Modelling of hillslope runoff processes

The present study is aimed at modelling hillslope flows with emphasis on subsurface storm-flows that involve macropores. The physical processes connected with the runoff process on a hillslope are identified. The components which are considered in modelling the hillslope flow are the nature of flows in the macropore and micropore domains, the spatial and temporal characteristics of the macropore network, the interaction between the domains, and the initiation of flow in the macropores. Both Horton and Dunne's variable source area generation mechanisms are explicitly incorporated in the model. The dominant physical processes governing hillslope runoff are conceptualized in terms of parameters which are derived from the physical properties of the soil, the nature of macropores, and hillslope geometry. The conceptualization of the model is then used to examine infiltration and runoff production. This helps to compute the development of the groundwater table, runoff hydrograph, and soil moisture profile.