope surface response and their impact
on hydrologic connectivity along the hillslope and between the hillslope and the watershed during
high intensity rainfall provides knowledge for understanding and predicting runoff responses and

streamwater quality. A solid understanding of hydrological dynamics and soil– vegetation–

atmosphere interactions at the hillslope scale is necessary for predictions of ungauged hillslopes
and catchments dominated by subsurface flow (Hallema, et al., 2016).

References:
Angermann, L., Jackisch, C., Allroggern, N., Sprenger, M., Zehe, E., Tronicke, J., Weiler, M.
and Blume, T. 2017, Form and function in hillslope hydrology:characterization of
subsurface flow based on response observation. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21:3727-3748.
Hallema, D.W., Moussa, R., Sun, G. and McNulty, S.G., 2016, Surface storm flow prediction on
hillslopes based on topography and hydrologic connectivity. Ecolog. Processes, 5:1-13.
Jackisch, C., Angermann, L., Allroggern, N., Sprenger, M., Blume, T., Tronicke, J. and Zehe, E.,
2017, Form and function in hillslope hydrology: in situ imaging and characterization of
flow-relevant structures, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21 : 3749-3775.
McGuire, K. J. and McDonnell, J.J.,2010, Hydrological connectivity of hillslopes and streams:
Characteristic time scales and nonlinearities. Water Resour. Res., 46 : 1-17.
Scaini, A., Hissler, C., Fenicia, F., Juilleret, J., Iffly, J.F., Pfister, L and Beven, K. 2018, Hillslope
response to sprinkling and natural rainfall using velocity and celerity estimates in a slate-
bedrock catchment. J.Hydrol., 558: 366-379.

Major Advisor