<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The fact that flash floods initiated in arable catchments are often accompanied by massive sediment and nutrient loads often leads to the assumption that surface runoff is the principle pathway by which runoff reaches watercourses. On the basis of an evaluation of several rainfall-runoff events in a representative agricultural catchment, we show that runoff from cultivated land may be generated in a way similar to that seen on forested slopes, where shallow subsurface runoff is the predominant pathway by which runoff makes its way to watercourses in most runoff events. To identify the predominant runoff pathway, we employed a combination of turbidity measurements and stream discharge data. Suspended sediment flux, a newly introduced index representing the ratio between precipitation duration and total sediment yield, and direction of the discharge-turbidity hysteresis loops were proposed as reflective indicators of the frequency of runoff via different pathways. </p><p>In our study, most of the events initiated by rainstorms of various intensities and durations resulted in rapid increases in stream discharge. Although we observed temporal variability of topsoil properties attributable to seasonal weather changes and agricultural activities, e.g. bulk density and porosity, runoff generation was mainly driven by precipitation characteristics and the initial catchment saturation.</p></abstract>

The fact that flash floods initiated in arable catchments are often accompanied by massive sediment and nutrient loads often leads to the assumption that surface runoff is the principle pathway by which runoff reaches watercourses. On the basis of an evaluation of several rainfall-runoff events in a representative agricultural catchment, we show that runoff from cultivated land may be generated in a way similar to that seen on forested slopes, where shallow subsurface runoff is the predominant pathway by which runoff makes its way to watercourses in most runoff events. To identify the predominant runoff pathway, we employed a combination of turbidity measurements and stream discharge data. Suspended sediment flux, a newly introduced index representing the ratio between precipitation duration and total sediment yield, and direction of the discharge-turbidity hysteresis loops were proposed as reflective indicators of the frequency of runoff via different pathways. In our study, most of the events initiated by rainstorms of various intensities and durations resulted in rapid increases in stream discharge. Although we observed temporal variability of topsoil properties attributable to seasonal weather changes and agricultural activities, e.g. bulk density and porosity, runoff generation was mainly driven by precipitation characteristics and the initial catchment saturation.

Identification of prevailing storm runoff generation mechanisms in an intensively cultivated catchment

Department of Irrigation, Drainage and Landscape Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Thákurova 7, 16629, Prague 6, Czech Republic

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The fact that flash floods initiated in arable catchments are often accompanied by massive sediment and nutrient loads often leads to the assumption that...

Identification of prevailing storm runoff generation mechanisms in an intensively cultivated catchment

Published Online: Jun 25, 2015

Page range: 246 - 254

Received: Nov 08, 2014

Accepted: Feb 23, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/johh-2015-0022

© 2015

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.