Runoff Generation

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Runoff Generation

• Brian Finlayson
• School of Anthropology, Geography and
  Environmental Studies
• The University of Melbourne

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• Premises
• There is significant locational specificity in
  runoff generation and delivery.
• Much of what we know comes from small (usually
  experimental) catchments in steep and humid
  environments
• The bulk of the agricultural and grazing lands in
  Australias major river basins are characterised
  by flat topography and sub-humid to semi-arid
  climates

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• The major issue in relation to runoff generation
  in these catchments concerns the generation and
  transmission of surface runoff
• There are two components to this
• How and where surface runoff is generated
• How and where that runoff makes its way into and
  through the drainage network

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Krui River Headwaters
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Merriwa River
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Mooki River
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Comet River
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Comet River
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Comet River
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Comet River

• Channel connectivity

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Comet River
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Summary of catchment characteristics

• Catchment Area Av Slope () Well
  Connected
• Brown River 1222 5.9 9.4
• Corella Ck 144 1.7 1.0
• Moolayember Ck 617 15.3 21.6

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Comet River
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Summary

• Where and how is surface runoff generated?
• Soil properties (surface sealing, depth,
  permeability etc)
• Topography (slope, contour concavity, water
  surfaces, bedrock outcrops)
• Land use (grazing, cultivation, irrigation)

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Summary

• Where and how does it join the channel network?
• Slope-channel coupling
• Non-channel topographic networks

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Summary

• How does the channel network deliver water and
  entrained sediment through the catchment?
• Channel network continuity
• Internal storage basins