Surface and subsurface runoff generation processes and their influencing factors on a hillslope in northern China

Abstract

Runoff processes are essential to the hydrological cycle in mountainous areas. However, many aspects of surface and subsurface runoff generation mechanisms and their influencing factors remain to be fully understood. In this study, rainfall simulation experiments were conducted in micro runoff plots in different slope positions on a typical hillslope to explore runoff processes and their influencing factors in the Taihang Mountain region in northern China. The surface and subsurface runoff and soil water content (SWC) variation processes were analyzed. Moreover, the impact of the soil properties, such as soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), bulk density (BD), capillary porosity (CP), non-capillary porosity (NCP), and soil organic matter (SOM), on these processes were investigated. The results revealed that the response of the SWC to rainfall was significantly different in different soil layers and slope positions. The response time was slower and the period was longer on the lower slope. However, the middle and upper slopes had a faster response time and shorter period. The surface runoff was the dominant type in the lower slope (67.26 % of the total runoff), while the subsurface runoff was the dominant type in the middle (78.83 %) and upper (83.67 %) slopes. The subsurface runoff was mainly generated in the 40 cm layer on the lower slope, 20 and 30 cm layers on the middle slope, and 30 and 40 cm layers on the upper slope. These layers exhibited good correspondence with the Ks' vertical distribution, but were inconsistent with the other soil properties. These results indicate that the Ks was the most critical factor influencing the runoff generation process. The ratio of the upper layer's horizontal Ks to the lower layer's vertical Ks controlled the subsurface runoff generation process in the hillslope. These findings provide useful information for understanding the hydrological processes in mountainous areas.