GEOG 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 31: Surface Runoff, Hydraulic Conductivity, Evapotranspiration
Document Summary
Urban catchment: piped water flow through the city, evapotranspiration occurs and anthropogenic water is released as well and water continues to flow through sewers and streams. Surface and subsurface water flows into underground water wells. Natural catchment: water flows downstream and subsurface water flows towards streams. Infiltration is permeation of a liquid into something by filtration. The rainwater that reaches the ground either infiltrates into the subsurface or runs off at the surface. The ratio of infiltration vs runoff is defined by properties of the surface and subsurface: water retention characteristics and hydraulic conductivity. Hydraulic conductivity: property of vascular plants, soils and rocks, that describes the ease with which a fluid (water) can move through pore spaces or fractures. It depends on the permeability of the material, the degree of saturation, and on the density and viscosity of the fluid. A large fraction of urban land cover is paved.
