Premium
Use of the Mass Balance Method for Examining the Role of Soils in Controlling Watershed Performance
Author(s) -
Rawitz E.,
Engman E. T.,
Cline G. D.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr006i004p01115
Subject(s) - surface runoff , storm , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , watershed , hydrograph , water balance , soil water , runoff model , soil science , geology , meteorology , geotechnical engineering , geography , ecology , machine learning , computer science , biology
A two year preliminary study of the water balance of a 16.2‐hectare watershed in Pennsylvania showed that spring and summer storms produced practically no overland surface runoff during the storms, but these storms did produce typical hydrographs having all the characteristics usually attributed to surface runoff. Less than 5% of the rainfall, and one third or less of the total runoff appeared as storm runoff. Since virtually all the water eventually reaching the stream channels infiltrated the soil and most of it percolated through the soil, the properties of the soil and the amount of water stored in this layer emerge as the most important regulators of runoff in the system.