Surface runoff occurs when precipitation falls more quickly than soil can absorb it, flowing over the land surface. It is a major component of the water cycle and the primary agent of soil erosion. Runoff can carry man-made and natural pollutants as it flows, causing water pollution. In urban areas specifically, surface runoff is a primary cause of flooding and property damage. Factors like soil type, land use, and slope affect how much runoff occurs from a given area.
Surface runoff occurs when precipitation falls more quickly than soil can absorb it, flowing over the land surface. It is a major component of the water cycle and the primary agent of soil erosion. Runoff can carry man-made and natural pollutants as it flows, causing water pollution. In urban areas specifically, surface runoff is a primary cause of flooding and property damage. Factors like soil type, land use, and slope affect how much runoff occurs from a given area.
Surface runoff occurs when precipitation falls more quickly than soil can absorb it, flowing over the land surface. It is a major component of the water cycle and the primary agent of soil erosion. Runoff can carry man-made and natural pollutants as it flows, causing water pollution. In urban areas specifically, surface runoff is a primary cause of flooding and property damage. Factors like soil type, land use, and slope affect how much runoff occurs from a given area.
Surface runoff occurs when precipitation falls more quickly than soil can absorb it, flowing over the land surface. It is a major component of the water cycle and the primary agent of soil erosion. Runoff can carry man-made and natural pollutants as it flows, causing water pollution. In urban areas specifically, surface runoff is a primary cause of flooding and property damage. Factors like soil type, land use, and slope affect how much runoff occurs from a given area.
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 2
RUNOFF
Surface runoff (also known as overland flow) is the flow of water that occurs when excess stormwater meltwater, or other sources flow over the Earth's surface. This can occur when the soil is saturated to full capacity, and rain arrives more quickly than soil can absorb it. Surface runoff often occurs because impervious areas (such as roofs and pavement) do not allow water to soak into the ground. Surface runoff is a major component of the water cycle. It is the primary agent of soil erosion by water. The land area producing runoff that drains to a common point is called a drainage basin. Runoff that occurs on the ground surface before reaching a channel can be a nonpoint source of pollution, as it can carry man-made contaminants or natural forms of pollution (such as rotting leaves). Man-made contaminants in runoff include petroleum, pesticides, fertilizers and others. In addition to causing water erosion and pollution, surface runoff in urban areas is a primary cause of urban flooding, which can result in property damage, damp and mold in basements, and street flooding.
Meteorological factors affecting runoff:
- Type of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc.)
- Rainfall intensity - Rainfall amount - Rainfall duration - Distribution of rainfall over the watersheds - Direction of storm movement - Antecedent precipitation and resulting soil moisture
Physical characteristics affecting runoff:
- Land use
- Vegetation
- Soil type
- Drainage area
- Basin shape
- Elevation
- Slope
- Topography
(Why might stormwater runoff be a problem?
As it flows over the land surface, stormwater picks up potential pollutants that may include sediment, nutrients (from lawn fertilizers), bacteria (from animal and human waste), pesticides (from lawn and garden chemicals), metals (from rooftops and roadways), and petroleum by- products (from leaking vehicles). Pollution originating over a large land area without a single point of origin and generally carried by stormwater is considered non-point pollution. In contrast, point sources of pollution originate from a single point, such as a municipal or industrial discharge pipe. Polluted stormwater runoff can be harmful to plants, animals, and people.
Is runoff good or bad?
Runoff can carry a lot of sediment
The sediment being dumped into the oceans has an effect on the ecology of the oceans, both in a good and bad way. And, this is one of the ways that the oceans have become what they are: salty
TAREQ OMAR AL-ASSAF
HYDROLOGY
REFERENCE:WIKIPEDIA / USGS
water erosion and pollution, surface runoff in urban areas is a primary cause of urban flooding, which .can result in property damage, damp and mold in basements, and street flooding
