The document discusses various aspects of precipitation abstraction including interception, where rainfall is prevented from reaching the ground by vegetation; depression storage, where water is trapped in surface depressions on the ground; and infiltration, where water moves through the soil. It also examines factors that influence these processes and presents models for estimating interception and infiltration capacity over time.
The document discusses various aspects of precipitation abstraction including interception, where rainfall is prevented from reaching the ground by vegetation; depression storage, where water is trapped in surface depressions on the ground; and infiltration, where water moves through the soil. It also examines factors that influence these processes and presents models for estimating interception and infiltration capacity over time.
The document discusses various aspects of precipitation abstraction including interception, where rainfall is prevented from reaching the ground by vegetation; depression storage, where water is trapped in surface depressions on the ground; and infiltration, where water moves through the soil. It also examines factors that influence these processes and presents models for estimating interception and infiltration capacity over time.
The document discusses various aspects of precipitation abstraction including interception, where rainfall is prevented from reaching the ground by vegetation; depression storage, where water is trapped in surface depressions on the ground; and infiltration, where water moves through the soil. It also examines factors that influence these processes and presents models for estimating interception and infiltration capacity over time.
It is the segment of precipitation that is prevented
to reach the ground by vegetation and subsequently evaporates
rainfall
Interception = Rainfall – stemflow – throughfall
throughfall
stemflow Route of interception 1. Interception loss : rain water retained by the vegetation as surface storage >>>> evaporate
2. Througfall : rain water can drip off the plant
leaves to join the ground surface or the surface flow 3. Stem flow: the rain water may run along the leaves and braches and down the stem to reach the ground surface Influencing Factors 1. Storm characteristics : rainfall intensity, duration, wind …etc 2. The vegetation : species, age, density of plants and trees 3. Season of the year: time of plant growing
It is estimated of that : of the total rainfall in area
during plant-growing season, the interception loss is 10-20 %. Influencing Factors
– Estimation of interception can be significant in annual
or long-term models
– For heavy rainfalls during individual storm events
interception is neglected Estimation of Interception Most interception loss develops during the initial storm period and the rate of interception rapidly approach to zero. Horton: Li = 0.015+ 0.23 P (ash trees) Ii = Si + KEt Li = 0.03+ 0.22 P (oak trees)
Ii = the volume of water intercepted (mm)
SI = the interception storage whose values varies from 0.25 to 1.5 depending on the nature of vegetation Ki = ration of vegetal surface area to its projected area E = Evaporation rate in (mm/h) during the precipitation t = duration of rainfall in hours Depression Storage
When the precipitation of a storm reaches the
ground, it must fill up all depressions before it can flow over the surface
The volume of water trapped in these
depressions called depression storage Influencing Factors
1. Type of soil : 0.50 cm for sand, 0.25 cm fro
clay 2. The condition of the surface : amonut and nature of depression 3. The slope of Catchment 4. The soil moisture Infiltration Is the process by which precipitation moves down through the surface of the earth and replenishes soil moisture recharge aquifers, and ultimately support runoff quantities.
Soil water zone – max depth
Unsaturated zone from which water can be returned to surface through capillary action or ET. Transmission zone, Gravitational water – flow uniform direction is vertical due moisture to gravity. (unsaturated content, not zone or zone of saturated aeration)
Capillary zone, less
than atmospheric pressure Wetting Front
Groundwater, saturation at atmospheric pressure Infiltration Capacity
Infiltration capacity (fc): The maximum rate at which a given soil at a
given time can a absorb water (cm/h)
The actual rate of infiltration f can be expressed as :
f = fc when i ≥ fc
f = i when i < fc
Where i = the intensity of rainfall
The infiltration capacity of a soil is high at the beginning of a storm and
has and extensional decay at the time elapses. Infiltration Capacity Measurement of Infiltration There are two kinds of infiltrometers : 1. Flooding-type infiltrometer, and This is, a simple instrument consisting essentially of a metal cylinder, 30 cm diameter and 60 cm long, open at both ends. This cylinder is driven into the ground to a depth. Water is poured into the top part to a depth of 5 cm and a pointer is set to mark the water level.
As infiltration proceeds, the volume is made up by adding water from a
burette to keep the water level at the tip of the pointer.
Knowing the volume of water added at different time intervals, the
plot of the infiltration capacity vs time is obtained Horton’s Infiltration Model - If the rainfall supply exceeds the infiltration capacity, the infiltration tends to decrease in exponential manner
kh t f ct f cf ( f c o f cf )e - For 0 ≥ t ≤ td Where :
fct : the infiltration capacity (depth/time)
at any time t from the start of the rainfall fcf: a final or equilibrium capacity fco: the initial infiltration capacity Kh: a constant representing the rate of decrease in f capacity td: duration of the rainfall -INDEX - index is determined for a single storm and not applicable to other storm and - Large storm on wet soil and - Infiltration rate may be assumed to be relatively uniform
Volume losses includes the interception, depression
storage and infiltration
Runoff volume
Intensity Volume Losses
Time Example 3.5 • A storm with 10.0 cm precipitation produce a direct runoff of 5.8 cm given the time distribution of the storm as below, estimate the - INDEX of the storm?
Time from start (h) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Incremental rainfall in 0.4 0.9 1.5 2.3 1.8 1.6 1.0 0.5 each hour (cm) Solution: Total infiltration = 10.0-5.8 = 4.2 cm Assume the time of rainfall excess = 8 hr (for the first trail) Then Ф = 4.2/8 = 0.525 cm/h
This value makes the rainfall of the first hour and eight hour ineffective as their magnitude is less than 5.25 cm/h.
Assume the time of rainfall excess = 6 hr (for the second trail)
Infiltration = 10-0.4-0.5-5.8 = 3.3 cm
Then Ф = 3.3/6 = 0.55 cm/h and by calculating the rainfall excesses
Time from start (h) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Rainfall excesses (cm) 0 0.9-0.55 = 0.35 0.95 1.75 1.25 1.05 0.45 0 T then total rainfall excesses= 5.8 = total runoff WH3 • 3.2 • 3.4 • 3.9 • 3.13
