Hypsometric control on surface and subsurface runoff

[1] A fundamental problem in hydrology is relating the basin hydrological response to the geomorphologic properties of a catchment. In this technical note, we show that the hypsometric distribution exerts control on surface and subsurface runoff partitioning by isolating its effect with respect to other basin characteristics. We conduct simulations using a distributed watershed model for hypsometric realizations developed by modifying the contour line values of a real basin. Results indicate that the runoff components are a function of the basin hypsometric form. In general, a relatively less eroded (convex) basin exhibits higher total runoff that is more dominated by subsurface processes, while a relatively more eroded (concave) basin shows less total runoff with a higher fraction of surface response. Hypsometric differences are also observed in the relations between base flow discharge and the mean groundwater depth and the variable source area. Furthermore, the hypsometric form reveals clear signatures on the spatial distribution of soil moisture and runoff response mechanisms.

[1]  David G. Tarboton,et al.  A Physical Basis for Drainage Density , 1992 .

[2]  Rafael L. Bras,et al.  The Effect of Spatial Heterogeneities on Geomorphic Expression in a Model of Basin Evolution , 1995 .

[3]  Christopher J. Duffy,et al.  A TWO-STATE INTEGRAL-BALANCE MODEL FOR SOIL MOISTURE AND GROUNDWATER DYNAMICS IN COMPLEX TERRAIN , 1996 .

[4]  Rafael L. Bras,et al.  Sensitivity of a basin evolution model to the nature of runoff production and to initial conditions , 1992 .

[5]  Alan D. Howard,et al.  Role of hypsometry and planform in basin hydrologic response , 1990 .

[6]  Gregory E. Tucker,et al.  Hillslope processes, drainage density, and landscape morphology , 1998 .

[7]  Dara Entekhabi,et al.  Preserving high-resolution surface and rainfall data in operational-scale basin hydrology: a fully-distributed physically-based approach , 2004 .

[8]  Dara Entekhabi,et al.  Controls on runoff generation and scale-dependence in a distributed hydrologic model , 2007 .

[9]  E. Vivoni,et al.  Catchment hydrologic response with a fully distributed triangulated irregular network model , 2004 .

[10]  Wilfried Brutsaert,et al.  The influence of basin morphology on groundwater outflow , 1988 .

[11]  Wei Luo,et al.  Hypsometric analysis with a geographic information system , 1998 .

[12]  J. Harlin,et al.  A THEORETICAL TRAVEL TIME BASED ON WATERSHED HYPSOMETRY 1 , 2003 .

[13]  G. Hancock,et al.  Revisiting the hypsometric curve as an indicator of form and process in transport‐limited catchment , 1998 .

[14]  D. Seo,et al.  Overall distributed model intercomparison project results , 2004 .

[15]  A. Rinaldo,et al.  Geomorphic controls on regional base flow , 2001 .

[16]  W. Langbein,et al.  Topographic characteristics of drainage basins , 1947 .

[17]  E. Vivoni,et al.  On the effects of triangulated terrain resolution on distributed hydrologic model response , 2005 .

[18]  S. Schumm.  EVOLUTION OF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND SLOPES IN BADLANDS AT PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY , 1956 .

[19]  Garry R. Willgoose,et al.  A statistic for testing the elevation characteristics of landscape simulation models , 1994 .

[20]  Francesc Gallart,et al.  Seasonal dynamics of runoff-contributing areas in a small mediterranean research catchment (Vallcebre, Eastern Pyrenees) , 2007 .

[21]  I. Rodríguez‐Iturbe,et al.  The geomorphologic structure of hydrologic response , 1979 .

[22]  Dara Entekhabi,et al.  Generation of triangulated irregular networks based on hydrological similarity , 2004 .

[23]  Wei Luo,et al.  Quantifying groundwater‐sapping landforms with a hypsometric technique , 2000 .

[24]  A. N. Strahler.  Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. , 1952 .

[25]  J. L. Imes,et al.  Geohydrology of the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system in parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas , 1994 .

[26]  J. Harlin.  Statistical moments of the hypsometric curve and its density function , 1978 .

[27]  M. Hutchinson.  A new procedure for gridding elevation and stream line data with automatic removal of spurious pits , 1989 .

[28]  J. Harlin.  Watershed morphometry and time to hydrograph peak , 1984 .

[29]  E. Eltahir,et al.  On the asymmetric response of aquifer water level to floods and droughts in Illinois , 1999 .

[30]  Hiroo Ohmori,et al.  Changes in the hypsometric curve through mountain building resulting from concurrent tectonics and denudation , 1993 .

[31]  Giacomo Bertoldi,et al.  Impact of Watershed Geomorphic Characteristics on the Energy and Water Budgets , 2006 .