Water Science. Life Sciences. Research Paper Assignment (Research Paper Sample)

Water Science
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Institutional Affiliation
Section A:
Identify and explain the salient factors that determine a catchment’s response to a storm event.
There are several factors that determine the response of a catchment to a storm. They include;
* Amount of rainfall; the level of response of a catchment depends on the amount of rainfall, the variation of its volume and intensity. The catchment response is weak when the intensity of rainfall exceeds surface infiltration capacity resulting to surface run-off (Fallon & Tate, 2003).
* Timing of precipitation and rainfall intensity. Cumulative infiltration increases rapidly with time when the intensity of rainfall is high due to a high and steady initial rate of infiltration. Moreover, the wetting front difference is smaller at the top and at the end of the slope when the intensity of rainfall is larger (Lobb & Femmer, 2016).
* Soil type. The rate which soil can hold or soak rainfall is known as infiltration capacity. Run-off occurs when the more rainfall reaches the ground and supersedes its infiltration capacity. This is determined by the texture and structure of soil, land use, and vegetation cover.