Term
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Definition
| Gravity movement of water in channels |
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Term
| What is discharge measured in? |
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Definition
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Definition
| This is km-2. Often described as mm of discharge over the catchment. |
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Definition
| The discharge of a river in response to rainfall and other environmental factors |
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Term
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Definition
| Minimum starting point / current conditions |
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Term
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Definition
| distribution of rainfall over time |
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Term
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Definition
| The discharge/time for any conduit carrying flow |
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Term
| rainfall-runoff relationships |
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Definition
| higher rainfall creates higher output. Although there are variables and limitations to consider. These are seasonal variations, in winter there is an increase in storage, such as snow. Land use changes etc... |
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Term
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Definition
| integrates all hydrological variables to produce a much more accurate result. |
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Term
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Definition
| A spatially and temporally integrated response determined by rainfall, overland flow and throughflow |
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Term
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Definition
| These are an accumulation of lateral inflows which vary in space and time. |
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Term
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Definition
| water that's in a catchment before an event occurs. This is measured in conservative traces. EG: chloride, sulphates, natural isotopes, and total dissolved ions. |
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Term
| Quickflow / Surface runoff |
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Definition
| a rapid response to precipitation. Approx 10% of precipitation on the earth's surface is quickflow |
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Term
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Definition
| water that's already in the catchment / average water over time. There's slow/no response to precipitation. Approx 24% of global precipitation |
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Term
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Definition
| The amount of rain that falls on the channel/open area of water. This increases over an rainstorm event as the channel will become wider |
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Term
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Definition
| The key component is the rate of infiltration. The precipitation on the surface can be split between runoff or it can infiltrate. It is also known as the difference between rainfall and infiltration in a given time |
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Term
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Definition
When depression storage is full and run off takes place. When precipitation > than infiltration overland flow occurs.
Vegetation increases infiltration rates - roots break up soil
Soil texture is an influence as well. |
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Term
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Definition
| When soil's compacted, it's much denser. The infiltration rates decreases |
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Term
| Saturation excess overland flow |
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Definition
| Water falling on a saturated area |
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Term
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Definition
| Water returning to the surface from the ground |
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Term
| Partial Contributing Areas |
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Definition
| Also known as dynamic contributing areas, or, variable source areas. These are always dynamic and are part of the reason you get different results from rainfall in summer and winter |
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Term
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Definition
| Antecedent conditions are the conditions before the rainfall event has occured. If conditions are wet before event, discharge will be much higher |
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Term
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Definition
A - the area drained per unit contour length
S - The gradient of the slope |
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