SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE

RUNOFF PHENOMENON
What is Runoff?
 -The portion of rainfall, snowmelt, and/or irrigation
water that runs over the soil surface toward the
stream rather than infiltrating into the soil
sometimes called surface runoff.
 Runoff is sometimes used to refer to both surface
runoff (overland flow and subsurface runoff
(interflow).
 What’s the difference between surface
runoff and interflow?

 Surface Runoff is water from rain, snow melting

or other sources that flows over the land surface ,
and is a major component of the water cycle.
 There are two types of surface runoff that occur
during rainfall or snowmelt:

 1. Infiltration excess overland flow.

 2. Saturation excess overland flow .
 Interflow, also known as subsurface runoff rapid
flow toward the stream channel that occurs below
the surface. It occurs more rapidly than baseflow,
but typically more slowly than surface runoff.
 Surface Runoff Phenomenon
 General Runoff Terms

 Baseflow or base runoff, is the long-term supply of water that

keeps at least some water in the stream even during extended dry
periods. Baseflow comes from water that percolated down into
deep storage.

 Infiltration is the downward movement of water through the soil

surface. While its often used interchangeably with percolation.

 Percolation actually refers to movement of water within the soil,

and infiltration specifically refers just to the process of water
entering a soil surface.
 Infiltration Capacity
 Is the upper limit of infiltration rate. It includes
surface infiltration and percolation and is expressed
in depth per time; for example, 15 millimeters per
hour . If precipitation rate is less than or equal to
infiltration capacity, no surface runoff occurs.

 Infiltration rate is the amount of water able to enter

the soil in a specified time period. It is expressed as
depth per time; for example, 10 millimeters per hour
 Infiltration rate is the amount of water able to enter
the soil in a specified time period. It is expressed
as depth per time; for example, 10 millimeters per
hour
 Infiltration excess overland flow
 Saturation excess overland flow
 The following influences runoff;

BASIC SLOPE
ROUGHNESS
URBANIZATION